Should You Work Part-Time or Full-Time at a Charity?

We’re fortunate enough to live in a day and age where part-time, flexible and remote working is becoming more prevalent. With the increasing number of people wanting a greater sense of work-life balance, part-time work is an attractive career option.

In fact, there are often nearly as many part-time roles on CharityJob as full-time roles. This clearly shows that the charity sector is open to more flexible forms of employment. But will part-time or full-time work suit you best? And does part-time work impact the way that recruiters view your role?

It’s about impact not hours

Contrary to what many people think, working fewer hours doesn’t always mean you’ll have less of an impact or less responsibility. There are plenty of part-time job opportunities and job shares for managerial roles. What matters is the impact you’ve had at the organisations you’ve worked for in the past.

If you’re a part-time Fundraising Officer and you’ve introduced a new campaign that’s managed to increase donations by 10-15% compared to last year, will your next employer really care whether you worked part-time or full-time? Probably not.

In fact, if you can prove that you’ve been a driving force behind positive change within your organisation while working part-time, you’re just solidifying your worth. It shows that you’re able to juggle the demands of a role with a lot of responsibility and still produce fruitful results in spite of your reduced hours.

So don’t apologise for any part-time position you’ve held. Use it to your advantage and present yourself as the person who can go above and beyond in less time than the average. This puts you in an excellent position to negotiate your hours. If you’re willing to negotiate your salary, why not your contract type too? Providing you can prove that you’ve had a significant impact in your past part-time roles, your argument for requesting reduced hours should carry weight.

Part-time powers productivity

Part-timers are very aware that their time is short, which leads to them managing their time much better. Research carried out by the University of Melbourne found that working part-time (between 25-30 hours a week) improved the cognitive function of people aged 40 and over. This suggests that increasing work-life balance can improve your capacity to take on more complex or detailed projects.

Working part-time gives you the freedom to focus on getting work done, not waiting for the clock to run to 5pm. With the additional headspace outside of working hours, your mental health, sleeping pattern and motivation are likely to be better. (This should also make you a pleasure to work with!).

Part-time doesn’t mean fewer rights

Working part-time affects your hours, not your rights. There are rules and regulations in place that protect part-timers from being treated less favourably than full-time employees.

If you’re ever worried about your entitlements, take a look at the UK Governments workers’ rights page. You’ll find everything from your pay rights (including maternity/paternity leave) to your holiday entitlement (they even have a neat holiday calculator for part-timers) and career opportunities.

The important thing to remember is that the law protects you. Working part-time doesn’t mean that you have less say than a full-time employee. You shouldn’t be treated differently in any way.

It helps you dip your toe in the water

There are plenty of people who are trying to shift into the charity sector but don’t know where to start. Working part-time is ideal for those who want to test new roles to understand whether it’s the right career path for them. As mentioned, taking on a part-time job won’t reduce your level of responsibility. But it will give you more time to adjust to the many changes. Switching jobs is one thing, but moving sectors will be a complete culture change.

This will give you an opportunity to get used to the many differences in approach to work and team dynamics. You’ll have a better idea of how the charity sector works and your new role within your organisation. Then, you’ll be in a better position to decide whether you want to go for a part-time or full-time role.

You might find that the role is right for you, but there’s another cause that you’re more passionate about and choose to work for a different charity. Whatever the outcome is, starting with a part-time commitment will allow you to transition into the sector gradually.

Whether you’re eager to develop a meaningful career, trying to take your first step into the charity sector or generally concerned about your rights, there’s nothing about working part-time that will hold you back.

Remember, when deciding whether part-time or full-time work is right for you, the quality of your work is a reflection of your ability, not the hours you work.

Take a look at the amazing part-time roles available on CharityJob today.

This post was originally published by the author in 2019 but has been fully updated by CharityJob to ensure relevance and to reflect the current job seeker experience.