Hello, all. I come bearing questions that regard working as an American student in the UK. I went through the tags and found nothing related to this specific question
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on_a_grey_horse is corect. During the holidays, unless you are supposed to writing dissertation which makes it count as term time, you can work up to 40 hours a week. Keep in mind that tipping is very different in the UK, and it wouldn't be rare for people to give you only 10% or even nothing at all.
When looking at UK unis, make sure you find out their overseas fees and ask them about any assistance or scholarships they may provide to overseas students. I was able to get a 1,000 GBP scholarship when I did an MA in the UK. I was also able to get US student loans.
It was something specifically offered at the University of Winchester, where I went and where I would not recommend others going. But there are probably other universities who do it as well. It was a good thing Winchester did it, because the fees in the booklet they sent me weren't current and their current fees weren't on their website either!
For one, there will be no work visas. Your student visa allows you to work 20 hours per week during school time & 40 hours per week over holidays/summer. Anymore than that & you risk being denied future visas or entries to the UK. They can monitor your hours through tax records
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I made $2.11/hour + tips at my US waitressing job (at a well-known steak restaurant chain), which was topped by $75-90 on a good weekend shift (other people in my restaurant made more, that was just me) in tips. In the UK, at a place of similar calibur, I felt lucky to walk away with £30-50. Also, a lot of places in the UK do tip-sharing, which means your tips are not your own, so be careful. However, in the UK I was on £4.00/hr, so the 'bad' tips weren't as 'bad' as they seem. Er, £30-50 is $60-$100 dollars, so that's comparable, and £4/hour is below the current minimum wage. In the UK, you are entitled to the minimum wage in every profession - waiters/waitresses included- so there is no way you would only earn £4/hour at a reputable restaurant. The OP would be entitled to £4.45/hour minimum, or about $9.
Students get a work visa automatically now, I think. I wouldn't be expecting a lot in tips working in a bar though, it's not at all customary. You'll get tips in a nice restaurant, though maybe not as many as you're used to and definitely not as at high a rate.
Don't expect tips for bar work in the UK. I worked a bar for a few years, and got a tip once (other than being bought drinks, which is much more common). I was so confused I went to their table to give it back thinking they'd forgotten their change.
Or Canadian, not really sure. I lived in a small commuter type (ie non tourist) town at the time. It was a "local pub for local people", so it was completely unexpected.
If you have any admin skills whatsoever, I'd highly suggest temping. That's what I did through my university career. A day or two a week during term time, then full time for a few weeks during holidays (you're allowed to work as much as you want when you're not in official term time).
Also, the British don't really 'do' tipping. So don't expect to make a huge extra gain via the means of tips.
And I second what on_a_grey_horse said - you won't get a work visa unless you are a highly skilled immigrant that is coming over via the means of being sponsored by a company, which in order to obtain you have to be able to prove you are the best candidate from anyone who applied from the UK or EU. If you're coming as a student, I suggest just taking the student visa and either working 20 hours/week in a pub, restaurant or shop for wage, or temping here and there.
Temping is a good suggestion. Even without previous experience, if you have computer skills, someone will probably find you something and it would definitely pay better than the average bar/restaurant work.
Office work pays a lot better and can be a lot more consistent than bar work. It's often hard to get your first placement (sign up with every temp agency in town, writing 'I have a visa to work 20 hours a week' in big letters at the top of all correspondence), but after you've worked one week it's easy to get more.
Would you guys be willing to share your experiences in temping? I've only ever done retail and waitressing. Doing anything outside of that in another country when I have zero experience or skill frightens me a little. Well, I was the copy editor for my school's newspaper and have won writing awards here and there. I type rather fast and have been a computer junky since I was nine. My brother often asks why I don't do something with computers. But I never pictured any of that as being useful..
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When looking at UK unis, make sure you find out their overseas fees and ask them about any assistance or scholarships they may provide to overseas students. I was able to get a 1,000 GBP scholarship when I did an MA in the UK. I was also able to get US student loans.
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Er, £30-50 is $60-$100 dollars, so that's comparable, and £4/hour is below the current minimum wage. In the UK, you are entitled to the minimum wage in every profession - waiters/waitresses included- so there is no way you would only earn £4/hour at a reputable restaurant. The OP would be entitled to £4.45/hour minimum, or about $9.
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Also, the British don't really 'do' tipping. So don't expect to make a huge extra gain via the means of tips.
And I second what on_a_grey_horse said - you won't get a work visa unless you are a highly skilled immigrant that is coming over via the means of being sponsored by a company, which in order to obtain you have to be able to prove you are the best candidate from anyone who applied from the UK or EU. If you're coming as a student, I suggest just taking the student visa and either working 20 hours/week in a pub, restaurant or shop for wage, or temping here and there.
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