Employment

General

International students can generally get a part-time job during term-time or a vacation job without obtaining a work permit, though it’s a good idea to talk to the international office before finding work.

The UK has a national minimum wage (which also applies to ‘commission only’ jobs).  Find out what the current level of the minimum wage is from your student welfare office (from October 2005, workers aged 22 and over must be paid £5.05 per hour).

A leaflet prepared by the Department for Education and Skills (2001 - 2007) called, ‘International Students working in the UK’ outlines some of the basic information you may need to know, such as how to get a National Insurance Number.  (A similarly titled document is available on the British Council's Education UK website)

Looking for a job

There are many places you can look if you are trying to find a job.  Some of these are:

Job Centres: these have advertisements of jobs available locally.  You can also search a national database of jobs advertised in job centres on their website.

Local newspapers: these often have a few pages of local jobs available.

Noticeboards: these often display advertisements – look for them in your college/university, local supermarkets and shops and local libraries.

Agencies: employment agencies are companies that specialise in finding jobs for people.  Find out how much they charge (eg how much of your income they keep) before you register your name and details with them.  It is usually worth registering with a few agencies at the same time.

Your university: some work may be available within the university – ask in your student union, library etc.

This guide is copyrighted © Friends International 2005.  No part of this work may be reproduced without the written permission of Friends International.
Additional local information provided by Friends International in Guildford, 2007.

Images: www.freeimages.co.uk