Role guide · 8 jobs · Updated October 2026
Best Part-Time Jobs for International Students in Canada
Short answer
Good first jobs for international students are front-line roles with evening and weekend shifts: cashier, retail sales associate, kitchen helper, customer service, warehouse, security guard, receptionist and cook. Most train on the job (security guards need a provincial licence first), and part-time schedules fit IRCC's limit of 24 hours a week off campus during classes (unlimited on campus and during scheduled breaks). Minimum wage runs from $15.00 (Alberta) to $20.17 an hour (Nunavut).
Who this is for: International students looking for a first job in Canada that fits around classes — especially if you have no Canadian experience yet.
8 part-time jobs that fit a student timetable
1. Cashier (NOC 65100, TEER 5)
Grocery stores, pharmacies and gas stations schedule evening and weekend shifts that fit around classes, and most train on the job.
What managers screen for: Reliability, accuracy with cash and your exact availability.
Skills to list: POS systems and scanning · Cash handling · Till balancing · Debit, credit and mobile payments · Returns and exchanges
Certifications that help: Food safety certificate; Alcohol sales training
Pay: national median $17.50/hr (low $16.55, high $22.00) — Job Bank, refreshed April 2026.
2. Retail Sales Associate (NOC 64100, TEER 4)
Retail hires heavily before the winter holidays and back-to-school, and part-time shifts are the norm.
What managers screen for: Friendly customer service, comfort with a POS system and weekend availability.
Skills to list: Customer service · Add-on and suggestive selling · Clienteling · POS transactions · Returns and exchanges
Certifications that help: Responsible alcohol sales training; First Aid & CPR
3. Kitchen Helper (NOC 65201, TEER 5)
Restaurant and campus food-service kitchens hire for short evening and weekend shifts with little prior experience.
What managers screen for: Speed, cleanliness, food-safety habits and being able to stand for a full shift.
Skills to list: Dishwashing and sanitation · Commercial dish machine operation · Food prep and knife skills · FIFO stock rotation · Labelling and dating
Certifications that help: Provincial food safety / food handler certificate; WHMIS
4. Customer Service Representative (NOC 64409, TEER 4)
Contact centres often run evening and weekend shifts, and some roles are remote — a fit for students with strong English or French.
What managers screen for: Clear communication, patience and typing accuracy.
Skills to list: Active listening · Calm de-escalation · CRM and ticketing tools · Fast, accurate typing · English and French (if you have it)
5. Warehouse Worker (NOC 75101, TEER 5)
Distribution centres run overnight and weekend shifts that rarely clash with daytime classes.
What managers screen for: Safety awareness, punctuality and physical stamina; forklift certification is a plus.
Skills to list: Order picking and packing · RF / handheld scanners · Shipping and receiving · Safe lifting · Inventory counts
Certifications that help: Forklift operator certificate; WHMIS
6. Security Guard (NOC 64410, TEER 4)
Overnight and weekend posts suit students — but you need a provincial security licence before you can work.
What managers screen for: A valid provincial licence, written incident reports and calm de-escalation.
Skills to list: Access control · Interior and exterior patrols · Incident and occurrence reporting · CCTV monitoring · Alarm and emergency response
Certifications that help: Provincial security licence; First Aid & CPR
7. Receptionist (NOC 14101, TEER 4)
Clinics, gyms and offices hire part-time front-desk staff for evening and Saturday coverage.
What managers screen for: Phone manner, scheduling software and organized multitasking.
Skills to list: Multi-line phones · Appointment scheduling · Greeting visitors · Microsoft Outlook and Excel · Accurate data entry
8. Cook (NOC 63200, TEER 3)
Line-cook shifts are flexible, and cooks (NOC 63200) are TEER 3 — the kind of skilled work that can count toward the Canadian Experience Class after you graduate.
What managers screen for: Station experience, speed during a rush and food-safety certification.
Skills to list: Line and prep stations · Knife skills · Recipe and portion control · Cleaning and closing · Working a rush
Certifications that help: Provincial food safety / food handler certificate
Don't skip on-campus jobs
On-campus work has no weekly hour limit for eligible full-time students, so it doesn't eat into your 24 off-campus hours. Look on your school's job board for library, residence, recreation-centre, food-service, tutoring and research-assistant roles — they're also the easiest employers to fit around a timetable. Rules: international students hub.
Source: IRCC: Work on campus as an international student — checked October 2026.
Which of these jobs count toward PR later?
None of the work you do while studying full time counts toward the Canadian Experience Class, whatever the job. After graduation, only TEER 0–3 jobs count — so cashier, retail, kitchen-helper and warehouse roles (TEER 4–5) are for income and references, while a cook role (TEER 3) can become qualifying experience on a PGWP.
Source: IRCC: Express Entry — Canadian Experience Class — checked October 2026.
How to apply in one evening
- Pick two roles from the list below and open their resume examples.
- Write your availability at the top (for example "Weekdays after 4 pm, Saturdays, Sundays").
- Swap in your own numbers: customers served, orders packed, events volunteered at.
- Check each version with the ATS resume checker and draft a 3-paragraph cover letter.
- Apply to 10 postings, then walk your resume into 5 local stores or restaurants in person.
- Practise five interview questions out loud the night before.