No. If you work more than 10 or 20 hours in any week in term-time (and you are not doing a work placement for your course or an internship), you are in breach of your immigration conditions, even if you work fewer than 10 or 20 hours in other weeks.

If you are still studying, even if you are not attending classes, this is not a holiday period for you. This means that you should not work full-time until you have submitted your dissertation or thesis and finished your studies, unless you are doing a work placement which is part of your course. The date on which you finish your studies is decided by your college or university. It is often the end of term or semester, even if you complete your exams or coursework before that date.

You should be able to pay your tuition fees and living costs without having to work in the UK. However, if you need to make an immigration application in the UK, and you are working lawfully within the restrictions described above, you can use your UK earnings to show that you can meet the maintenance requirements. However, you should not rely on money from work in the UK for covering your educational expenses.

No. If you want to defer your studies for a year, you should leave the UK and come back when your studies start again. You can work full-time only in your holidays, or when you have finished your studies, or if you are doing a work placement or an internship.

If you have a passport sticker or identity card that does not prohibit work, you are allowed to take employment as described above without getting any further approval or permission.

UK employers have a number of legal duties towards their employees. These include anti-discrimination measures, health and safety requirements, the obligation to pay the minimum wage, comply with laws relating to maximum working hours and breaks, pay National Insurance contributions, and provide wage slips.

If you earn more than a specified personal allowance in any tax year, you will have to pay income tax. HM Revenue & Customs and the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group provide detailed information about how the tax system in the UK applies to students.

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 contributory benefits, for example, the state pension and jobseeker's allowance. You do not need to have a NINo before starting work, but you must obtain one when you get a job.

If the entry clearance or residence permit in your passport states that you are subject to the condition "No recourse to public funds", or if your identity card says "No public funds", you must not apply for tax credits. This would be a breach of your immigration conditions.

Your dependants will be given permission to work if:

• you have permission to be in the UK for 12 months or more, and

• your course is at degree level or is a "foundation degree".

         The UK Border Agency's definition of "foundation degree" is a course which

• leads to a qualification at level 5 or above of the National Qualifications & Credit Framework or Level 8 or above of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework or equivalent in Wales and Northern Ireland, and

• is awarded by a UK higher education institution which has degree awarding powers.

Some courses called foundation degrees will not meet this definition, but other courses which are not called foundation degrees, for example some HNDs, do meet this definition. You will have to check with the college or university where you are studying whether your course meets this description and, if it does, ask that the words "foundation degree" appear on your confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) if you are applying at the same time as your family members, or any documents your family members submit with their applications if they are applying separately from you.