Part-Time Jobs, Full Life

A part-time job is employment which typically constitutes fewer than 35, or even 30, working hours a week. Stereotypically deemed the domain of students and parents, part-time jobs carry many advantages for people in every situation in life.

With hours that do not reach a full working week, there is much greater scope for flexibility. An individual, in collaboration with the employer concerned, is able to organize a schedule which does not follow the straight-forward 9-5, Monday to Friday pattern, sometimes choosing weekend jobs in order to pursue other interests throughout the week. This fluidity is conducive to a better work-life balance, and it grants the individual time to focus on other areas other than their job - be that time with their family, their studies or any other activities. Due to the diverse nature of part-time jobs (they can range from a mere 1 hour per week to over 30), a person can even co-ordinate - either for reasons of necessity or enjoyment - holding several jobs simultaneously.

It must be noted that those in part-time jobs are entitled to the same statutory employment benefits as those in full-time jobs. However, part-time employees do not always receive the same company-particular advantages and allowances as their full-time counterparts. Benefits such as insurance, sick pay and pension funds, which vary from company to company, are occasionally offered on different terms (and sometimes not at all) to people in part-time positions.

Individuals holding part-time jobs receive the same rights of pay as those in full-time positions, but obviously tend to earn a lower salary on account of the diminished time working. If your lifestyle is suited to this, both in terms of money and time, there are a great number of options available for those seeking part-time jobs.

Virtually every industry and sector has certain jobs which are offered on a part-time basis. The Customer Service sector, in particular, comprises a number of part-time roles. Part-time jobs also vary according to season. During the Christmas period, for example, jobs available in retail tend to increase as employers require extra staff to facilitate and manage the heightened turnover. This can also be seen in the tourism industry: in simple terms, the winter creates a plethora of jobs in ski resorts, while the summer leads to the re-opening of holiday resorts, all of which have to be staffed. Such jobs are deemed part-time, then, because of their shorter term contracts. This is of course a very basic representation of the variance of part-time work, but it nonetheless gives an idea of its flexibility.

Related to the issue of part-time jobs is the notion of job sharing. This is where 2 people - or more - share the hours and responsibilities of a full-time position. As we have observed with part-time work in general, there is good scope for flexibility with this arrangement. The individuals sharing the job may opt for a split within a working day (one working the morning, the other the afternoon) or within a working week (one fulfilling the requirements of the position on Monday and Tuesday, for example, and the other on the remaining days of the week). There are no concrete guidelines for such an arrangement, so it can be worked out to the mutual benefit of those involved.

The advantages of part-time jobs are ample: they grant more free time for those who can afford the luxury, and they enable those who may ultimately be seeking full-time employment to keep a foot in the working world.

Xanthe Kershaw is a staff writer for VCCP Search, providing informative and helpful articles on careers and jobs for http://www.totaljobs.com, a leading UK Job site.