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International students studying on a student visa are allowed to work in the UK. Students are allowed to work the following hours:
You are NOT allowed to work full time during inter semester breaks. If you work more hours then you should you will be at risk of losing your visa and may as a result have to return to your country. There are also consequences for employers. Therefore it is important you work the correct number of hours. If you are still unsure of the number of hours you are allowed to work please contact us.
The University's Jobshop is there to help you find work during your studies. Many companies advertise jobs suitable for students with the Jobshop. The team have helped many students find work in the local area.
If your employer is unsure about your permission to work in the UK or the number of hours you can work they can contact the UK Border Agency.
They have set up an Employers Helpline for this purpose. The number they can ring is 0845 010 6677. They can also visit the Employers Support section of the Border Agency website.
If you intend to work in the UK you will need to apply for a permanent National Insurance number (N.I). This is a personal number that is allocated to each person, which is used by the Inland Revenue department, to work out what National Insurance contributions you must pay when you work. Everyone in the UK who earns above a certain amount must have an N.I. number.
To apply you will need to call the Jobcentre Plus on 0845 6000 643. You will be sent an application form. Once you complete the form and post it back to them you will received an N.I. card. This will state your unique number. Your employer will ask you for your N.I. number when you start working. For more information on National Insurance numbers please read our information sheet.
Students from EU countries may need to attend an interview as part of their process for getting an N.I. number. The University’s Jobshop works in partnership with the Jobcentre Bedford to carry out interviews in the Luton campus of the University. To find out about future interview dates and book your place please email the Jobshop: jobshop@beds.ac.uk . Alternatively, appointments will be available at selected job centres in the region. To find out more you will need to contact the Jobcentre on 0845 6000 643.
Students working in the UK will also have income tax deducted from their earnings if they earn above a certain amount. Each year this basic level changes. For the current year (April 2009 to April 2010) students will only have to pay tax if they earn above £6,475. This is referred to as the 'personal allowance'.
If you work for an employer, he/she will usually take the required tax from your wages and give it to the Inland Revenue.
To find out if you are being taxed the correct amount you can check this using the student tax calculator which is available on the Directgov website.
If this is your first job ask your employer for form P46, that will determine your tax code. If this is not your first job, give the employer your P45 which you should have got from your last employer when you left your job or ask for P46 if you did not yet receive a P45.
If you only want to work during holidays and you think your income for the whole year is likely to be less than the stated personal allowance for the year, than ask your employer for form P38(s). Alternatively you can access it online via the Directgov website. Once completed your employer should than pay you without deducting tax.
Ask your employer for the following:
If you think you have been taxed too much either for your National Insurance contributions or Income Tax then you can apply for a refund. To find out more about this go to www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits
More information on tax and contributions is available at studenttaxadvice.org.uk
