Students from the EEA (European Economic Area) countries can work as many hours as they like. The countries of the EEA are:

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, The UK.

Students from non EEA countries can work without a work permit for a maximum of 20 hours per week during term time and as many hours as they like during vacations as long as they fulfil the following conditions:

1. The student must enter the UK on a student visa

2. The student should have a visa for at least 6 months

2. The student must have at least 15 hours of organised study per week at a bona fide institution

3. The student should be able to prove that he/she can pay for the course

4. The student must leave the UK at the end of the studies

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You do not need a National Insurance number while you are looking for work but once you have started working you must obtain a National Insurance Number from any local Benefits Agency office. To apply you will need to fill out a form at the Benefits Agency Office. You need to provide evidence of your identity (e.g. passport) and a letter from your employer confirming employment. A member of staff will then issue with a letter confirming that you have applied for a NI number. It can take up to 16 weeks for the number to be issued but you do not need to have it before you start work.

You will be required to pay standard National Insurance of 10% on money earned over £79 per week.

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International students who take up part time and vacation employment are subject to the same rules as UK residents. Everyone can earn a certain amount of income in each tax year (6 April to 5 April the following year) before paying tax. If your income is below this figure in any one tax year you will not have to pay tax.

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What are the current rates of the national minimum wage?

There are three levels of minimum wage, and the rates from 1 October 2009 are:

• £5.80 per hour for workers aged 22 years and older
• a development rate of £4.83 per hour for workers aged 18-21 inclusive
• £3.57 per hour for all workers under the age of 18, who are no longer of compulsory school age

Development rate

The development rate for workers age 22 and over was abolished for pay reference periods starting on or after 1 October 2006. From that date, all workers aged 22 and over who qualify for the national minimum wage will be entitled to the main rate of national minimum wage. This applies even where the worker was previously in receipt of the development rate for those aged 22 and over and had been receiving that rate for less than six months.

Compulsory school age

In England and Wales: a person is no longer of compulsory school age after the last Friday of June of the school year in which their 16th birthday occurs.

In Scotland: pupils whose 16th birthday falls between 1 March and 30 September may not leave before the 31 May of that year. Pupils aged 16 on or between 1 October and the last day of February may not leave until the start of the Christmas holidays in that school year.

In Northern Ireland: a person is no longer of compulsory school age after the 30th June of the school year in which their 16th birthday occurs.

Accommodation offset

The daily rate of the accommodation offset is £4.51 (£31.57 per week) for each day that accommodation is provided.