Graduate Prospectus 2010-11

Supplementing your income while you study

It is a requirement of the University that all full-time postgraduate students have their funding fully in place before they start their course. Under no circumstances will the need to earn money be accepted as a valid reason for failing to complete a course or an assignment on time. Students on one-year courses are not normally allowed to undertake any type of paid work during their period of study, although on a few courses, permission may be given for students to give undergraduate supervisions. These regulations do not apply to part-time students.

The University does not allow students to undertake paid work outside the University or a College while they are studying full-time, and you should not expect to accrue additional income in this way. However, academic-related work especially teaching undergraduates can provide postgraduate students with valuable transferable skills, and a limited amount of this type of work is encouraged, provided it does not interfere with your studies. If you are a research student, with the approval of both your supervisor and your College Tutor, you may be able to undertake a small amount of academic work, such as supervising undergraduates, invigilating examinations, working in a university/college library, or demonstrating in a laboratory. However, you should not rely on such work to generate essential income for your studies. The University stipulates that no more than ten hours a week may be spent in such activities; please note that some grant-awarding bodies only allow a maximum of six hours per week. If you an overseas student, your visa may state that you can work up to 20 hours a week. However, to work more than ten hours a week is a breach of university regulations.

Please note that you may not undertake any employment whilst studying for the full-time MPhil Degree or any other one year course offered by the University of Cambridge.