The issue of limiting students' overtime hours attracted the attention of many people when the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Vietnam introduced a draft Law on Employment (amended). According to the draft, students of working age can work part-time but not more than 20 hours/week during the semester and not more than 48 hours/week during vacations.
There are no nationwide regulations
Through research, most countries in the world do not have nationwide restrictions, laws or regulations on the number of overtime hours students work.
In developed countries that attract many international students such as the US, Australia and UK, the limit of 20 hours of part-time work/week mainly applies to international students.
Developed countries have introduced regulations restricting international students from working to ensure that international students do not neglect their studies or, more broadly, to ensure the quality of education. Not to mention, international students working too many overtime hours can affect the job opportunities of students and local people.
Meanwhile, domestic students in countries around the world are mainly encouraged to work 20 hours/week to ensure a balance of studies.
The regulation limiting part-time work to 20 hours/week mainly applies to international students in countries around the world.
In the US, Australia and Korea..., some universities or localities may issue detailed regulations or instructions, encouraging domestic students to only work about 20 hours/week, maybe 35-40 hours. /week (equivalent to full-time work) during summer break. The goal is to ensure domestic students have enough time to study.
For students under 18 years old, state governments in the US and Australia have specific laws and regulations on working hours to ensure the rights of minors.
Students working part-time must have a tax identification number
Mr. Nguyen Bao Chau, a former student of Canberra University (Australia), said that labor laws in Australia are very strictly enforced. Students who work part-time must also provide their personal tax identification number to the employer.
“I was hired as a salesperson for a supermarket in Canberra, but did not have a tax code. The supermarket's human resources director informed me that I had to go to the tax department to register for a tax code. This person also explained that if I did not have a tax code, the supermarket could not accept me to work," Mr. Chau said.
Besides, employers in Australia must have clear labor contracts with students. When recruiting students to work part-time, businesses must clearly state whether the part-time position is permanent or non-permanent; or season.
All salary payments to employees (regardless of part-time or full-time) are made through the banking system for management by the authorities.
Therefore, most businesses comply with the law because they do not want to be heavily fined if they let international students work more than 20 hours/week. However, there are still international students who "circumvent the law" and work two part-time jobs at the same time - one pays via bank, the other uses cash.
Most countries in the world do not have nationwide regulations or laws limiting the number of hours domestic students are allowed to work.
In general, limiting overtime to no more than 20 hours/week depends only on the self-awareness of both students and businesses. Authorities can only manage through financial reports and salary payments of businesses, according to Mr. Chau.
