According to the Tier 4 visa rules, you are permitted to work for 20 hours per week during term time and full time during vacations.

Most employers don’t require you to pay any tax whilst you’re on Tier 4 visa. Make sure you request a tax exemption letter, if your employer hasn’t already sent you one.

 Before you apply for any job in the UK, whilst on a Tier 4 visa, you are required to apply for a National Insurance number. This usually takes up to 2 weeks to arrive by post so make sure you apply for one, well in advance. The details and procedure for your NI number can be found here.

The best place to look for part-time jobs is on your University website, which, more often than not, has a dedicated employability page. This is a preferred option as most employers looking for part-time employees usually reach out to Universities. Other ways are simply keeping a tab on websites such as Gumtree, Reed, Indeed, JobSite. You may also walk into shops and stores in your local high street and drop in your CV and tell them your availability, in case they have any openings.

Most students, originating from the UK, itself, usually depend on their part-time jobs to earn their living expenses. As Indian students, you will not be the only ones working and studying, simultaneously. Your professors at your University are aware that students mostly earn their own living expenses, which is why the curriculum is designed accordingly. Make sure you have a schedule to follow, in order to manage time well. If you feel that you’re unable to cope, arrange a meeting with your personal tutor to work around your current timetable or with your employer, to change your existing rota. Try to cut back on your job hours during exam time; you can cover this up during your summer or winter break and work full time.

Most University’s Student’s Union have a dedicated employability center to help you with your CV and cover letters. Remember — a CV is a recreation of your true self on paper form, so don’t rely on sample CV which are found online. For any CV related questions, please contact: aakash.bansal@nisu.org.uk

.A list of your rights can be found here.