Work While Studying Abroad 2026 - Hours by Country

Term-time vs breaks, on-campus vs off-campus

Before looking at the numbers, you need three distinctions that run through almost every country's rules. The first is term-time versus official breaks. During teaching weeks (term time, or what some countries call "sessions"), your work hours are capped so that work does not interfere with study. During official scheduled holidays - summer, winter, and any recognised vacation periods - most countries either raise the cap sharply or remove it entirely. The break must be an official one set by your institution, not just a quiet week when you have no classes.

The second distinction is on-campus versus off-campus work. On-campus jobs (in the library, a faculty department, a campus cafe, or as a teaching or research assistant) are often treated more generously than off-campus jobs with an outside employer. In the United States, for example, on-campus work is the main thing an F-1 student can do without extra authorisation, while off-campus work needs specific permission. In Germany, on-campus academic assistant roles (HiWi) sit outside the normal day limit altogether.

The third is the unit of measurement. Most countries count hours per week, but two of the biggest destinations do not. Australia counts hours per fortnight (two weeks), which gives you flexibility to work more one week and less the next as long as the two-week total stays within the cap. Germany counts whole days per year, not hours per week, which is why its rule reads so differently from the others. Get these three distinctions right and the rest of this guide makes sense.

Work-hour limits by country (2026)

Here is the master comparison. Minimum wages and earnings are approximate and vary by city, role, and exchange rate, so treat the monthly earnings column as a realistic guide for a typical part-time student job at the legal term-time limit, not a promise. Where a country counts in days or fortnights, the table shows the headline rule.

Two countries stand out for raising their limits recently. Canada increased the off-campus term-time cap from 20 to 24 hours per week, and Germany raised its annual allowance from 120 full days (240 half days) to 140 full days (280 half days) in 2026. Both changes give students meaningfully more legal earning power than the figures you may see on older websites. If a source still quotes Canada at 20 hours or Germany at 120 days, it is out of date.

Country-by-country detail

United Kingdom. Students on a Student visa at a higher education institution can work 20 hours per week during term time and full-time during official breaks. The 20-hour cap is strict and well enforced - it is measured across any and all jobs combined, and you cannot average it out over a month. You also cannot be self-employed or work as a professional sportsperson. At the national minimum wage of GBP 12.21 per hour (for those aged 21 and over in 2026), 20 hours a week works out to roughly GBP 850 to GBP 1,000 per month before tax, which helps with living costs but rarely covers them in full, especially in London. For what happens after you graduate, see our post-study work visa guide.

Canada. As of 2026 the off-campus limit during term time is 24 hours per week (raised from 20), and you can work full-time during scheduled breaks such as the winter and summer holidays. On-campus work has no separate hour cap. You must be a full-time student in an eligible program at a designated learning institution, and your study permit must say you are allowed to work. At provincial minimum wages of roughly CAD 15 to 17.50 per hour, 24 hours a week brings in around CAD 1,400 to 1,700 per month before tax. Canada also has the strongest study-to-PR pipeline of the major destinations through the Post-Graduation Work Permit and Express Entry.

Australia. Student visa holders can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while their course is in session, and unlimited hours during recognised course breaks. The fortnightly unit is deliberate: it lets you work, say, 30 hours one week and 18 the next without breaching the cap, as long as any rolling two-week period stays at or under 48. Australia's national minimum wage is one of the highest in the world at AUD 24.95 per hour, so even at the term-time limit a student can earn roughly AUD 2,400 to 2,600 per month before tax, which goes a long way toward living costs.

Germany. The rule here is unusual: you may work 140 full days or 280 half days per year (raised from 120/240 in 2026), which averages out to about 20 hours per week. A "full day" is generally more than four hours; a "half day" is four hours or less. Crucially, on-campus academic assistant jobs (HiWi roles) and many Werkstudent (working-student) positions are treated separately and do not count against the day limit in the same way, so they can let you work more while staying compliant. The minimum wage is EUR 13.90 per hour in 2026. Remember that Germany's tuition-free public universities still require a blocked account (Sperrkonto) of about EUR 11,904 per year plus health insurance - free tuition is not free to study. See our Germany student visa guide for the full funding picture.

Ireland. Students on an eligible course can work 20 hours per week during term time and up to 40 hours per week during two fixed holiday windows: 1 June to 30 September and 15 December to 15 January. Outside those exact dates the 20-hour term-time cap applies, even if you personally have no classes. At a minimum wage of EUR 13.50 per hour, term-time work brings in roughly EUR 950 to 1,100 per month before tax.

France. International students can work up to about 21 hours per week, expressed in French rules as 964 hours per year (60 percent of a full-time year). This annual framing means you can concentrate hours into busier periods as long as the yearly total holds. The national minimum wage (SMIC) is around EUR 11.88 per hour gross, giving monthly earnings near EUR 850 to 1,000 at the cap. France also has comparatively low public university fees, which makes the modest earnings more workable.

United States (F-1). The F-1 student visa is the most restrictive of the major destinations for in-course work. You may work up to 20 hours per week on-campus during term time and up to 40 hours per week during official breaks. Off-campus work is not permitted without specific authorisation such as Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or Optional Practical Training (OPT), and working off-campus without it is a serious status violation. Wages vary by state above the federal floor of USD 7.25, so monthly on-campus earnings typically land around USD 800 to 1,300. There is no general post-study work visa in the US; graduates rely on OPT and then the H-1B lottery.

New Zealand. Many student visa holders can work up to 20 hours per week during term and full-time during scheduled holidays, though the exact entitlement depends on your program and level of study (some postgraduate and research students get more). At a minimum wage of NZD 23.50 per hour, 20 hours a week is around NZD 1,600 to 1,800 per month before tax. Always check the work conditions printed on your specific visa, because they vary.

What you can realistically earn (and what it covers)

The honest headline is that part-time student work helps with living costs but rarely covers them in full, and it almost never covers tuition on top. The table below compares the term-time earning ceiling against a rough monthly living cost so you can see the gap. Living costs vary enormously by city - a room in central London or Sydney can swallow most of a part-time wage on its own - so treat these as midpoints, not guarantees.

The pattern is consistent: Australia, Canada, Germany, and New Zealand let a diligent student cover most or all of their living costs from term-time work, largely because their minimum wages are high relative to rent. The UK, Ireland, France, and the US leave a gap that you will need to fill with savings, family support, or scholarships. This is exactly why every one of these countries requires proof of funds before issuing a visa - they do not expect you to live on student work alone, and you should not plan to either. If keeping costs down is your priority, compare destinations in our cheapest countries to study abroad guide.

Two further points on money. First, the figures above are before tax and social contributions; depending on the country and how much you earn, some of it will be withheld, though students often fall under tax-free thresholds for modest earnings. Second, exchange-rate swings can change the real value of what you earn against your home-currency expenses, so build in a buffer rather than budgeting to the last dollar.

How to find legal student work (step by step)

Finding work that fits inside your visa conditions is straightforward if you follow a clear order. The point of this list is to keep you legal at every step, because the wrong job or the wrong number of hours can put your visa at risk.

1. Read the work conditions printed on your own visa or study permit first. The hours and on/off-campus rules in this guide are the national defaults, but your specific visa is the final word.
2. Confirm your term dates and official break dates with your institution, in writing if possible, so you know exactly when the higher break limit applies.
3. Start with on-campus jobs - library, departments, campus cafes, student union, or teaching/research assistant roles. They are usually the most flexible and the most clearly compliant.
4. Check your university careers service and student job board; many list only employers familiar with student visa rules.
5. Make sure you have the right to work documentation an employer needs (a national insurance or social security number, a tax number, or a bank account) before you apply.
6. Track your hours yourself every week (or every fortnight in Australia, or across the year in Germany and France). Keep a simple log so you can prove you stayed inside the limit.
7. Never rely on a manager to police your cap for you. If a shift would push you over, decline it - the legal responsibility is yours, not the employer's.

Be wary of cash-in-hand jobs that bypass payroll and paperwork. They often come with no record of your hours, no tax compliance, and no protection if something goes wrong - and they are exactly the kind of arrangement that can quietly push you past your limit. A properly documented job protects both your finances and your immigration status.

Staying within the limit - why it matters

Working more than your visa allows is one of the most common and most damaging mistakes international students make. The consequences are not theoretical. Breaching your work-hour limit can lead to your visa being cancelled, your current course being cut short, removal from the country, and a ban on future visas - which can end not just your studies but any plan to work or settle there later. Immigration authorities increasingly cross-check payroll and tax records, so the idea that extra hours go unnoticed is risky.

The limit applies to all your jobs combined, not per employer, and it applies even during weeks when you happen to have no classes if those weeks are not an official break. Exam periods are a particular danger zone: students get tempted to pick up extra shifts to earn during downtime, not realising the term-time cap still applies. When in doubt, work fewer hours, not more.

Staying compliant also protects your future immigration record. A clean study and work history strengthens later applications, including a post-study work visa and eventually permanent residence. A breach, by contrast, is one of the avoidable issues that can resurface in a later refusal. For more on what derails applications, read our guide to common visa rejection reasons, and when you are ready to plan your next step, the student visa hub ties the whole journey together from study to work to settlement.