Slovenia

The most common way to earn money while studying in Slovenia is student work (študentsko delo) – temporary and occasional work for pupils and students.

• How it works: you work for an employer on a referral (napotnica) issued by an authorised student employment service. You cannot do student work if you are employed or registered as unemployed.
• Who: students enrolled at a Slovenian school or university and foreign students living in Slovenia on an international exchange programme.
• Pay: at least €8.98 gross an hour (from 5 February 2026). Pension and disability insurance and a special health insurance contribution are paid on student work.
• Traineeship after graduation (pripravništvo): for your first job in your profession. Paid trainees get at least 70% of the basic wage for the position – and not less than the minimum wage. Unpaid (voluntary) traineeships are only possible in sectors where regulations or collective agreements allow them. At the end there is usually an exam.

Students from outside the EU with a residence permit for study may also work in Slovenia while the permit is valid, under the conditions of Slovenian employment law.

Thinking of studying there first? See Studying in Slovenia – practical information.