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Information » Employment & Training » Different ways of working

There are a number of working options you can choose, including working full time, part time, job share and flexible working hours.

Some employers (especially larger ones) are now more flexible about working arrangements, so that you can work hours or days to suit your lifestyle or family commitments. An example of this could be starting work at 8:00am and finishing at 4:00pm instead of a working a normal 9:00am till 5:00pm working day.

Anyone can ask their employer for flexible work arrangements, but by law anyone who is a carer or has children under the age of 16 has the right to ask employers for flexible hours.

You might be able to work from home or job share with another employee, this is when you both carry out the job part time covering working different days of the week.

Some people choose to be self-employed, especially if they start their own business or are involved in freelance work. A freelance worker is a person who works for themselves selling the work that they do to employers without a long-term working commitment. Freelance workers are good for employers that need certain things to carry out a project or job but dont have employees with those specific skills.

The advantages for freelance working and self-employment can be the freedom to choose your working hours, being your own boss and sometimes earning more money. The downside is having an irregular income, no paid holidays or sick pay, paying your own tax and national insurance contributions and difficulty planning ahead with your money especially if you are just starting out.