Daily life
Student Jobs in Rome for Tunisians
Subito first, then Indeed, temp agencies and campus jobs, within the 20-hour rule
In short On this page
The easiest way to find a student job in Rome is a free job-seeker ad on Subito, because most student jobs in Rome are in cafés and restaurants; Indeed, temp agencies (which cannot charge workers) and university 150-ore collaborations paying EUR 1,295 for 150 hours at Sapienza come next. On an Italian study permit you can work as an employee for up to 20 hours a week and 1,040 hours a year with a declared contract, and the 20 hours are a weekly ceiling, not an average (verified October 2026).
- 1. How do you find a student job in Rome on Subito?
- 2. How many hours can you work on a student permit in Italy?
- 3. How do you apply for student jobs in Rome on Indeed?
- 4. Which temp agencies have a branch in Rome?
- 5. What are 150-ore collaborations and other university jobs in Rome?
- 6. How do you spot a job scam in Rome?
- Frequently asked questions
- Official sources
You have your residence permit for study and want a part-time job in Rome. How many hours are you allowed, and where do you actually find work?
The short answer: the easiest way is a free ad on Subito saying you are looking for work, since most student jobs in Rome are in cafés, bars and restaurants. You can work as an employee for up to 20 hours a week and 1,040 hours a year, with a regular, declared contract.
This is part 3 of our settling-in series, after the bank account and the residenza. For the short legal answer in your first month, read whether you can work with a student residence permit in Italy.
1. How do you find a student job in Rome on Subito?
Subito is the easiest way to find a student job in Rome: posting a free job-seeker ad takes a few minutes, and in my experience café and restaurant owners reply quickly.
To find a café or restaurant job in Rome on Subito, post your own free ad in Lavoro e servizi > Candidati in cerca di lavoro, the section for job seekers, instead of only answering employer ads. Subito (opens in a new tab) is Italy's big classifieds site, and Rome has plenty of café, bar and restaurant jobs on it. Subito gives private users 20 free ads in the job-seeker section, and Subito refuses job offers that ask candidates for money (Subito rules (opens in a new tab)).
Step 1: create your account
Sign up on the Subito website or app with your email, then confirm your Italian phone number with the SMS code (phone verification (opens in a new tab)).
Step 2: choose the job-seeker category
Tap Inserisci annuncio and pick Lavoro e servizi, then Candidati in cerca di lavoro. You can browse the Rome job-seeker ads (opens in a new tab) first to see how others write theirs.
Step 3: write a short, clear ad
- Title: the role and the area, for example “Cameriere / barista part-time, Roma San Lorenzo”.
- Languages: Arabic, French and English, plus your honest Italian level.
- Availability: the days and times you can work, within 20 hours a week.
- Area: the neighbourhood you live in and how far you can travel.
- Photo: optional; a clear, friendly one can help.
- Contact: ask employers to write to you through the app chat.
Step 4: answer quickly and keep the job legal
In my experience and that of my friends, calls and offers usually arrived within a week of posting a Subito ad. That is experience, not a guarantee. When an employer calls, ask for a written contract with your weekly hours before your first shift.
Of course, a few things come first. You need an Italian SIM card, because Subito verifies your account by SMS and does not accept +216 numbers; an IBAN for your salary (how to open a bank account in Italy as a student); and your codice fiscale (how to get your codice fiscale in Italy). Your residenza is a nice-to-have, not a must, since not every student plans to stay in Italy for good, but it makes some local procedures easier (how to register your residenza in Rome).
2. How many hours can you work on a student permit in Italy?
An Italian study permit allows employee work (lavoro subordinato) for up to 20 hours a week, which can be spread over 52 weeks, within an annual limit of 1,040 hours (DPR 394/1999, art. 14, c. 4 (opens in a new tab)).
In its note of 24 May 2022, the Ispettorato Nazionale del Lavoro made it clear that 20 hours is a weekly ceiling, not an average: a contract above 20 hours a week is not compliant even if your yearly total stays under 1,040. You cannot work 35 hours in August and make up for it later. To work more than 20 hours a week, you must convert your study permit to a work permit, before the study permit expires.
| Type | What it is | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| Part-time employment contract | The standard route: a declared contract with fixed weekly hours | No more than 20 hours a week in the contract |
| Occasional work (PrestO) | Short INPS-managed jobs, capped at EUR 5,000 a year per worker | No official source says whether these hours count toward the 20; ask the employer or a patronato |
| On-call contract (contratto a chiamata) | Called in when needed; for people under 24 (work ending by age 25) or over 55, or for jobs listed in collective agreements | Your weekly 20-hour cap still applies |
| University 150-ore collaboration | Paid campus work, not an employment contract | One per academic year; see section 5 |
Keep your exams on track
A student job does not block the renewal of an Italian study permit, but your exam record can. Study permits are renewed if you passed one exam in your first year and at least two in each later year, and they cannot be issued for more than 3 years beyond the length of your course (DPR 394/1999, art. 46 (opens in a new tab)). A job that wrecks your exam record puts your study permit at risk.
3. How do you apply for student jobs in Rome on Indeed?
To apply for student jobs in Rome on Indeed, search it.indeed.com (opens in a new tab) for “part time studenti” with Roma as the location, then apply with your CV. Upload your CV or build one on Indeed (upload a CV (opens in a new tab)); some jobs let you apply directly with Indeed Apply, others send you to the employer's site. Set a job alert so new offers reach your inbox (job alerts (opens in a new tab)).
4. Which temp agencies have a branch in Rome?
Gi Group, Adecco, Randstad, Manpower, Umana, Synergie, Etjca and Orienta are temp agencies with a Rome branch confirmed on their own websites (October 2026). Temp agencies (agenzie per il lavoro) place people in shops, warehouses, hotels and events. By law, authorised agencies cannot charge workers any fee (D.Lgs. 276/2003, art. 11 (opens in a new tab)). You can check any agency on the Ministry of Labour register (opens in a new tab).
| Agency | Find a Rome branch |
|---|---|
| Gi Group | gigroup.it (opens in a new tab) |
| Adecco | adecco.com (opens in a new tab) |
| Randstad | randstad.it (opens in a new tab) |
| Manpower | manpower.it (opens in a new tab) |
| Umana | umana.it (opens in a new tab) |
| Synergie | synergie-italia.it (opens in a new tab) |
| Etjca | etjca.it (opens in a new tab) |
| Orienta | orienta.net (opens in a new tab) |
When you visit a temp agency in Rome, bring your CV, permit (or receipt) and codice fiscale, and tell the agency upfront that you can work at most 20 hours a week.
5. What are 150-ore collaborations and other university jobs in Rome?
Universities in Rome pay students for part-time campus work through 150-ore collaborations (borse di collaborazione), and their job placement offices list other offers. Sapienza's 2025/26 call offered 250 places, paying EUR 1,295 for 150 hours, tax-free. It is not an employment contract, and it required Italian B2 and English B2 (Sapienza call 2025/26 (opens in a new tab)). The 2025/26 deadline has passed, so watch for Sapienza's new 150-ore call in autumn.
If you hold a Lazio DiSCo scholarship, the DiSCo call says the scholarship is compatible with 150-ore collaborations; see how the Lazio DiSCo scholarship works for Tunisian students.
- Sapienza: Career Service job board on JobTeaser and internships on TSP (opportunities (opens in a new tab)).
- Tor Vergata: placement office (opens in a new tab) and the job board at uniroma2.jobteaser.com.
- Roma Tre: the Job Placement office (opens in a new tab).
- Porta Futuro Lazio, run by DiSCo, has desks at Sapienza, Roma Tre and Tor Vergata: free CV checks, guidance and courses (portafuturolazio.it (opens in a new tab)).
6. How do you spot a job scam in Rome?
A job offer in Rome is a likely scam if it asks you for money, wants your documents or bank codes before an interview, or pushes you off Subito or Indeed. The Polizia Postale warned about fake job offers on 19 January 2024 (opens in a new tab) and about the WhatsApp “task scam” on 30 January 2025 (opens in a new tab). ANPAL also flagged fake offers using the EURES logo (opens in a new tab). Walk away from a job offer that:
- Asks you to pay anything: a course, a kit, a registration fee.
- Wants a copy of your passport, permit or your bank codes before any interview.
- Arrives on WhatsApp from an unknown number and pays you to “like” posts or write reviews.
- Promises pay far above normal for very easy work.
- Comes without a written contract, or offers cash in hand.
- Pushes you to leave Subito or Indeed and click an outside link.
Report job scams in Rome to the Polizia Postale online office (opens in a new tab) or any police station.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours can I work on a student permit in Italy?
Up to 20 hours a week as an employee, within a limit of 1,040 hours a year (DPR 394/1999, art. 14). The Ispettorato Nazionale del Lavoro made it clear in May 2022 that the 20 hours are a weekly ceiling, not an average, so a contract above 20 hours a week is not compliant even if your yearly total stays under 1,040.
How do I find a café or restaurant job in Rome as a student?
Post a free ad on Subito in the “Candidati in cerca di lavoro” section, with the role, your neighbourhood, your languages and your availability within 20 hours a week. Private users get 20 free ads there. Also answer employer ads on Subito and Indeed. In my experience and that of my friends, calls usually came within a week, but that is experience, not a guarantee.
Do temp agencies in Italy charge a fee?
No. Italian law (D.Lgs. 276/2003, art. 11) forbids authorised temp agencies from charging workers any fee, so an agency that asks you for money is a red flag. Before you hand over your CV and documents, you can check that an agency is authorised on the Ministry of Labour's national register of employment agencies.
Can I work while I receive the DiSCo scholarship?
Yes for 150-ore university collaborations: the Lazio DiSCo call says they are compatible with the scholarship. In Sapienza's 2025/26 call, a 150-ore collaboration paid EUR 1,295 for 150 hours, tax-free. For other jobs, read the income rules in the current DiSCo call before you sign a contract.
Can I sign up on Subito with a Tunisian phone number?
No. Subito verifies every account by SMS and only accepts phone numbers from EU countries and Switzerland, so a +216 number will not work. Buy an Italian SIM card first, then confirm the number with the SMS code from Subito before you post your job-seeker ad.
What if I want to work more than 20 hours a week?
You must convert your study permit to a work permit, before the study permit expires. Until then, keep every contract at 20 hours a week or less: the 20 hours are a weekly ceiling, so working 35 hours in August and less later is not allowed. Check the hours in each ad, because many “student” ads in Rome ask for 25 to 30 hours a week.
Official sources
- Normattiva: DPR 394/1999, art. 14 (work on a study permit) (opens in a new tab)
- Normattiva: DPR 394/1999, art. 46 (renewal of study permits) (opens in a new tab)
- Ispettorato Nazionale del Lavoro: note of 24 May 2022 on study permits and work (opens in a new tab)
- Agenzia delle Entrate: codice fiscale for foreign citizens (opens in a new tab)
- INPS: occasional work contract (PrestO) (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Labour: on-call work (lavoro intermittente) (opens in a new tab)
- Subito: rules for the Lavoro e servizi category (opens in a new tab)
- Subito: ad limits (opens in a new tab)
- Subito: phone verification (opens in a new tab)
- Indeed Support: applying for a job (opens in a new tab)
- Normattiva: D.Lgs. 276/2003, art. 11 (no fees for workers) (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Labour: national register of employment agencies (opens in a new tab)
- Sapienza: 150-ore collaborations call 2025/26 (opens in a new tab)
- Lazio DiSCo: right-to-study call 2026/27 (opens in a new tab)
- Porta Futuro Lazio (opens in a new tab)
- Polizia Postale: how to recognise fake job offers (opens in a new tab)
- Polizia Postale: WhatsApp task scam (opens in a new tab)
- ANPAL: warning about fake job offers (opens in a new tab)
