Regulations for working in the UK

Hours of work

As a university, we recommend our students work no more than 15 hours per week, as any more can interfere with your studies. Where vacancies display hours of more than 15 per week, applications and acceptance of working hours are at your discretion.

Rates of pay

There are national minimum wage regulations in the UK, these are enforced through HM Revenue and Customs.

The rates change every April. The current national minimum wage rates as of 1 April 2023 are as follows:

• Aged 23 and over: £10.42 per hour
• Aged 21-22: £10.18 per hour
• Aged 18-20: £7.49 per hour
• Aged under 18: £5.28 per hour
• Apprentices: £5.28 per hour

National Insurance

UK nationals 

All UK nationals would have been issued National Insurance (NI) number at 16 years of age.

Non-UK nationals

Full, up-to-date information on requirements and applications for National Insurance numbers is available at Gov.uk.

Further information specific to non-UK students' permissions to work is offered by the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA).

Regulations for international students

If you are a EEA/Swiss national with settled or pre-settled status, you can work freely in the UK. 

If you have a student visa, the type of work and hours you can do are restricted. Therefore, before you look for work it is very important to check what you can do and seek immigration advice if you need to. If you are studying a short course with us as a Visitor, you cannot work at all whilst you are in the UK. Detailed guidance is available on the immigration web pages.

Please be aware that, if you work when you shouldn’t, do any type of work that isn’t allowed (including unpaid or as a work placement) or, you work more hours than allowed in any one week, you will be breaching your immigration conditions. This is a criminal offence and can have very serious consequences for you and the University.