Quick answer

It depends on the country, and on finding the hours. Working every hour your visa allows during term, at the minimum wage and before tax, you would earn about GBP 1,101 a month in the UK, less than the GBP 1,529 a month the visa rules count for London. In Germany it is about EUR 1,204, more than the EUR 992 a month the rules name, but that figure is the minimum the visa asks for, not what life costs in your city.

Wages also cannot replace the money you must show: each country that sets a figure asks you to prove it when you apply. The table puts the most you could earn in a term month next to the monthly living costs each country's rules name.

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Enter your own rent and daily costs to see how far part-time pay could go.

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Term-time earnings against the living costs the rules name

Most you could earn: the hours allowed in term, times 4.33 weeks, times the minimum wage, before tax, if you find work for every hour. For Germany and France the limit is set per year, so the figure spreads it evenly. Living costs: the figure each country's rules ask you to prove, per month (the UK's covers up to 9 months, the others a year).

CountryWork allowed in termMinimum wageMost you could earn in a term monthLiving costs the rules name, per month
USA20 hours a week, on campus onlyUSD 7.25 an hourUSD 628No fixed figure
Canada24 hours a weekCAD 18.15 an hourCAD 1,886CAD 1,954
UK20 hours a week at degree level (10 below)GBP 12.71 an hourGBP 1,101GBP 1,529
Australia48 hours a fortnightAUD 26.44 an hourAUD 2,748AUD 2,476
Germany140 full days a year (about 20 hours a week)EUR 13.90 an hourEUR 1,204EUR 992
Ireland20 hours a weekEUR 14.15 an hourEUR 1,225EUR 833
France964 hours a year (about 18 hours a week)EUR 12.31 an hourEUR 959EUR 878
Netherlands16 hours a weekEUR 14.99 an hourEUR 1,039EUR 1,131
Italy20 hours a weekNo statutory minimumNot calculableEUR 848
Spain30 hours a weekEUR 8.22 an hour (pro-rata)EUR 1,068EUR 600
PolandNo weekly limit (40 hours a week used here)PLN 31.40 an hourPLN 5,438PLN 1,010
New Zealand25 hours a weekNZD 23.95 an hourNZD 2,593NZD 1,667
Japan28 hours a weekJPY 1,121 an hourJPY 135,910No fixed figure
Singapore16 hours a weekNo statutory minimumNot calculableNo fixed figure
MalaysiaSemester breaks onlyMYR 8.72 an hourNone in termNo fixed figure
UAEOnly with a work permitNo statutory minimumNot calculableNo fixed figure

Sources

Rules checked on 24 September 2026 against the official pages linked. They change: confirm on the linked page before you act.

What to do next

Plan your budget on the money you can show before you arrive, and treat part-time pay as a bonus that depends on finding the hours.