DIY and an Online Service to Help
A great way for international students studying in the UK to get some British experience and cover some living costs is through part-time work.
For example, if you are doing a full-time degree level course at a *publicly funded University or a short-term study abroad programme in the UK you can work up to 20 hours per week.
A full-time course below degree level at a publicly funded University also allows you to do 10 hours.
* Publicly funded universities include these universities but not these fully privately funded ones.
What You Need
In each case where you plan to work in the UK, you will need a
- Right to be a Student
- Get a National Insurance Number (click to skip down to info)
Just want help? Here are details of how a service we recommend works.
1. Right to be a Student
The rules of student employment differ based on students’ place of origin, as summarised below:
EU Students: Most students from the European Economic Area or the Swiss countries do not need any special permission(s) from the UK Visas and Immigration.
Of course with Brexit just around the corner, this may change a little but students will still need a NI Number.
Croatian Students: Croatian nationals studying in the UK previously required work authorization to work while studying in the UK. However, as per a ruling effective from July 2018, such restrictions have been lifted. For more information, click here.
International Students: There are certain regulations governing an international student’s ability to work in the UK, which is detailed in the government’s Tier 4 Policy Guide.
2. National Insurance Number
Regardless of your place of origin, the one thing that all non-UK students need for part-time employment is a National Insurance Number (NI Number).
Want to know how to get your National Insurance Number?
Read on!
What is it?
The UK government uses a social security system whereby National Insurance Numbers are used to facilitate employers’ contribution to National Insurance on their employees’ behalf. If you wish to work in the UK as a student, you need to have this National Insurance Number for your employment to be legal. Note that National Insurance Number is unique for every individual and its generation is free of cost. You can learn more about NINo for international students here.
The big question is, how do you go about getting your National Insurance Number?
You have two options (Click links for info below);
Getting a National Insurance Number can be DIY for free although you might like to use a service and save yourself a lot of trouble for a small fee of £25.
We recommend you read both options fully to understand why the £25 might be a good idea.
A) Do It Yourself
The process begins online here.
B) Use a Service
While the DIY method is free, we think it is a no brainer to pay a small £25 fee for a service.
There are two reasons for this:
B1. Time Consuming Process
The application and receipt of your NI Number can be a time-consuming process. It can take as long as 16 weeks to get it – meanwhile you pay emergency tax.
You do not need to have it to begin working as long you can prove the permissibility of you working in the UK. However, you do need to provide your employer with evidence that you have applied for your it and present it as soon as you need it.
When you use a service, the benefit is peace of mind as you have a consultant to confirm everything is fine during the application process.
Here are details of how the service we recommend works.
B2. Application Issues
In a number of cases, people who apply for their National Insurance Number by themselves, run into problems with their application.
Bottom Line
At the end of the day, we hope this gives you enough information to understand the process and make your own decision.
Over the years we have heard from hundreds of people who have applied themselves and are stressed out.
Here is a sample of some of their questions and concerns.
Over the years, things have slowly improved but we still think £25 is well worth the money to make the process less stressful.
Hi ! I got a job and they ask me for a national insurance number . I don’t have this number , how can I DO ?
No worries, just apply for one and work in the meantime!