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What Are the Different Types of Part Time Employment Opportunities?

Alicia Sparks
Alicia Sparks

Some of the most common types of part time employment opportunities include summer employment and seasonal employment, as well as part time jobs with businesses that hire year-round. Depending on a person’s profession and training, he might create his own part time work as a freelancer, contractor, or other type of self-employed individual. The vast variety of part time employment opportunities is beneficial for people of all walks of life. Such people include young workers and students and people just breaking into the employment sector. Opportunities for part time work also benefit parents with minimal time or who need extra money as well as seniors and retirees who want to stay active.

Many different kinds of businesses hire employees on a part time basis. It’s not uncommon to find a variety of part time employment opportunities at retail stores, offices, banks, and even the medical field. Certain kinds of professionals can also create their own part time job opportunities, such as massage therapists, personal trainers, and even substitute teachers who only want to work a certain number of hours a day or week. Some people also find part time work as freelancers, contractors, or other types of self-employed workers both online and in person. For example, it’s possible to find part time work as a freelance writer for a company that needs occasional newsletters written, with all or the majority of the correspondence taking place via email.

Some people work part time waiting tables while attending college.
Some people work part time waiting tables while attending college.

Some of the most popular part time employment opportunities among younger workers or students are summer employment and seasonal employment. Since they take place during a particular part of the year, these kinds of part time employment opportunities can have either part time or full time hours and still be considered part time. Some of the most common types of summer employment and seasonal employment include working at retail stores during busy holiday seasons, acting as a lifeguard at a pool, lake, or ocean, and being a counselor at a summer camp. Students especially benefit from developing good relationships with such employers, as doing so can help them keep a foot in the door when the next summer or winter vacation comes along. Of course, job seekers should keep in mind that some types of summer and seasonal jobs, such as lifeguards and camp counselors, typically require prospects to have certain amount of training and even certification before being eligible for hire.

Pay a visit to restaurants and hotels and ask to fill out an application for a part-time job.
Pay a visit to restaurants and hotels and ask to fill out an application for a part-time job.

Also, people can find part time employment opportunities in the temporary employment sector. Like summer employment and season employment, temporary employment can offer both part time and full time hours. Since the jobs are temporary, though, they’re considered part time. Typically, temporary jobs become available when a full time employee takes an extended amount of time off, quits, or is fired, or a company needs to fill a certain position until it hires a full time employee. Job seekers can find temporary employment opportunities from job advertisements or word of mouth, or by using the services of a staffing company.

Discussion Comments

clintflint

@irontoenail - In my experience part-time work tends to be first-come first-served, particularly when you're working at a place with a lot of part-time workers.

When I was working at a book store as a university student, all the workers would basically race to be the first person to get time off on highly sought after days. There was a little bit of a pecking order, but mostly it was about getting your name on the calender.

I was never much good at it, which is why I always ended up working shifts like New Years Day and during concerts and things like that, but in general, if no one else wanted the day off or you could trade it to someone for another day, the management didn't really care all that much about who worked when.

irontoenail

@bythewell - Just remember that if you start a job as a holiday worker, it might be expected that you will continue as one next year even if you're hoping to eventually get the holidays off.

And seasonal work doesn't always lead to permanent jobs. Often it's such a chaotic time of year no one wants to make long-term decisions and most of the decision-makers are away anyway.

bythewell

Holidays are the best time to break into part-time work, particularly in retail, but in other companies as well. Holidays can be very busy, requiring more employees to deal with the extra sales. It's also a time when a lot of regular employees are going to want to take time off, so there is a need for extra workers there as well.

Even if you work full time in a job like this for the duration of the holidays and then see whether they have a part-time job for you later on, at least you will have been able to demonstrate that you have what it takes. If you can survive a job during the holiday season, you can definitely survive at any other point of the year.

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      Some people work part time waiting tables while attending college.
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