This post was most recently updated on January 6th, 2023
Hi, everyone. Welcome to the Europetutor community. Today in this article we will discuss the earnings of international students in detail. We will be discussing the students in Southern Cyprus and not the students from Northern Cyprus.
International students in Cyprus can earn somewhere between 500 Euros to 1200 Euros a month. In most of the cases, international students in Cyprus can earn an average of 750 Euros a month.
Working hours for international students in Cyprus
Legally, an international student can only work 20 hours a week, but that’s not the case in most situations. They work somewhere between 6 to 10 hours a day in Cyprus.
Update:
The law has changed now. You don’t need to wait for six months to work. You can work with your pink card now. It might take up to 3 months for your pink card to arrive. When you have your pink card, you can ask your college to give you a work letter.
Per-hour wage for international students in Cyprus
International students in Cyprus can earn somewhere between 4 Euros to 6 Euros per hour. The average earning is 5 Euros per hour. It depends upon what sort of job you are doing. If you are a European, you might earn more than that.
In some cases, they get their salary at the end of the month. If they are working in a restaurant or a hotel, they can earn somewhere between 700 Euros to 1000 Euros.
I suggest you click here to read about the average salary in Cyprus.
Fields an International student could work in Cyprus
High-profile jobs in Cyprus are mainly reserved for Cypriots and Europeans. According to the Ministry of Labor, international students in Cyprus are allowed to work in the following sectors:
- Trade-Repairs
- Health and Social Care
- Household Activities
- Manufacturing
- Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Fishery
- Food Industry
- Restaurants, Recreational Centres
Trade Repairs:
- Loading or off-loading goods.
Health and Social Care
- Assessing and planning nursing care requirements.
- Monitoring and administering medication and intravenous infusions.
- Taking patient samples, pulses, temperatures, and blood pressures.
Household activities
- Cleaning house inside and outside
- Gardening
- Cutting trees and grasses.
- Painting
Restaurants, Hotels
- Provide excellent customer service.
- Always strive towards the best customer satisfaction.
- Greet customers and present menus.
- Arrange table settings.
Food Industry
- Distributing various packages to specified locations within a given time frame.
- Planning daily travel routes based on locations and time frames.
- Carefully loading and unloading all packages.
Manufacturing
- Go through work orders to determine how much of what needs to be produced for the day.
- Ensure that sufficient raw materials/ingredients are available for each product to be baked.
Advertising
- Distribution of Advertising materials like banners, leaflets, and brochures.
Cleaning Services
- Gather and empty trash and trash bins.
- Clean building floors by sweeping, mopping, or vacuuming them.
- Clean restrooms and stock them with supplies.
- Keep buildings secure by locking doors.
Can international students work full-time in Cyprus?
No, they cannot. You need to understand that you are a full-time student in Cyprus, not a full-time worker. You can work full-time only when you come here on a working visa.
As I previously said, you cannot work for more than 20 hours a week. During the holiday season, you can work up to 36 – 40 hours a week. That’s it. Legally, as a student, you can’t work full-time.
Documents required to find a job in Cyprus
- Passport
- A valid Residence Permit of Cyprus (Pink Slip)
- Work Letter from College. (College won’t give you a work letter until you have your pink slip.)
- A timetable of your studies/class. (Your college will provide you with the timetable.)
What about those who are working full-time?
Some students are working for 10-12 hours a day. They are only supposed to work for 20 hours a week, i.e., 3 hours a day. But they are working for more than that.
Yes, many international students are doing that. I don’t deny that. Not only are a few, but there are thousands of them.
- Without a doubt, they are doing it illegally.
- Don’t forget that they are violating the law, and when they get caught, there will be punishment.
- Not only the students but the one who has given them the job will also either have to pay the fine or face imprisonment.
Now, you may say, “I know a guy who is working in Cyprus full-time, even if he is a student. Nobody has caught him or told him to pay the fine. So what’s the problem?”
People are doing it for ages. If they even get caught, corruption is always there to save them. Going against the law is breaking the law. Once or twice, they might give you a warning, but if they catch you again, you will either have to pay a fine, or they will deport you.
You know a guy who is working full-time, right? I know a lot of guys who were fined, imprisoned, and deported. The owner had to shut down the restaurant because all his employees were international students, and they were working for more than 8 hours a day. So yeah, think about it.
Note:
If you are a skilled professional in your field, you can earn up to 800 Euro per month and even more than that just by working for 20 hours a week. Yes, that can happen, but as I said, you need to be too good in your field.
So, there are jobs in Cyprus for International Students, right?
Well, here is an interesting fact. A law-abiding company or organization will never hire a student for a full-time job. They follow the law and would never want to get into criminal cases.
They want their employees to work for at least 8 hours a day. But as a student, you are barely allowed to work for 4 hours a day.
Suppose two people are looking for a job in a reputed company. One is you, and the other is a Cypriot or a European.
The European guy could work for as long as he wants in the company and on the other hand you have to go to college to attend a class every day.
Suppose both of you have the same knowledge in the field. Let’s say you are even better than the guy, but at the end of the day, you are just a student with only 20 hrs per week work schedule.
The company wouldn’t want to hire you because you are unworthy, but because you have boundaries and that guy doesn’t.
If any company or organization is hiring students on a full-time basis, then they are indeed breaking the law.
As an international student, would I be able to pay the tuition fee with just a part-time job?
With just a part-time job, you would be able to earn around 400-600 Euro per month. Now, with that much money, you can pay the college fee, but it depends upon how you use the money.
If you are living in an apartment where you would have to pay around 300 Euro for your room rent + electricity charge + water + WiFi charge + extra stuff, you won’t be able to save for the college fee.
But if you stay in a room with a lower fare + you closely monitor your expenses, I guess you can save money for the tuition fee.
Note:
I am talking about college, not a University. The fee structure of Universities is much higher than that of colleges.
There is no way you can pay for the University fee just by doing a part-time job.
I suggest you click here to read about the cost of living in Cyprus.
If there is no work, then how are students surviving?
Before giving you the answer to this question, here is something that you should know.
- You have to bring 2000 Euro in Cash with you to show at the Immigration at Larnaca Airport.
- You have to pre-pay the college fee for one year before coming to Cyprus.
Now, for a year, you don’t need to pay the tuition fee in college, and as you have 2000 Euro with you, you can easily survive for at least 6-7 months.
This is how most of the students are surviving.
What after the money is finished, you said?
They ask their parents to send money from home.
What a pathetic condition that would be.
If your parents can send you the money, then you can do totally fine, but what if they don’t have any money to send?
What if the money that you have used for Cyprus Student Visa processing was all debt and your parents are in no condition to support you further?
Hoping to earn a lot of money and support your family, you apply to Cyprus without doing any research. Eventually, you come here, and you regret it.
Conclusion
So, Aashish, what do you suggest we do?
I suggest everyone not come to Cyprus on a student visa if their aim is to earn a lot of money.
Please don’t make the mistakes that I have made.
- You cannot be a billionaire in here just by working 20 hours a week.
- The reality is totally different here than what your agents are telling you.
- You can barely pay the room rent, let alone earn a big amount of money.
Cyprus is a very good country with many good colleges and universities if you want to study.
But, if you think you can study + work + send money home to pay the debt, + live a European life, that would just be a dream.
- Agents will say that you can work as long as you want, don’t trust them.
- Your own friends and relatives will say, “you can go to other countries,” don’t trust them.
If your parents can afford to send you the college fee every year, then it’s ok to come here. Otherwise, don’t waste your parent’s lifetime saving for false hope. Please.
Be wise.
Peace!
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