English Vocabulary About Employment

TEMPORARY: this refers to a limited period of time, approximately several weeks or months perhaps covering for someone who is sick.

PROJECT BASED: Employed for a period of time until a project is completed and then you wait to see what is offered or move on to the next project.

FIXED TERM: a period of work fixed by months or years. A two-year term that is then re -negotiated. They may well offer you an extension to the contract before the fixed period runs out.

ZERO HOUR CONTRACT: employed but no guarantee how many hours you will work each week. This is typical of some jobs in McDonalds and other fast-food chains. You might get 10 hours one week and 15 the next but this is at the discretion (choice) of the management.

FREELANCE: You do some work for someone and agree a fee or payment for the work done but you work at your own pace and place and are not controlled by the company or individual you are working for. A freelance journalist may write articles and stories for various newspapers and networks and if they like the work they will pay for it but there is no commitment.

OUTSOURCED: A piece of work is needed. There are not the resources within a company to carry out that work. It is given to somebody or person outside the company. This is referred to as outsourced.

FLEXITIME: flexible working hours, when you can alter your workday start and finish times

SHIFTWORK: a system in which a working day is divided in set periods of time and different groups of workers perform their duties at different times of the day and night, for example, nurses, firefighters, etc.

A DEAD END JOB: a job in which there is no chance of getting a promotion and build a successful career.

BE SELF-EMPLOYED: not working for an employer but finding work for yourself or having your own business

WORK EXPERIENCE: a short period of time in which you a student temporarily works for an employer to gain experience, usually older pupils in school

OVERTIME: extra time that your work after your usual working hours. Some companies still pay overtime but it is becoming a rarity for employees in the UK

WORKING CONDITIONS: things that will affect the quality of your work (working hours, quality of your working space, sick pay, etc)

EMPLOYEE ROSTER: a schedule with a list of employees, and associated working times and/or responsibilities for a given time period, for example, week, month or season

SKELETON STAFF: a minimum number of employees required to work in a company on days when most staff do not work, for example, Sundays or public holidays