Because employment itself is so varied, it’s no surprise that employment contracts are varied as well. Because you can be employed full-time, part-time or self-employed and freelance, these different employment types are going to be different.
So, what are the four main employment contracts?
PERMANENT – Permanent employment contracts are the most common, and tend to be for people who work consistent, normal hours either part-time or full-time. For example, someone who was to work a 9-5, would most likely be on a permanent contract because the hours they work are consistent weekly. Similarly, a teenager working part-time in a pub on a weekend might also be on a permanent contract and given specific hours that need to be fulfilled, however, this can change from business to business.
Because permanent contracts are used to deal with consistent workers, they will include the weekly working hours, 40 hours for a 9-5 for example, pay rate and the responsibilities of the role and their rights within the job as an employee.
FIXED-TERM – A fixed-term contract is more popular when the job and employee are only available for specific amounts of time. Fixed-term contracts tend to be more suited for people who are freelance and/or self-employed. If you go on any job-hunting website, you’ll likely come across multiple jobs that are only advertising the actual work for a certain amount of time. This could be 6 months, it could be three years. This is a fixed-term contract. Unlike permanent contracts, they’re only available for specific amounts of time, hence why they’re more attractive to those who manage themselves.
But when the time comes to end the contract duration, it’s not always the end of the employment itself. If you were on a six-month fixed-term contract, if you enjoyed it, you might want to become permanent, and if you’ve done well, they might want to employ you full time. Usually, you’ll be considered a permanent employee, as opposed to a fixed-term employee, once the contract time is up, regardless of how long it is.
Of course, if this happens, your responsibilities may change, and you should get a new contract. But if the job wasn’t for you, or you have other things lined up then you are free to leave at the end of the contract.
CASUAL – Whilst permanent employment contracts can cover people who are part-time in their industry, a contract that may suit them slightly better is the casual employment contract. Casual employment contracts are designed to give people safety and security within the job. If we look at permanent contracts, you’ll get a designated amount of hours that you have to work weekly, and when those hours are. Casual contracts on the other hand, may say that you’re required to work ten hours a week, however when exactly those hours might be, might depend on the week itself, or the responsibilities of your role.
ZERO-HOUR – And finally, the last of the common employment contracts, is the zero-hour contract. Zero-hour contact does quite literally what it says it does. It gives zero-hours. This doesn’t mean that there’s no work, it’s just that there is no requirement to set a certain number of hours that need to be done each week. The work is there should you want or need to do it. These contracts are typically for when either the employer or employee cannot commit fully to the role, or sometimes both. Zero-hour contracts aren’t exclusive to one business either, people who are on zero-hour contracts are fully entitled to work for other businesses at the same time.