Working while you study

Full-time students

Undergraduate students

Students are not expected to undertake paid work during term-time. Cambridge seeks to keep student living costs manageable, and accordingly the vast majority of students do not work during term-time, concentrating instead on their academic studies and co-curricular/social activities. Cambridge terms are short so many students work during the vacations, especially, for undergraduate students, in the long vacation in the summer. Students should consult their Faculty or Department for further details regarding official vacation periods during their studies and note that, depending on the course, studies may continue into the summer.

Students are reminded of the financial support that is available through the Colleges and the University.

Any students who undertake work should first consider the impact this may have on their studies and discuss the matter with their Tutor. Students should always take into account personal constraining factors, including visa and financial sponsorship restrictions. Pressure created by paid working will not normally be accepted as extenuating circumstances for examination mitigation, in cases where results are disappointing.

Taught postgraduate students

Students are not expected to undertake paid work during term-time. Cambridge seeks to keep student living costs manageable, and accordingly the vast majority of students do not work during term-time, concentrating instead on their academic studies and co-curricular/social activities. Cambridge terms are short so many students work during the vacations. Taught postgraduate students should consult their Faculty or Department for further details regarding official vacation periods during their studies and note that, depending on the course, studies may continue into the summer.  Students are expected to remain in Cambridge for the duration of the course. Any time between the end of Easter full term and the dissertation submission deadline should not be considered as vacation as students are still expected to be working on their studies at this time.

Students are reminded of the financial support that is available through the Colleges and the University.

Any applicant on a postgraduate taught course who will be employed when they start their course, or who subsequently wishes to take up employment during the course, must obtain permission from their Faculty or Department. 

Any students who wish to undertake work should consider the impact this may have on their studies and discuss the matter with their Tutor. Students should always take into account personal constraining factors, including visa and financial sponsorship restrictions. Pressure created by paid working will not normally be accepted as extenuating circumstances for examination mitigation, in cases where results are disappointing.

Students on a Student visa should also read the relevant section of this page.

Research postgraduate students 

[Note: this guidance does not apply to current University of Cambridge employees who are approved to undertake a postgraduate research degree at the staff fee rate.]

Full-time postgraduate research degrees at Cambridge are academically demanding. Postgraduate Research students are expected to devote around 40 hours per week to their studies throughout the year, except during holidays (up to 8 weeks per year) agreed with their supervisor. They should therefore regard the time spent on their studies as similar to a full-time occupation.

Students are encouraged to balance their academic study with personal interests, extra-curricular activities that enhance their Cambridge experience, and activities that support their wellbeing. The University recognises that some students may also wish to combine their studies with paid or voluntary work.

Before engaging in work, students are advised to give careful thought to what would be realistic and manageable alongside their 40hr/wk full-time study commitment plus any extra‑curricular activities or other demands on their time. Students are not required to supervise as part of their studies by the University (unless stipulated by funding bodies), and should not feel obligated or pressured to supervise undergraduate students. 

Students on a Student visa must comply with immigration working conditions that restrict both the number of hours and type of work permitted. They must ensure they have a formal contract of employment/worker's agreement or similar in place before undertaking any employment including undergraduate supervisions (see information under 'Students holding a Student visa' below).

Type of work

Work can take many forms, both paid and voluntary, either within the University or in external organisations. Within the University, students usually work in academic-related or voluntary/outreach roles. Examples of academic-related work include supervising undergraduates, invigilating examinations, working in a University/College library, demonstrating in a laboratory, or (for clinicians) working within Cambridge University Health Partners. Any offer of work by the University or its Colleges should be made through a written agreement (electronic records such as those generated by the Cambridge Casual Worker System or CamCORS would normally have the status of written agreements).

Students are required to complete training before undertaking any teaching/supervising. Training is provided by the Cambridge Centre for Teaching and Learning.

Students who wish to work, especially those considering a future career in academia, are encouraged to consider academic-related employment opportunities that may arise. The transferable skills that students receive from academic-related employment are also valuable for other career pathways.

Students on a period of intermission are not permitted to undertake any paid academic work for the University or its Colleges.

Hours of work

The University recommends limiting work to 6-10 hours per week. In exceptional circumstances, and to accommodate one-off events, students may be able to combine effective study with longer working hours, but this must only be undertaken after explicit discussion with their supervisor and their College tutor.  Even in such exceptional circumstances, students must never exceed a maximum of 20 hours work each week, which includes both paid and unpaid work.

Students may work for more than one employer but must ensure that the combined number of hours worked each week never exceeds the limit allowed. Students are responsible for monitoring the number of paid and unpaid hours they work each week.

The vacation dates used by undergraduate students do not apply to postgraduate research students. Students may take breaks for holiday of up to 8 weeks per year at times agreed with their Supervisor, but such periods should not be used for the purpose of undertaking work.

Permissions

Permission to work is not required, but the University strongly encourages students to discuss their plans in advance with their supervisor, in order to assess any potential impacts on their academic progress. Supervisors can provide advice specific to the student’s research activities, stage of their studies, and proposed timeline for completion, as well as helping the student explore how to manage work in the context of their commitments and wellbeing. Students should also discuss their plans with their College Tutor. As stated above, students who wish to work over 10 hours per week must discuss this with their supervisor and their College tutor.

Principles

Students who wish to work alongside their studies are expected to follow these principles:

• Academic study must take priority: any work should still allow the expected full-time hours to be spent on research and private study.
• Work should be scheduled around academic commitments: students may find that the timing of certain types of work is easier to accommodate outside their academic commitments.
• Work should not impact negatively on a students’ studies, or delay or interfere with research: the consequences of working cannot be used as extenuating circumstances for late submission of work or an extension to the thesis submission deadline.
• Paid work may provide an additional income but should not be required to support essential living costs. Students who are experiencing financial pressures should speak to their College Tutor and access any College and University financial assistance they may be eligible for.
• Funding bodies may impose their own limitations on the amount of paid employment that can be undertaken: students in receipt of funding are responsible for checking the terms and conditions of their award before undertaking any paid work.
• Students on a Student visa are responsible for ensuring they comply with the working conditions of their immigration permission which includes restrictions on the number of hours they can work and the type of work permitted:

Students holding a Student visa

Students on a Student visa must ensure they fully understand and comply with the working conditions of their immigration permission. A student visa restricts the number of hours a student can work and does not permit self-employment, engaging in business activity, or certain other types of work. It is essential that students on a Student visa obtain a formal worker's agreement or employment contract before undertaking any work, including undergraduate supervisions or other work within the Collegiate University.

You may find that other students (who are not on a Student visa) may not need to have the same documentation in place.

Students are advised to read the full guidance about working on a student visa to prevent working in breach of their visa conditions.

Income Tax

Students who wish to undertake work:

• should ensure that they are aware of any visa or tax implications with regards to their employment or employment status. 
• may be liable for tax and potentially national insurance payments depending on their circumstances. Any monies earned would be considered income which is potentially taxable.

The taxable status of a studentship may depend on whether the recipient is required to provide work as an element of the studentship.

Further information can be found at www.gov.uk/tax-come-to-uk or should be sought from the Faculty, Department, College or external employer, although the University is not able to provide personal tax advice to students.

Staff unions

Research students may be interested in joining their local Unite or University and College Union (UCU) branches. Their websites can be found at:

• Unite website
• University and College Union (UCU) website

Part-time students

Part-time students are not restricted in the hours they can work, but their admission interview will explore the extent to which they will be able to manage their work and study and their Supervisor is asked to keep the balance between these elements under review.