Temporary Work

Temporary work usually involves either being contracted or working freelance. There are certain advantages to working as a freelancer or a contractor – usually they allow you to move around and see the world while sometimes offering flexible hours. If you are considering becoming a contracted worker or a freelancer there are a few things you must consider first.

Contracted and Freelance Work

Being a contracted worker means you work as you would for a company under a contract. However, there is a difference, your work will have a defined period and you will probably be brought in for a single project. The time scale varies you could be contracted for a single day or for several years – the main difference is that you have an end date to your employment.

If you are a specialist in your field you can earn a decent wage for taking on projects. Even if you are not an expert in your field (yet!) there are advantages. For example, if you are unsure of what you want to do for a living it gives you a chance to try out a potential career path.  It is also a good way to earn money quickly – as the salary structure is different you can find yourself with large sums of money from working only a short period of time.

Disadvantages of Temporary Work

Obviously there are disadvantages with working on a temporary basis – the first is the irregularity of work. You cannot rely on always having work when you want it. This can spell tough times if you do not plan ahead financially or something unfortunate happens.

You will also need to be able to prove yourself to an employer – this requires a portfolio of previous work. You will also need to be able to prove that you can begin working straight away within the company immediately – a contracted employee is unlikely to be able to have the luxury of an extended “bedding-in,” period which long-term employees enjoy. The real question is not necessarily whether it is financially viable to be a contract worker but whether you can do it at all!

Graduate Temping

Temporary work for graduates is a great way to work in several different industries before deciding your career path – this will usually have fewer of the disadvantages above and certainly doesn’t have the advantage of the money available to those regarded within their field.

Temping is a good way to begin finding your feet after university while you build up a CV, experience and decide how you want to spend your career.