What is a National Insurance (NI) number?
To work in the UK, you need to have a National Insurance (NI) number from the UK Government. The National Insurance number is a personal number used in the administration of National Insurance, a type of social security, and taxation. It is made up of two letters, six numbers and a letter (e.g. AB 12 34 56 C), and, usually, employers need an employee’s NI number before they can start working for them.
How to apply for a NI number
If you have a right to work in the UK, you can apply for a NI number once you have arrived in the UK on a current visa and you live in England.
You will need to apply for a National Insurance number online. Visit the gov.uk website for details of how to apply.
Please be advised that once you have submitted this application form, it may take up to 4 weeks to get your National Insurance number.
Support with securing part-time work
Under the terms of Student visas, sponsored students are usually permitted to work a maximum of 20 hours per week during term-time (please check the terms of your own visa before seeking employment). Students can obtain a Confirmation of Study letter from the University that confirms the term dates and holiday dates to show to employers.
Please be advised that the University cannot guarantee students will secure part-time work in the UK and it is not the responsibility of the University to source part-time work for its students, however the University’s Career Readiness service can provide support. The Career Readiness service offers all students support in updating their CV to suit the UK employment market, filtering job vacancy websites, completing online application forms and building interview techniques. Students can book a 121 appointment with the Career Readiness team via The Hub area of the digital Student Hub. For help with booking this appointment, please visit The Hub building on campus where a member of the team can assist.
Where to find part-time vacancies
The Career Readiness service can introduce students to the University’s internal Careers Connect platform as well as other external job vacancy platforms such as indeed.com, reed.co.uk and gov.uk/find-a-job.
In addition, there are some jobs on campus every year, including roles such as Student Ambassadors. To find out more information about paid jobs at Lincoln Bishop please visit our dedicated webpage: Jobs on campus
Don’t forget, you can only work up to the maximum number of hours specified on your visa. Good luck with your job search!