If you are studying at the University with a Student Visa, you should have been issued a visa which allows you to work in the UK. Check your online immigration status to see you are permitted to work.
ℹ️Your Student Visa restricts the number of hours you can work during term time, but you can work full time during your official vacation periods i.e. Easter break, Christmas break etc. Please note that Induction/Fresher’s week, school reading weeks and study weeks are considered to be term-time, so you should not work full-time during these weeks. You can find the general term dates and vacation periods on the University website
Please note that it you are employed by the University of Hertfordshire we apply a stricter limit of 15 hours per week (or 7.5 hours if your visa allows 10 hours). You must not exceed these hours at any point during term‑time, including induction, reading weeks and study weeks. If you want to increase your working hours during official vacation periods or after successfully completing your course, you must apply through the relevant University process and receive written approval from HR before doing so. You should allow several weeks for this approval, and you must not increase your hours until confirmation has been received.
- How many hours can I work full time?
- How can I prove I am on vacation?
- Semester C vacation periods
- Completed your studies?
How many hours can I work full-time?
For information on how many hours you can legally work in the UK during your vacation period, please see the Gov.uk website
If you are working for the University of Hertfordshire, please read the information on Ask Herts.
How can I prove I am on vacation?
The University is unable to provide a letter confirming your eligibility to work full-time in the UK - it is the employer’s responsibility to carry out a right-to-work check for you. As part of their check, the employer is required to obtain and retain evidence of your academic term and vacation dates.
If you are registered in the current academic year, you are permitted to work full-time outside of your term dates, which are noted on the UH website.
Most courses are delivered within the standard term dates. However, some courses extend into vacation periods, which may impact your ability to work outside of term time. To prove to an employer that you can work outside of term time, please provide a student status letter along with a copy of your vacation dates document.
ℹ️ Providing evidence of vacation periods to employers, instructions on how to do this can be found here.
If you have scheduled classes or lectures during an official vacation period, you are not on vacation.
If you are completing your dissertation, please note you cannot work more than 20 hours per week. Failure to comply may result in your visa sponsorship being withdrawn.
ℹ️If you need a Student Status Letter, you may request one here
Semester C vacation periods
If you have a Semester C vacation you can start working full-time from the start of Semester C until the beginning of Semester A or until your first class starts (whichever comes first). However, if you know you have referred/deferred modules in Semester C, you cannot start working full-time until these are completed.
If during your vacation, you find out that you have referred/deferred modules in Semester C, then you MUST stop working full-time until all referrals/deferrals are completed. Once completed, you can work full-time for the remainder of your vacation period.
Research students (Master’s by Research/MPhil/ PhD) are considered to be studying throughout the year (52-week term), so should not exceed their working hours restriction at any point. If you need to take vacation, please contact the Doctoral College team to discuss before taking any leave.
Completed your studies?
If you have completed your studies please see Student Visa Holders - Working at the end of your studies