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Student and Tier 4 visa holders are permitted to work in the UK. Strict rules govern the total number of hours you may work during any given week throughout official University of Strathclyde term dates.
This guidance is for those sponsored by the University of Strathclyde (International Study Centre students should seek advice from them as their sponsor). The University of Strathclyde is a Higher Education Provider with a Track Record of Compliance.
You can work in the UK if:
The hours you are permitted to work during term-time will depend on the level of your course. See "What hours can I work?" for more information.
I have another immigration status. Can I work?
If you are a student studying on a Standard Visitor visa, you cannot do paid or unpaid work for a UK company and you cannot be self-employed. You cannot undertake a work placement - even if this is part of your course.
You can work in the UK if you have Settled or Pre-Settled Status through the EU Settlement Scheme.
Term Time:
During official University holiday periods, students may work unlimited full-time hours. Holidays will vary according to your course of study - please see "When can I work full-time?" for more information.
Important:
The Home Office defines a week as seven days beginning on Monday and ending on Sunday .
This means you should not work more than your permitted hours, whether this is 20 or 10 hours, between Monday and Sunday.
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Course level |
Periods when full-time work is permitted |
Additional information |
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Pre-sessional |
Between end of pre-sessional and beginning of main course of study check the University's Key Dates page for details of the start of the Academic Session |
Please note that you cannot work unlimited full-time hours if you have resits until you have undertaken the resit exam/assessment. |
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Undergraduate (inc integrated masters courses) |
During all official University vacation periods as per the University's Key Dates page |
You can work unlimited full-time hours during the holidays noted in the column on the left. If you have August resits, you cannot work unlimited full-time hours until you have undertaken the resit exam/assessment. The period between your last exam in each year and the official end-of-term date is still considered to be in term-time and you should adhere to the 20 hours per week work limit. You can work unlimited full-time hours when you have *successfully completed your course and until your visa expires. Your course is not complete until you have your final results - i.e. Registration Status on PEGASUS = COMPLETED. |
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PG (MSc etc) |
During official Spring and Christmas vacation as per the University's Key Dates page. This applies to both January and September starts with no exceptions.
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The period between submission of your dissertation and receiving official exam board results is still considered to be in term-time and you should adhere to the 20 hours per week work limit even if this is after the course end date on your CAS. You can work unlimited full-time hours when you have *successfully completed your course and until your visa expires. Your course is not complete until you have your final results - i.e. Registration Status on PEGASUS = COMPLETED. |
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PGR (PhD and MPhil) |
During the University's official Winter closure period as per the Key Dates page |
The period between submission of the soft-bound thesis and viva is still considered to be in term-time and you should adhere to the 20 hours per week work limit even if this is after the course end date on your CAS. You can work unlimited full-time hours when you have *successfully completed your course and until your visa expires. Your course is not complete until you have your final results - i.e. Registration Status on PEGASUS = COMPLETED. |
We would suggest that you provide the following:
The University can't provide personalised work authorisation letters, but we can help! Download our Holiday Work Letter for employers alongside your student status document. Your employer refer to our official statement on student work authorisation. Remember, employers verify your eligibility to work in the UK.
Student and Tier 4 visa holders can do most kinds of work. However, you are not permitted to:
Further details can be found in the immigration rules appendix student, paragraph st 26.6 and student route caseworker guidance.
While volunteering is permitted, you must check the type of opportunity. There is a difference between volunteering and unpaid employment (voluntary work).Volunteers are not paid and will not have a contract. However, organisations may sometimes contribute to travel costs.
Voluntary work is different from volunteering, as you will often have a contract. While voluntary work is permitted on a student visa, remember that any voluntary work hours are counted toward your permitted work hours.
You can access assistance for international students via the Careers Service.
You can find details on the Scottish Living Wage website.
Please visit our Working after studies page for information.