Working in the UK
To work in the UK you will need to apply for a National Insurance number
During Studies
Your BRP will indicate how many hours you are able to work whilst you are studying.
For degree level students on a Student Visa or Tier 4 visa you should be allowed to work up to 20 hours during term time. Term time is determine by the academic calendar.
You are able to work full time during vacation periods. These students should be aware that:
Masters students: you can only work 20 hours during the summer period (the summer period is when you should be doing your dissertation so does not count as a vacation period)
PhD students: as you work throughout the year, term time dates do not apply to you. You should be entitled to 8 week's annual leave and you can work during your annual leave periods.
There are also certain types of work you are not allowed to do. You can find this on the UKCISA website
After studies
Your Student Visa orTier 4 student visa is likely to continue for up to 4 months after your course end date. Your end date will be as follows:
End dates
| Undergraduate students |
The end of the summer term as specified in the Academic Calendar |
| Postgraduate Taught Master's students |
The course end date listed on your CAS |
| PhD students |
The award date of your PhD (as confirmed by the Research Degrees team) |
Upon reaching your course end date, you can start working full-time up until your visa expiry date, for a maximum period of 4 months. Its therefore important that before you reach your visa expiry date/the 4 month period after your course end date, you apply to switch into another immigration category or otherwise leave the UK.
During this 4 month period you may have the option to switch to another visa which permits you to work in the UK after your Student Visa or Tier 4 visa expires.
Start up visa
Graduate Route
Advice guide on working in the UK