Part Time Design Jobs

[tr2005]

I've been freelancing full-time since 2010, before that I was working 2 days per week in an agency (which wasn't very good at all).

Lately however, I'm thinking of looking for a part time design job again, say 2 days per week... except this time around I'd make sure it was at a half decent agency. Then I'd freelance the rest of the time of course.

It would be great to have at least some guaranteed regular income each month, as well as mixing up my working environments.

I'm wondering however, do many part time design jobs even exist? It's a bit of a long story how I got the first one but it seems unlikely I'd find a part time position through those circumstances again.

I've never 'properly' looked for a design job but I hear they can be really hard to find. I'm not sure whether part time roles would be harder or easier to find though? My guess is harder as it seems like nearly everybody advertises for full time roles...

 

[bigdave]

Hey,

1) You'll probably struggle to get a part time job AND work as a freelancer as most agencies wont allow you to freelance if you're on their staff (its usually written into your contract under conflict of interest).

2) You may find it difficult to get a job in an agency that reflects your experience because most employment agents don't consider freelancing as relevant experience.

3) Part time design jobs are few and far between because agencies find it cheaper/easier/more beneficial to bring in a freelancer as and when they need someone rather than committing to a fixed contract and all the extras that go with it such as national insurance, holiday pay etc...


The above leaves you with a few options..

1) Stay self employed and approach some agencies with the view to getting their overflow work/working with them when they need extra hands.

2) Give up on self employment and get a full time agency job (you'll probably have to go in as a junior designer with a salary to reflect this).

3) Keep looking for a part time job but be prepared to ditch your freelance clients if your new employer requests you do so.


Good luck

 

[tr2005]

Hey,

1) You'll probably struggle to get a part time job AND work as a freelancer as most agencies wont allow you to freelance if you're on their staff (its usually written into your contract under conflict of interest).

2) You may find it difficult to get a job in an agency that reflects your experience because most employment agents don't consider freelancing as relevant experience.

3) Part time design jobs are few and far between because agencies find it cheaper/easier/more beneficial to bring in a freelancer as and when they need someone rather than committing to a fixed contract and all the extras that go with it such as national insurance, holiday pay etc...


The above leaves you with a few options..

1) Stay self employed and approach some agencies with the view to getting their overflow work/working with them when they need extra hands.

2) Give up on self employment and get a full time agency job (you'll probably have to go in as a junior designer with a salary to reflect this).

3) Keep looking for a part time job but be prepared to ditch your freelance clients if your new employer requests you do so.


Good luck

Thanks! I had a feeling it may be something like that.

A lot of my freelance work already comes from agencies, I may try and push the 'contracting' side of things and offer to work from their premises every now and then instead of my own.

 

[hankscorpio]

I don't think that freelancing while working part-time isn't allowed at all. Conflict of interest generally means that you don't freelance with clients they are working with currently.

It wouldn't be a conflict of interest say if it was a company dealing specifically in packaging, and you then took on a job designing a website for a completely different type of client.