Part-time work rules get compared in a lot of guides as a simple table of hour limits, but the practical reality — how easy it actually is to find work, what it pays, and how strictly the rules get enforced — varies just as much as the headline numbers. Here's a country-by-country look that goes beyond the basic caps.
🇦🇺 Australia: 48 hours/fortnight, strong part-time job market
The fortnight-based cap (not weekly) catches people out — you can't simply think in terms of a weekly limit. Australia's minimum wage is among the highest of any major study destination (around AUD $24.95/hour), and part-time hospitality, retail and campus jobs are genuinely plentiful in most university cities, making this one of the more financially supportive part-time work environments overall.
🇨🇦 Canada: 24 hours/week, consistent off-campus access
Canada's off-campus work rules are comparatively straightforward and consistent, without the on-campus-only restrictions the US imposes. Finding work is generally easier in larger cities (Toronto, Vancouver) than smaller university towns, though competition for student-friendly roles is also higher there.
🇬🇧 UK: 20 hours/week (degree level), strict weekly enforcement
The UK's limit is enforced strictly per calendar week with no averaging allowed — working 25 hours one week and 15 the next is a visa breach even though the average is within limits. This is stricter in practice than Canada's or Australia's more flexible fortnight/term structures.
🇺🇸 USA: 20 hours/week, on-campus only (without separate authorization)
This is the most restrictive system among major destinations. F-1 students can generally only work on-campus during their first academic year; off-campus work requires specific authorization (CPT or OPT) tied to your field of study. Simply taking any part-time retail or hospitality job off-campus — common and straightforward in Australia, Canada or the UK — isn't permitted the same way under standard F-1 status.
🇳🇿 New Zealand: 25 hours/week, unlimited for research postgrads
New Zealand's standard limit is slightly more generous than the UK's and comparable to Canada's. Master's-by-research and PhD students typically get unlimited work rights throughout, not just during breaks — a notable exception worth knowing if you're considering a research-based postgraduate route specifically.
🇩🇪 Germany: 140 full days / 280 half days per year
Germany's system is structured differently from the rest — an annual day-based allowance rather than a weekly or fortnightly hour cap, roughly equivalent to 20 hours/week averaged out. This gives more flexibility to concentrate work during specific periods if you plan it deliberately, rather than being locked into an even weekly distribution.
🇯🇵 Japan: 28 hours/week, requires separate work permit
Japan's limit is slightly more generous than the UK's or Canada's, extending to 40 hours/week during long holidays — but working legally requires obtaining a specific work permit from immigration after arrival; it isn't automatically bundled with your student visa the way it is in several other countries.
The honest summary
| Country | Term-time cap | Ease of finding work |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 48 hrs/fortnight | High — strong part-time job market |
| Canada | 24 hrs/week | High in major cities |
| UK | 20 hrs/week | Moderate — strict enforcement |
| USA | 20 hrs/week (on-campus only) | Low — restricted access |
| New Zealand | 25 hrs/week | Moderate |
| Germany | ~20 hrs/week (annual day allowance) | Moderate — language can be a factor |
| Japan | 28 hrs/week | Moderate — requires separate permit |