What is a National Insurance number?

Your National Insurance number (NINo) is a unique personal number which is used to record your National Insurance (NI) contributions. Employees and employers both pay NI contributions, which help to fund benefits and pensions. You do not need to have a NINo before starting work, but you must obtain one when you get a job. If you live in the UK you’ll normally receive one automatically at age 16.

How do I get one?

If you have the right to work in the UK, you can apply online via the GOV.UK website. You should only apply online if you need a National Insurance number to work in the UK.

If you have any of the following documents, get them ready before you start:

• a passport from any country

• a biometric residence permit (BRP)

• a national identity card from an EU / EEA country

You may need to enter information from these documents – for example, your passport number.

If you do not have any of these documents, you may be asked for other information. You may also need to make an appointment to prove your identity.

What happens next?

After you apply online, you may need to send documents or attend an appointment to prove your identity.

When you have proven your identity, it can take up to 16 weeks to get your National Insurance number.

Tell your employer your National Insurance number as soon as you know it. Do not share your National Insurance number with anyone who does not need it as this might help someone to steal your identity.

Find out more on GOV.UK.

Can you work?

Most students are allowed to work, though there are restrictions on the amount of work that you are able to do and the type of work you can do while you are a student.

If you are a Student visa holder please read the information below carefully to ensure that you are working lawfully within any restrictions that may apply to you.

There is further information for international students on the UKCISA website and on GOV.UK.

What kind of work can you do?

If you are a Student visa holder you must not:

• be self-employed (this means no freelance work and you cannot set up your own business – see GOV.UK for guidance about employment status);
• be employed as a professional sportsperson or sports coach;
• take a permanent full-time job; or
• be employed as an entertainer.

Please note, however, that degree-level music and dance students can undertake a work placement that involves professional performance providing that is it arranged by Trinity Laban and is an assessed part of your programme of studies.

Students within the Faculty of Music can contact Alicia Mallace-Goulbourne (Professional Placements Coordinator, Performance) with any questions.

There is further information on the UKCISA website.

How many hours can you work?

Student visa holders who are studying at degree level or above have permission to:

• work for a maximum 20 hours per week during term-time (paid or voluntary);
• work full-time during your holidays, i.e. Christmas, Easter, Summer (please note that for Masters students on a 12-month programme the summer is not a holiday period); and
• work full-time after your programme of studies has ended (this date is decided by Trinity Laban) while you still have current immigration permission, though other work restrictions continue (i.e. no self-employment, no permanent job).

You should not work more than the maximum number of hours in any one week in term-time, even if you sometimes work under the maximum number of hours in other weeks.

There is further information on the UKCISA website.

Voluntary work counts towards the 20 hours per week during term time. Voluntary work is distinct from volunteering; you will need to ask the organisation whether what you are doing is defined as volunteering or voluntary work. Find our more about the difference between unpaid employment (voluntary work) and volunteering on the UKCISA website.

Student visa holders who are studying at for a qualification below degree level have permission to work for a maximum 10 hours per week during term-time (paid or voluntary), and full time outside term time.

Where to look for more information:

• The Low Incomes Tax Reforms Group has produced a tax guide for students with a special section for international students.
• GOV.UK has information on paying tax and National Insurance (NI) contributions while you are a student
• There is excellent advice on paying tax and National Insurance on the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website.

Outside the UK

If you are planning to return home to work, or want to work in another country, you may be wondering where to start.

You can find useful sources of information on working and living abroad in specific countries on the Prospects and TARGETjobs websites.

In the UK

If you are considering the possibility of staying on in the UK to work after your studies you can find full details of all the options that could be available to you within the UK Visas and Immigration section of the GOV.UK website.

The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) provides information for international students on working in the UK after your studies, but please also check the UK Visas and Immigration section on GOV.UK for the latest official information.

Related links

• UKCISA – UK Council for International Student Affairs

• UK NARIC – The National Recognition Information Centre for the UK As the National Agency, managed on behalf of the UK Government, NARIC is the only official source of information on international qualifications to organisations recruiting from overseas and to individuals wishing to work or study in the UK. Individuals from overseas contact NARIC to understand how their qualifications relate to those in the UK; information that can then be used to help them through the UK’s immigration system, applying for a job in the UK or enroll on an education course.

• UK Visas and Immigration

  Information about the immigration categories for those who want to work in the UK. Each category has different requirements, so you should read the requirements for your chosen category before you apply for a visa.