4 Important things you didn’t know about temping

1. Temping doesn’t always mean temporary 

You could be temping for a company for one day or you could be temping there for over a year, there is no set time period as to how long temp work will be. In the majority of cases temp roles will be as a result of a business need and  if that business need does not decrease you could find yourself in the role for a longer period of time than originally anticipated. For example, a company may use a temp to provide cover for a period of absence, if this absence is extended so could your role. Or you may be taken on to help with a busy project, if the deadline gets extended, so may your role. Temporary assignments can also be designed to support peaks in work load, so, it could be a seasonal contract which lasts 3 months, which would be perfect if you are a student who needs work when they are back from university. You can also find longer term assignments which are perfect for you if you are a jobseeker who is keen to jump straight back in to work.

2. It's your choice  

Your temp assignment is just as much in your hands as it is the agency putting you forward for it. Your needs will be considered before finding a role which is suited to you and this could be anything from the assignment length, the type of role, the times you will be expected to work or the rate of pay. These things will all be considered in line with your individual needs and confirmed before the assignment starts. Therefore, it should be right for you and if it's not, let your recruitment consultant know and they will have a better chance of finding your perfect role next time.

3. You will be treated equally 

As an agency worker you do have rights, if you are with an agency who is a part of The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (The REC), there are certain guidelines and practices the agency much comply with. These practices are in place to protect you as an employee, ensuring you are paid fairly and treated equally in comparison to permanent employees. The Agency Workers Regulations mean that if you start the assignment on less pay than the rest of the team, when you reach 12 weeks of the assignment you will be offered parity in terms of pay and pay related benefits in comparison to other people doing the same job as you. We now find a lot of companies offer this from day one. 

4. Temping can benefit you 

You may temp for a number of different reasons. One of those may be a career change -  if you have great amounts of experience but you want a career change, you could consider temping as a way to gain key skills and experience which could benefit you in getting a permanent role. 

Equally, temping can work really well if you are just unsure of what direction you want your career to take.  You can use shorter term assignments as a way to figure out what you do and don’t like and therefore which type of roles you would and wouldn’t enjoy permanently.  Ultimately it gives you the opportunity to try different jobs without committing longer term, whilst earning money, which can make the overall process of finding a new career that much easier.

If you are struggling to get a role that you want to do, you may be lacking a certain experience or skill set. By using an agency to temp you may be put forward for roles you didn't know existed or didn't think you were qualified for. For example, you could be really wanting to kickstart your career in HR, but have no experience within that sector and now idea how to get it. By temping in an entry level recruitment administration role, you could gain that experience you need to put yourself forward into the career you may have had trouble getting in to.