Schengen student visa work rights

At a glance

The permission, as published

Set by national law, not by the EU directive. Germany: Section 16b(3) of the Residence Act entitles students to "employment of up to a total of 140 working days per year (working day account)"; days under four hours count as half days (commonly cited as 140 full / 280 half days), and student assistant jobs are not counted. France: Campus France states VLS-TS "étudiant" holders may "work 964 hours per year, i.e. 20 hours per week". Netherlands: the Netherlands Labour Authority states a non-EU student's employer needs a work permit (TWV) and the student must choose either "working full-time in the months of June, July and August" or "working a maximum of 16 hours per week". Ireland: Stamp 2 holders on eligible programmes may take casual employment up to 20 hours per week during term and up to 40 hours per week in the standardised holiday periods (June–September and 15 December–15 January); Stamp 2A holders may not work.

Treat the hours as a hard limit

• The limit is on hours worked, not on income. Two jobs are counted together.
• Term time and vacation are usually different, and "vacation" means the institution's official dates rather than when your teaching stops.
• Self-employment and freelancing are restricted or prohibited on several student routes, and are easy to breach unknowingly.
• Your employer may not know the rules. The obligation is yours.

A breach is a visa matter. It can end the current visa, affect a later work route, and follow you into applications to other countries, which is a very large consequence for a few extra hours.

Budgeting around part-time work

Part-time earnings are a supplement, not a funding plan. Most routes set the financial requirement on the assumption you will not be earning, and the first months are the hardest: you arrive before you find work, and the costs arrive first.

1. Budget as though you earn nothing for the first three months.
2. Check the local minimum wage and what the permitted hours actually produce after tax.
3. Count travel and the time cost against study, which is what you are there for.