Working While Studying in Europe: Hours, Permits and What a Student Job Really Covers

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

A student job helps with living costs, but it rarely pays for a degree, and the rules on who may work and for how long depend on your passport as much as on the country. This guide sets out the limits in the seven countries in our catalogue as of October 2026.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens

You may work in any EU country without a permit and without a limit on hours, on the same terms as local students. Switzerland applies its own rules to EU citizens but does not restrict student work in the same way as for other nationalities. Two things still apply everywhere:

your studies must remain your main activity if you are registered as a student
once you work, you join the social security and health system of the country where you work, and your European Health Insurance Card from home no longer covers you there

Non-EU students: the limits

Germany: 140 full days or 280 half days a year. Student assistant jobs at the university do not count towards the limit. Self-employment needs separate permission.
France: 964 hours a year, which is 60% of full-time working hours. No separate work permit is needed with a student residence title.
Italy: 20 hours a week, up to 1,040 hours a year.
Spain: up to 30 hours a week, compatible with your timetable.
Portugal: work is allowed under conditions that include informing the migration agency.
Czechia: no limit and no work permit for full-time students of accredited degree programmes. Students in preparatory or language courses are in a different position.
Switzerland: 15 hours a week during the semester, full-time in the holidays, and for non-EU students only after six months of study. The employer applies for the authorisation.

The details for each country are in our visa guides: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Czechia and Switzerland.

Why a job does not replace proof of funds

Consulates assess your means before you arrive and do not count future earnings. You must show the full amount from savings, family support or a scholarship. See student visa rules compared.

There are practical reasons too:

Finding work takes weeks or months, and most jobs outside university require the local language.
Hours are capped, and wages for student jobs are near the legal minimum.
First-year timetables in many degrees leave little room, and failing exams can cost you the residence permit.

A realistic plan treats earnings as a supplement for the second year onwards, not as a source for rent in the first months.

Kinds of work that fit

Jobs at the university: library, laboratories, tutoring, administration. They fit the timetable and in Germany fall outside the day limit.
Hospitality, retail and delivery: easiest to find, most dependent on the language.
Work in English: customer support, tutoring, tourism in large cities.
Internships. A compulsory internship that is part of your curriculum is normally not counted against the limit; a voluntary one usually is. Check before you sign.

Tax and social security

You need a tax number in every country before your first payslip.
Low earnings are often exempt from income tax, but social contributions may still be due.
Germany has a category of small jobs with reduced contributions and a monthly earnings ceiling that is adjusted with the minimum wage.
Earning above certain thresholds can change your health insurance status or reduce a need-based grant.

After graduation

Most of the seven countries let non-EU graduates stay for a period to look for work, and time spent as a student may count, in part, towards long-term residence. The rules change often; check the immigration authority of your country of study in your final year.

Common mistakes

Working before the residence permit or the work authorisation is issued.
Counting on cash-in-hand work. It carries no insurance, and it is a ground for refusing a permit renewal.
Exceeding the limit by combining two jobs.
Assuming a rule from one country applies in another.

Official sources

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.