New Zealand || Employment

While pursuing the course

Students can work part time while studying full time, under certain circumstances: 

• to meet course requirements for practical work experience, or 
• during the Christmas and New Year holiday period if you are in a full-time course of study lasting 12 months or longer, and/or 
• for up to 20 hours in any given week during the academic year if you are in full-time study:
• at a private training institution or tertiary institution and taking at least two academic years to complete, or  
• culminating in a New Zealand prerequisite that would qualify for points under the Skilled Migrant Category, or 
• at a secondary school full year course of study in years 12 or 13, provided you have written authorization from your school and written consent from your parent, or 
• in a full-time study course lasting at least six months, at a private training institution or tertiary institution. Your visa or immigration officer has to be satisfied that the main purpose of your course of study is to develop English language skills, and, you have an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) overall band score of 5.0 or above (General or Academic Module), or
• at a tertiary level of at least one academic year duration as part of an approved tertiary student exchange scheme.

On completion of the course

If you are studying in New Zealand and you want to stay and work here after you have completed your studies, you may be eligible for a work visa and/or permit under our Study to Work Policy.

Students with a job offer

If you have a job offer that is relevant to your qualification, you may apply for a Work Visa for a maximum of 2 years to obtain practical experience suitable to your qualification under the Study to Work Policy.

To qualify for this category you will need to have:

• Successfully completed a course in New Zealand that took at least 3 years to complete; or
• Successfully completed a qualification in New Zealand that would qualify for points under the Skilled Migrant category; and
• Applied no later than 3 months after the end date of your Student Permit for that course or qualification; or
• Hold a Graduate Job Search Work Permit.

To satisfy the above criteria for this category, student needs to provide:

• Evidence of a job offer that is relevant to your qualification;
• Evidence that you have completed a qualification that would qualify for points under the Skilled Migrant category;
• Evidence that you have completed a course with a minimum completion time of 3 years; and
• Evidence that your application for a visa is no later than 3 months after the end date of your Student Permit for that course or qualification; or
• Evidence that you hold a Graduate Job Search Work Permit.

Students without a job offer

Student’s who has completed a qualification in New Zealand, but you do not have a job offer, you may be eligible for a Graduate Job Search Work Visa for a maximum of 12 months. Then, when student have found a job, you can apply for a further permit for up to two or three years under Study to Work Policy.

To be eligible for a Graduate Work Search Permit you must:

• have successfully completed a qualification in New Zealand that would qualify for points under the Skilled Migrant Category
• apply no later than three months after the end date of the student permit for that qualification
• provide evidence of a minimum of NZ$2,100 available to maintain yourself during your 12-month stay in New Zealand .