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Part-time work for international students in China: the work-study measures

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

Article 30 of Order No. 42 allows international students to take part in work-study while they study at a Chinese higher education institution. It does not allow them to take up employment, run a business or carry on other profit-making activity. The Ministry of Education's Measures for the Administration of Work-Study by International Students at Higher Education Institutions set the conditions in detail. These are rules of the People's Republic of China, not of any home-country regulator.

This page is a guide to those documents, and it is one part of this register's section page. The rules apply to students in China. They are not written for medical students in particular, and this page does not apply them to any single school.

Which documents, and which students

Order No. 42 is the joint order of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security. Its promulgation text says it takes effect from 1 July 2017. Article 30 has two paragraphs. The first sets the rule quoted above. The second says that the education administration under the State Council, together with the relevant departments, will formulate separate specific management rules for international students' work-study.

The Measures are a Ministry of Education document, issued under notice 教外厅〔2021〕2号. Article 2 says they apply to schools that carry out academic higher education. Article 2 names no field of study. Article 3 defines work-study as activity that international students carry out under school organisation and management, in their spare time, for lawful pay. Article 3 excludes teaching internships and social practice that a school organises under its teaching plan. The Measures take effect from the date they were issued (Article 17).

The English wording on this page is this site's own translation of the Chinese text.

Hours

Article 5 covers both on-campus and off-campus work-study.

Period Per week Per month
Term time In principle, not more than 8 hours In principle, not more than 40 hours
Winter and summer vacations In principle, not more than 16 hours In principle, not more than 80 hours

Article 14 says that work-study beyond the approved posts or beyond the time limits is investigated and dealt with by the public security exit-entry administration according to law.

Pay

Article 8 sets different standards for different kinds of post. For fixed on-campus posts, pay is monthly. Article 8 says that pay for 40 working hours in a month should, in principle, not be lower than the local resident minimum living guarantee standard, and may vary within a reasonable range. For temporary on-campus posts, pay is hourly, and Article 8 says the hourly rate may refer to the local government's minimum hourly wage. For off-campus posts, Article 8 says pay should not be lower than the minimum wage set by the local government or relevant department. The employer and the student agree the pay, and the agreement must state the amount.

Article 7 says on-campus posts should be mainly teaching assistants, research assistants, administrative assistants and school public service roles. It also says posts must meet student needs without taking up normal study time.

Article 6 says the school may not arrange or authorise students to take part in toxic, harmful or dangerous production work. It also says the school must ensure that international students doing work-study have insurance covering that work.

Conditions for off-campus work

Article 9 sets six conditions for off-campus work-study. An international student must:

  1. have reached the age of 18 and meet the physical requirements of the post;
  2. hold a valid study residence permit in China with a remaining valid period of six months or more;
  3. obey Chinese law, regulations and school rules, have good conduct, and have no criminal record or record of rule violations;
  4. have studied continuously at the current school for one year or more, as an undergraduate or junior college student, a postgraduate, an advanced-study trainee or a research scholar;
  5. meet the school's requirements for academic progress and attendance;
  6. meet any other conditions the school sets.

Filing and the residence permit

Article 10 says the student must give the school a copy of the agreement signed with the employer for filing. The student must also submit a unilateral commitment letter covering matters such as risk.

Article 11 sets the residence permit steps. The student takes the agreement, the school's certificate letter and the other relevant documents to the exit-entry administration of the public security organ where the school is located. The student applies there within ten days, under the relevant rules, for the residence permit to be endorsed with the employer, the period and other work-study details. Article 11 says a residence permit without that endorsement may not be used for off-campus work-study.

If the employer or period changes, Article 11 says the student applies for a change of endorsement within ten days, with a new agreement and a new school certificate letter. If the agreement ends, Article 11 says the student submits a written report to the school within ten days and then applies to the exit-entry administration to change the endorsement.

Article 12 limits the area to the prescribed city-level administrative region where the school is located. Each application period may not exceed the validity of the study residence permit, and may not exceed one year.

When eligibility ends

Article 13 says the school must cancel work-study eligibility and promptly report to the exit-entry administration if a student:

  • completes studies, leaves before completing them, suspends studies or withdraws;
  • breaks national law or regulations, or the school's rules;
  • has poor moral character or breaks social order and good custom, with a bad effect;
  • falls into another situation that the school judges makes continued work-study unsuitable, including where work-study affects studies.

Article 15 says provincial education authorities coordinate and supervise work-study with the local public security, immigration, and human resources and social security departments. Article 16 says the school carries the main responsibility, including daily education, inspection and follow-up.

Questions people ask

Can international students work part-time in China?

Article 30 of Order No. 42 says international students may take part in work-study while studying at a higher education institution. It also says they may not take up employment, run a business or carry on other profit-making activity. The Measures define work-study in Article 3 and set the conditions in Articles 4 to 16.

How many hours may an international student work in a week?

Article 5 of the Measures says that, in principle, on-campus and off-campus work-study is not more than 8 hours a week and not more than 40 hours a month. During winter and summer vacations, Article 5 says it is in principle not more than 16 hours a week and not more than 80 hours a month.

What must a student do before starting off-campus work-study?

Article 9 sets six conditions for off-campus work, including a residence permit with six months or more remaining and one year or more of continuous study at the current school. Article 10 requires a copy of the employer agreement to be filed with the school, with a unilateral commitment letter. Article 11 requires an endorsement of the residence permit within ten days, and says a permit without that endorsement may not be used for off-campus work-study.

Do these rules apply only to medical students?

Article 2 of the Measures says that schools carrying out academic higher education apply them. Article 2 names no field of study, so the Measures are not written for medical students alone. This page does not say how the rules apply at any particular school.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal, medical or professional-licensing advice, is not published by the bodies named, promises no admission, examination or registration outcome, and the official text and the regulator's own instructions prevail if they differ.

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