To think employers are put off by part time applicants

[Havanawinter]

I’m job searching right now and due to childcare costs I can only really justify working 3 days a week until my youngest is in school in 2025. I would go to 4 days a week for the right money. But I’m finding so much push back from prospective employers over wanting part time hours, even if the job ad specifically says they welcome part time/job share applications.

I am a senior manager currently but bored and unfulfilled so looking for a sideways or upwards step elsewhere. I’m open to public and private sector but can’t seem to get a foot in the door; I’ve had feedback from several hiring managers that they only really want full time. Am I just being unlucky or is that the way it is and I have to suck it up until I can go full time in 2.5 years?

They might be open to part time applications but obviously if someone is equally experienced as you but willing to work full time then of course they will be chosen over you.

Isn't the idea of job shares that you find a candidate to apply with? When I'm recruiting a full time job that says open to job shares I've had people do this - send one application with a CV from two people.
If one person applied saying they wanted to do my full time vacancy part time then that would leave me with half a job to cover or having to find another part time candidate.

Sadly I can’t accept something FT right now. I can’t afford the childcare and I have no family close by to help. I guess I just have to keep chugging and hope the right thing comes along.

I wouldn't think so. Surely a part-time applicant would only apply for part-time positions. That's the case in my line of work.

I got my role from a ‘welcomes part-time positions’ ad. It all depends on the industry or employer. I work for a med comms agency and someone working part-time but every day is actually quite helpful for their budgets - and it’s more about finding the right people than ‘I must have a full timer’

I'm recruiting at the moment. The job is full time but we would consider part time. It's also home based. That we'd consider part time and that the role is wfh is in the text of the advert, so if you just did a search on part time on the job site I doubt it would come up. Think sometimes it's worth casting your search filters wide and just reading the advert just in case as there's often extra details there.

There's a good Facebook group called Flexible Working People where part time roles get posted. There's also an agency that specialises in family friendly jobs called Ten to Two.

No... if they say they welcome part time applicants then they should be welcoming part time applicants.

OP is applying for part time jobs if applying for jobs which state this.

Advertising like this and then saying 'oh no, we want full time only' is simply misleading, and doesn't benefit anyone!

I applied for a full-time job, discussed in interview that ideally I only wanted 4 days and it wasn't an issue at all. I am going up to full-time shortly, but that's my choice (ie I need the frigging money, cheese Tories). But there are employers out there that will consider all working patterns. More so I think since the pandemic.

There ARE indeed part-time jobs out there - BUT very few progressive, quality, skilled, senior level PT roles out there. I am in the exact same boat. I Have searched for 12 years to find a decent mid-level part-time role but to no avail. I'm was a Learning & Development professional, studied for qualifications and gained promotion to a Senior Training Officer. Post maternity however my flexible working request was trialled then abruptly ended before the trial date end with ridiculous reasons provided that I could prove otherwise. I took it to ACAS but due to Postnatal depression I was not mentally able/strong enough to pursue it.

So 14 LONG years of having to take low-skilled and incredibly low paid jobs ensued, eroding my confidence and taking away our quality of life.

YES I CHOSE to work part-time but I shouldn't have had to sacrifice so much of what I'd worked so hard to achieve - the ironic thing was that I'd worked so hard to ensure a better life for us when we eventually had a family!

I managed to stepping stone my way back into a well-paid seconded job, but with the ending in December, 'I'm back to Square 1'; getting severely anxious and depressed looking on jobsites - part-time mostly equates to low pay, low skill, jobs. Jobs that we are way overqualified for and wouldn't even get an interview for anyway! Unless we totally dumb down our CV's!

So, why not apply for full time roles and try to play the part-time card?! There might just be that opportunity.

Personally, the only way I now see onwards and upwards is on my own - I NEED to make my own opportunity as there really is virtually nothing decent out there part-time! Even after 14 years though I STILL keeping looking for PT opportunities. I still haven't learned that it's virtually impossible.

Businesses are just not as forward thinking as they should be yet!

Im a hiring manager, my last successful applicant asked for 4/5 and i agreed.

I asked for 4/5 myself in current role and got it. I asked at the point where the offer had been made.

3/5 is hard though. Its not enough if they wanted a full time, and they'll never get internal approval to recruit for the other 2/5 so just are left short staffed.

Full time means full time, not full time but I want to do what I want to do

I also think trying to do 3/5 and spread it to only work school hours is not popular. Its too difficult to schedule meetings. You are more likely to have success offering at least two full hours days.

I can’t afford the childcare and I have no family close by to help. I guess I just have to keep chugging and hope the right thing comes along.

Not sure I understand the maths there. Unless you are earning less per hour than your hourly childcare cost, you should always bring home more working more? If on a very low income you are often entitled to UC childcare support.

Unless its that you're (for example) around the 40% threshhold and the post tax take home gets much worse.

I'm fascinated by all these businesses who claim their workload is perfectly divisible by 40 (or 37.5 or whatever they define "full time" to be) and therefore cannot possibly employ people on any other pattern.

I feel your pain. I work in HR and I’ve been trying to find an interesting and decently paid role which is ideally 4 days per week as I have a child with additional needs. I’ve been looking for over a year with no success

There are a few PT roles being advertised but they are either HR admin roles and it’s been 15 years since I’ve done HR admin and it would be a massive pay cut. Or there are another couple of PT HR roles but they are paying about 50% of the going rate for that role, which then equates to a very small salary when pro-rated.

Ive seen some roles advertised locally for over 6 months and still not filled but they are still insisting they must have someone full time on site for 5 days per week when and they are based in the back end of no where.

I think as soon as you reach senior roles, they expect full time, unless you and a colleague job-share and work it out between you.

I haven't see any part time roles for anything above team leader because if your management skills are needed, they are needed (at least on call) all the time your team is working.

Look at the charity sector. I keep seeing jobs that look interesting and good enough pay, but when I look in more detail it’s one or two days a week. With a workload/ level of responsibility that should be 4 days at least.

It depends on the role though. If you’re working as part of a team but Andy can’t answer my question today because he doesn’t work Tuesdays, and I can’t discuss it with him tomorrow because I don’t work Wednesdays, and we can’t hold a meeting on the topic on Thursday because Beryl doesn’t work Thursdays or Fridays and really we need her input, and the ultimate decision maker only works 10am to 2:45 on Mondays and has a full diary so we can’t get it signed off until Tuesday next week, but then Andy needs to implement it and he’s off on Tuesdays… etc

Hm yes and no. Read the advert carefully. If it does say part time/job share welcome (not just on the general recruitment page) then by all means take this approach. Otherwise, have an informal chat with the recruiter before you put in an application and be open about what you’re looking for.

I recently offered a job to a woman who made no mention of her preference to work 4 days during our long informal chat, or during interview. I can’t accommodate 4 days because the job requires 5 and it wouldn’t be possible to find someone else to pick up the additional day. So the upshot of the ‘negotiation’ was that I withdrew the offer. She wasted a lot of time applying, preparing for interview, presentation etc and this could have been avoided by being upfront in the first place. The job advert says ‘full time.’

I recently interviewed for a position advertised as P/T - was told when I got there that it was 8.45-3.30 Monday to Friday. Not my idea of P/T and if the advert had said that I wouldn't have wasted everyone's time...
Current job turned down my flexible working request point blank, will re-apply when I can (6 months?) but my job could easily be done P/T and it's so frustrating!!

Sorry my post was in response to user<long number chain> above, where’s the quote function gone?? I do actually support part time working, I also respect that it isn’t always possible

@TheLightProgramme I'm in a similar situation because of the cap on tax free childcare being 2k a year per child
3 days a week my childcare after the tax free amount is £1700! But my 3 day a week wage is £1550 after student loan and pension

My 2 day a week childcare is £1050 but my 2 day wage is £1100.. yes I'm working for nothing but I'm staying in work vs a loss at 3 days.

OP might find similar with the limits on the help with childcare costs

I’m not sure why this thread has been resurrected but I’m delighted to say I did manage to secure a role working 3 days a week. I am an SEO in the civil service with great flexibility and home working. I started in July and all is going well so far. I feel like one of the lucky ones though, I spent hours upon hours every evening for weeks seeking out and applying for jobs that were senior-ish and part time and I was fortunate enough to be offered one.

I think it is far easier to get flexible working if you are already in a position but then your stuck as they won't promote and other places won't take you on in the first place.

Oh I didn’t notice this was an old thread. It’s great to hear that you found what you were looking for @Havanawinter