Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

HIGHER EDUCATION

Can you work on a Danish study permit?

Denmark’s study permit does allow students to work alongside their studies. However, there are several important rules that can affect your situation.

Published: 29 January 2024 12:08 CET
Can you work on a Danish study permit?
Many students in Denmark work part-time. Photo by Edgar Mavlikeev on Unsplash

Denmark is an attractive country to study in due to the number of courses offered in English and the fact that students from EU countries aren’t charged tuition at all.

Once you have been accepted by a Danish educational institution such as a university, you can be granted a study permit. This can be for an exchange semester or an entire study programme.

If you’re a citizen of an EU or EEA country, or Switzerland, you do need a Danish study permit but should instead apply for an EU residence document.

Your study permit allows you to live in Denmark and also gives you limited working rights.

You can work for an average of 20 hours per week during the regular study term of September to May, and can work full time in June, July and August.

This remains valid during the extended residence permit that can be granted to apply for a job after completing your studies (the extended permit can be a six-month or three-year permit and can be granted if you took your full study programme in Denmark).

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How to apply for an after studies residence permit in Denmark

Take care not to exceed the permitted number of hours, as these will be considered illegal work, which in a fine or in the worst case your study permit being retracted.

Unpaid voluntary work such as charity work or festival volunteering do not count towards your permitted hours.

If your programme of study includes a work placement, a permit for this is normally granted as part of the study permit. If a work placement is introduced to your course at a later date and therefore not included in the permit, you must apply to have it added.

A study permit gives you the right to live and study in Denmark during the period of validity of the permit.

It also allows you to travel anywhere within the EU’s Schengen zone and live there for a period up to 3 months within the last 6 months.

Unlike when you are in Denmark, however, you are not permitted to work in another Schengen country on the basis of your Danish study permit.

Longer stays in another country (for example, due to work placements or exchange semesters) require you to apply for a dispensation from the regular study permit rules.

While in Denmark, you have the right to free Danish language lessons under the terms of your study permit.

Further information about applying for the Danish study permit can be found via the Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI).

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

WORKING IN DENMARK

Foreign workers report increased appeal of Denmark and Copenhagen in study

A new study has placed Denmark first in the Nordic region and 17th in the world in terms of popularity among foreign workers.

Published: 24 April 2024 16:49 CEST
Foreign workers report increased appeal of Denmark and Copenhagen in study

A global study by Boston Consulting Group and The Network, in which Danish jobsearch site Jobindex participates, found that Denmark is punching above its weight globally when it comes to presenting itself as an attractive option for foreign staff.

A high ranking in the study is good news given Denmark’s high employment rate and difficulty reported by businesses filling long and short-term positions, the Boston Consulting Group said in a press release.

The study, Decoding Global Talent 2024, was released on Wednesday. The study has been conducted on repeated occasions since 2014, gauging the preferences of international workers.

It is the largest study of its kind in the world and with over 150,000 respondents from 185 countries including 11,000 from Denmark.

“It’s very impressive that Denmark takes a top position on the list. We are far from being the 17th-largest country in the world. The highest places naturally go to the English-speaking countries where most people have the language,” Boston Consulting Group’s Managing Director and Senior Partner Andreas Malby said in the statement.

“But foreign labour wants to go to Denmark because of quality of life and security in this country,” Malby added.

Individual countries’ performance in the study is based on the subjective perceptions of workers around the world, who submit votes. In addition to quality of life and security, other factors such as economic growth, tax, healthcare and work permit and visa processes can all influence the perceptions of survey respondents of how countries brand themselves.

Denmark’s ranking this year is an eight-place improvement since the last time the study was conducted in 2021. The 17th spot achieved this year puts it ahead of Nordic neighbours Sweden, Norway and Finland in the ranking.

Copenhagen also popular

Capital city Copenhagen rates well on the city version of the list, its 28th place also ahead of Nordic rivals.

“It reflects Denmark’s good image that manages to attract international labour,” the CEO of Jobindex, Kaare Danielsen, said in the statement.

Danielsen described the study as “big and good news for Danish employers who face a shortage of staff in the short and long terms”.

“We are looking at an international shortage of labour in areas like green transition and AI where it is hugely important for us to attract international labour,” he said.

Danielsen noted that the results of the study point to a potential for Denmark to recruit more labour from southern Europe, where it has a high level of appeal for skilled workers.

SHOW COMMENTS