Temporary work...(or 'The Slowtrack to Career Satisfaction')
Created | Updated Jul 16, 2012
Some times referred to as 'non-permanent employees', sometimes referred to as 'temps', but more often just called 'that girl who started last week', anyone who partakes in temporary work should be prepared for the rough end of the stick when it comes to job satisfaction.
There is one reason and one reason only why workplaces require temporary staff; TO DO THE WORK NO ONE ELSE WILL DO. It is no coincidence that the person whose position you are filling whilst they are on holiday has been assigned the yearly 'Basement Cleaning' job this week, or that it just so happens that the boss turns to you on your second day (after you've signed the four-week binding contract, natch) and with a smirk the size of the Bismark tells you that "We've got this pile of photocopying that's been waiting for someone to do it for *months*" and would you mind doing it please?
It is only through several years of temporary work that I am able to bring you this essential information, so pay attention because it may one day save your life.
Firstly, the best way to become a temp is to sign up with a recruitment agency. Some of the more helpful recruitment agencies to be found in England are:
ORS/Primetime Recruitment
Forrest Recruitment
When signing up you will usually be expected to undertake some basic numeracy, spelling and data entry tests in order to judge your abilities and suitability for office work. After signing on, you will usually receive work within 2-3 weeks. This work can range from a day to an indefinite contract, depending on type of job, amount of work required, and ability of temporary worker to blend in with environment and successfully complete tasks assigned to them.
Secondly, a basic definition which will save your life...
The mail-run:- Anyone who has worked in an office will tell you that this is the lowest position you can work in and still class your place of work as 'an office'. The mail run (a misnomer...no one actually expects you to run...) involves delivering all the mail received by the company to each and every department in the building.
By hand.
And a small trolley that invariably loses one of it's wheels the second you leave the mail room.
The one advantage to the mail-run is that you'll soon get to know your way around the building.
It's always easy to spot a job which will involve you doing the mail-run, just keep your eyes peeled for the following words in a job description: 'involves admin work', 'Includes human resources management', '1st level assistant clerk' or sometimes just shamelessly 'will be expected to work in Mail room'.
And once they see they've found someone to do 'The Mail Run', you can expect your days as a temp to be well and truly over. You're there for life....
However the one saving grace of temping (especially office temping) is that it is usually better paid than a part-time job.
For example, the minimum wage for 18+ part time workers is 3.60 per hour. However those working in an office can expect to receive upwards of 4 pounds per hour. And given that temporary work usually involves working 9-5 five days a week, it can be argued that the benefits of temping far outweigh the negative aspects.
If this information hasn't put you off temping then you may well be cut out for a career as a 'permanent temp' - the natural choice for people who fear commitment but need the security of a full time job. As a permanent temp, you can boast to your friends that you actually have a career, safe in the knowledge that whenever the pressures of a high-pace life in the workplace become too much, you can instantly drop out of the rat-race without in any way damaging your vocational credability...
There is one reason and one reason only why workplaces require temporary staff; TO DO THE WORK NO ONE ELSE WILL DO. It is no coincidence that the person whose position you are filling whilst they are on holiday has been assigned the yearly 'Basement Cleaning' job this week, or that it just so happens that the boss turns to you on your second day (after you've signed the four-week binding contract, natch) and with a smirk the size of the Bismark tells you that "We've got this pile of photocopying that's been waiting for someone to do it for *months*" and would you mind doing it please?
It is only through several years of temporary work that I am able to bring you this essential information, so pay attention because it may one day save your life.
Firstly, the best way to become a temp is to sign up with a recruitment agency. Some of the more helpful recruitment agencies to be found in England are:
ORS/Primetime Recruitment
Forrest Recruitment
When signing up you will usually be expected to undertake some basic numeracy, spelling and data entry tests in order to judge your abilities and suitability for office work. After signing on, you will usually receive work within 2-3 weeks. This work can range from a day to an indefinite contract, depending on type of job, amount of work required, and ability of temporary worker to blend in with environment and successfully complete tasks assigned to them.
Secondly, a basic definition which will save your life...
The mail-run:- Anyone who has worked in an office will tell you that this is the lowest position you can work in and still class your place of work as 'an office'. The mail run (a misnomer...no one actually expects you to run...) involves delivering all the mail received by the company to each and every department in the building.
By hand.
And a small trolley that invariably loses one of it's wheels the second you leave the mail room.
The one advantage to the mail-run is that you'll soon get to know your way around the building.
It's always easy to spot a job which will involve you doing the mail-run, just keep your eyes peeled for the following words in a job description: 'involves admin work', 'Includes human resources management', '1st level assistant clerk' or sometimes just shamelessly 'will be expected to work in Mail room'.
And once they see they've found someone to do 'The Mail Run', you can expect your days as a temp to be well and truly over. You're there for life....
However the one saving grace of temping (especially office temping) is that it is usually better paid than a part-time job.
For example, the minimum wage for 18+ part time workers is 3.60 per hour. However those working in an office can expect to receive upwards of 4 pounds per hour. And given that temporary work usually involves working 9-5 five days a week, it can be argued that the benefits of temping far outweigh the negative aspects.
If this information hasn't put you off temping then you may well be cut out for a career as a 'permanent temp' - the natural choice for people who fear commitment but need the security of a full time job. As a permanent temp, you can boast to your friends that you actually have a career, safe in the knowledge that whenever the pressures of a high-pace life in the workplace become too much, you can instantly drop out of the rat-race without in any way damaging your vocational credability...
