A contract is a legal document which two parties - the employer and employee - agree to the terms and conditions of employment. It will include things such as the hours the employee needs to work, how much they will get paid, and any rules they must follow when at work. Contracts are important as they let each party know what is expected of them. If the contract is broken by the employee, the employee can be fired, whereas if the contract is broken by the emplyer, the employer can be taken to court. There are several different types of contract, of which there are advantages and disadvantages.
A part-time contract is a contract where the hours agreed to can be anywhere from 16 hours to 18 hours a week. The advantages of this type of contract are that you can have free time during the week when you do not have to work, and you don't often have to work for very long a day. This type of contract can be ideal for students so that they still have time to go to college/university. The disadvantages of this are that you may not get paid much, and the hours might not be flexible, which might not be suitable for some people who can't work every day.
A full-time contract means that you will be working 35 to 39 hours a week. The advantage of this are that you can get a regular pay, with a stable job that you know will last for a while. This type of contract means that you can get benefits such as paid holidays and sickleave and maternity time off. The disadvantages of this are that if you wish to leave the job, you can't just leave, but you have to give notice, meaning that you still have to work for at least a week or two before you can leave.
A fixed term contract is a contract that can be either full-time or part-time but will last for a set period of time. For example, you may have a set contract for 3 months or a year. This can be seen as an advantage because you know that you will definitely have work for that time, however, once that time is up you need to look for a new job. This might not be such a disadvantage though, because if the employer thinks you are a good worker, they might offer you a part-time or full-time job once the contract has finished.
A temporary contract can be similar to a fixed term contract in that it is only for a set period of time. However, a temporary contract can mean a seasonal job rather than just a few months. For example, companies often hire people over Christmas with a temporary contract. This can be an advantage as it is often just a way for people to geet some extra money, however, a disadvantage is that, as with a fixed term contract, once the contract is over you need to look for another job.
A casual contract is a contract where you have 0 hours agreed, and your employer calls you in when you are needed. An advantage of this type of contract is that when you are offered work, you don't always have to accept it, however, if you turn down work a certain number of times, you may lose the contract, and therefore the work. A disadvantage of this type of contract is that the work you get is often infrequent, and therefore your pay is infrequent and not stable.
An on-completion contract is where you are only employed whilst you are doing a certain job, and once that job has been completed, you are no longer employed by that person. An advantage of this kind of contract is that you know when your deadline is and know when you will need to look for more work. However, a disadvantage of this is that you do have to look for more work once you have completed a job, and also that if you miss the deadline, even by a day or even by just a few hours, your employer may deduct a percentage of your pay.
Freelance work is not contracted, as it means that you work for yourself. An advantage of this is that your hours are flexible and you can arrange your work around your life. However, a disadvantage of this is that if you do n have many contacts, or if you miss a deadline for one job, it may be difficu for you to find work.
