Ireland student visa work rights

At a glance

The permission, as published

Work rights come from the Stamp 2 registration in Ireland, not from the visa sticker. As published by ISD: a Stamp 2 holder "can work in casual employment for a maximum of 20 hours per week during school term and 40 hours per week during holidays", and "must not engage in any other business or trade". ISD's student FAQ defines the vacation periods as June, July, August and September, and 15 December to 15 January. Stamp 2A holders (courses not on the ILEP) are not permitted to work. After graduating, the Third Level Graduate Programme (Stamp 1G) allows 40 hours a week without an employment permit while seeking graduate-level 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.