Part Time Work
Many students work alongside their studies, to bolster their income and to gain work experience and skills. This is a good option for lots of our students but if you do work, it’s important to think about the balance between the number of hours you are working and the demands of your course.
The University Career Zone has information on casual jobs here, Save the Student provide some advice as well as a database of part-time student jobs. Other commercially-run job sites such as Indeed may also be useful sources of information in finding potential jobs to supplement your income.
If you are an international student, your visa may include conditions relating to your right to work. The University provides information on this here, the UK Council for International Student Affairs also provides advice on this page. Finally, if you need to clarify anything about your eligibility to work in the UK, we would encourage you to contact the University’s relevant team – see here.
Income tax
If you are working alongside your studies, you will be required to pay income tax if your earnings exceed the employee personal allowance. In 2022/23 this allowance is £12,570 for the year, which runs from 6th April 2022 to 5th April 2023. In practice, tax is usually administered over the period in which you are paid. So if you are paid monthly and earn over £1,048 then you may be taxed. You will also be required to pay National Insurance if you earn over £123 per week.
If you earn over the tax thresholds but then leave a job early or your income drops, you may be able to claim back any tax overpayments based on your total earnings across the financial year. See the Government webpage here for more information.