Working in the United Kingdom

If you are from outside the European Union, you can work for a maximum of 20 hours per week in term time and up to 40 hours during vacations, provided that the stamp in your passport does not include a prohibition on working.  Reading is a busy, modern town with a strong economy and offers plenty of employment opportunities for students.

Part-time Jobs

If you decide that you do want to find part-time work during your studies, the JobShop on campus is dedicated to helping students to find work, get experience in a particular field, improve their Curriculum Vitae (CV) or to supplement their finances.

The Job Shop is a dedicated job centre for Reading students which advertises part-time vacancies (usually 16 hours or less per week). The University's location in the prosperous South-east region means that students who wish to work part-time have a range of jobs on offer.

The Job Shop works with local employers finding term-time and vacation work for students. There is typically a wide range of part-time work on offer from jobs in tutoring, mentoring, interpretation, translation, to data processing, admin, clerical, and shop work.   Wages will vary but you can expect to earn between £5 and £15 per hour. 

The United Kingdom Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has more information on its website about the rules for part-time work in the UK while you are studying. Working in the UK during your studies (website)

If you want to work in the UK you will need a National Insurance number

National Insurance is a compulsory Government tax that is automatically deducted from your pay if you earn more than £110 each week. Your National Insurance number is a unique personal reference number used by the Government's Revenue and Customs Department to work out how much National Insurance you must pay when you work.

You will usually have to pay about 11% of your pay.

If you don't already have a National Insurance number, your employer may issue you with a temporary one so you can start work, but you will need to get a permanent one. Some employers will ask you to get a National Insurance number before you can start working for them.

To get your permanent National Insurance number

You need to phone 0845 6000643 and explain that you're an international student who is looking for work and needs a National Insurance number.

You will be asked some questions, and sent an application form that you will need to fill in and post back.

When your application form has been received, you will need to go for an interview at Jobcentreplus or the Benefits Agency.

You will need to take these documents with you:

• your passport
• proof of your UK address (such as a utility bill or bank statement)
• proof that you're a student at the University of Reading
• proof that you're looking for work or have started working, such as an application form that you're going to complete to apply for a job, a letter from a recruitment agency showing that you've registered with them to find work, a letter from an employer showing that you've been offered a job or that you've not been successful when you applied for a job, or your pay slip or contract of employment.

Your National Insurance number will look like this: AB 12 34 56 Z.