# A part-time job and your university timetable: how to compare before you sign

> **The short answer**: A part-time job fits your university timetable when the week has room for lectures, study, travel and the job together, so add the hours up before you sign. The law’s caps: 12 hours a day and 160 a month in flexible work, and part-time work on a written contract with a fixed term.[^1][^3]

**Key takeaways**

- Add every hour of the week in one table before signing, travel included.
- Flexible work is capped at 12 hours a day and 160 a month.[^1]
- Part-time work means fewer than half the usual daily hours.[^2]
- A part-time contract must be written and fixed-term.[^3]

![Diagram: weekly grid with an open block](https://tiswa.app/assets/blog/part-time-job-vs-timetable/part-time-job-vs-timetable-cover-en.webp)

The shop near campus offers you four hours every evening. It sounds small. In exam week those four become eight, because the road eats an hour and the tiredness eats what follows. The student who counts hours on paper before signing avoids that trap. The one who signs because the pay is good finds it in week five.

> **tiswa's take**: We start with the timetable, not the pay. A job that pays less and fits your week stays with you for a whole semester. One that pays more and eats your study night ends in a resignation halfway through.

## How do I compare a part-time job with my university timetable?

Draw your week on paper with seven columns. Put lectures in first, since they do not move. Then the study hours you really need, then sleep, meals and prayer, then the trip from campus to work and from work home. What is left is what you own for the job. If they offer more hours than that, you have the answer before you read the contract.

| Item | Example: hours a week | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Lectures and labs | 18 | From your registered timetable |
| Study and assignments | 14 | Estimate from a past semester |
| Travel to work and campus | 5 | Time it at rush hour |
| Sleep, meals and rest | 56 | Do not cut it |
| The part-time job | 12 | What remains after the rest |

![Checklist: written hours, exam weeks, fixed term, pay day](https://tiswa.app/assets/blog/part-time-job-vs-timetable/part-time-job-vs-timetable-inline-2-en.webp)


These numbers are an example for illustration, not advice. Your week is different, especially if your major has labs or placements, as in health and engineering. The idea is to put in your own figures and see the hours left before you see the pay.

## How many hours can a university student work?

The law sets a ceiling and leaves the timetable to you. In flexible work by the hour a person may not exceed 12 hours a day or 160 hours a month, across one employer or several.[^1] The ministry’s own example is a five-day contract allowing up to 60 hours.[^1] That is a ceiling, not a target: a student working 160 hours a month is doing nearly a full-time job.

Part-time work on an ordinary contract is defined in Article 2 of the Labour Law as work by a non-full-time worker for fewer than half the usual daily hours at the establishment.[^2] If the establishment works eight-hour days, part-time is under four hours a day. We cover the rule in full in [part-time work in Saudi Arabia](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/part-time-work-law/).

## What should the part-time contract say before I sign?

The executive regulation of the Labour Law requires a part-time contract to be written and fixed-term, and to state the working hours.[^3] In flexible work a contract made outside the platform is not accepted, and you get a text message with a link to accept or reject within five days.[^1] If an employer says let us agree verbally and sort out the rest later, treat that as a warning.

1. **Hours and days**: Ask for them in writing: which days, from what time to what time.
2. **Site and journey**: Put the address on a map at rush hour and add the trip there and back.
3. **Holidays and exam weeks**: Agree in writing to cut or pause hours during exams.
4. **Contract length and end date**: A part-time contract is fixed-term. Ask what comes after the end.[^3]
5. **Pay and pay day**: How much, how, and when. Into a bank account in your name.
6. **How it is documented**: A written contract or a flexible-work platform message, never a verbal deal.

![Four steps: lectures, study, travel, job hours](https://tiswa.app/assets/blog/part-time-job-vs-timetable/part-time-job-vs-timetable-inline-1-en.webp)


## How do I choose between two part-time jobs?

Give each job a score out of five on four items: fit with the timetable, short travel, flexibility in exam weeks, and a clear contract. Add the scores, and look at pay last. That is our way of sorting, not an official system, but it stops pay deciding too early. If the totals tie, take the one closer to campus.

To find real openings, start with Jadarat, the national employment platform.[^4] For the wider picture of the three lawful routes, read [part-time jobs for university students](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/part-time-jobs-students/). If you live in Jeddah, [student jobs in Jeddah](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/jeddah-student-jobs-fit-check/) works one city’s commute through in detail.

Watch for one thing many students overlook: the timetable changes mid-semester. A project lands, a course adds a lab, an exam moves earlier. Leave a margin of two or three hours in your budget instead of filling the week from day one. A student who used every free hour has no room to breathe when a single thing shifts.

## When should I leave a part-time job?

Leave when two signs show together: your grades drop or you miss lectures because of work, and your employer ignores a request to reduce hours. If the contract is written, read the termination clause before you resign so you do not lose what you are owed. Put what you need in writing before you decide.

Example request to adjust hours (edit it):

```
Hello, I am [name]. My end-of-semester exams run from [date] to [date]. Could my hours be reduced to [number] a week during that period, then return to the usual schedule afterwards? Please confirm in writing. Thank you for understanding.
```

Your pay goes further if you know what lowers your spending. See what is open to students in [student discounts in Saudi Arabia](https://tiswa.app/en/deals/), and build a simple monthly budget from a [personal financial plan](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/personal-financial-plan/).

Want your part-time pay to go further? See what you can cut in [student discounts in Saudi Arabia](https://tiswa.app/en/deals/) before you spend it. [Browse student deals](https://tiswa.app/en/join/)

## Questions

### How do I compare a part-time job with my university timetable?

Draw your week in hours: lectures first, then study, sleep and travel. What is left is what you own for the job, so do not sign for more.

### How many hours can a university student work part time?

In flexible work, 12 hours a day and 160 a month per person.[^1] Part-time work on an ordinary contract is under half the usual daily hours.[^2]

### Must a part-time work contract be in writing?

Yes. The executive regulation requires a written, fixed-term contract that states the working hours.[^3]

### What is the difference between part-time and flexible work?

Part-time is an ordinary contract with fewer than half the usual hours; flexible work is paid by the hour and documented on the ministry’s platform, with the contract arriving by text message.[^1][^2]

### Where do I look for part-time jobs for students?

Start with Jadarat, the national employment platform, and the flexible-work platform for hourly contracts.[^1][^4]

### Can I reduce my hours in exam weeks?

Yes, if you agree it with your employer in writing before the exams. Ask before signing if you can, and by written message afterwards.


## Sources

[^1]: Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development: Flexible Work service, https://www.hrsd.gov.sa/en/ministry-services/services/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%86
[^2]: Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development: Labour Law, https://www.hrsd.gov.sa/sites/default/files/2025-11/labor-law.pdf
[^3]: Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development: Executive Regulation of the Labour Law, https://www.hrsd.gov.sa/sites/default/files/2025-02/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%AD%D8%A9%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%86%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B0%D9%8A%D8%A9%20%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B8%D8%A7%D9%85%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%84%20%D9%88%D9%85%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%A7.pdf
[^4]: Jadarat: national employment platform, https://jadarat.sa/