The Part Time Pipe Dream: Practical Tips for Cutting Your Hours

Do you dream of reducing your hours at work? Are you always on the lookout for that well paying job with flexible hours?

For many people the idea of going part time feels like little more than a pipe dream – maybe something to consider as they get closer to retirement. What many fail to realise is that, in our current job landscape, part time jobs are actually far more accessible than ever before.

Can You Live Off a Part Time Job?

Let’s start by cutting straight to the most important question you’re probably wondering about – is it possible and practical to live off a part time job.

The short answer is yes. There are plenty of people who work part time and manage to earn a reasonable income for themselves. That said, there’s a few caveats that go into that and a lot to consider.

First of all, you have to consider your support network. Many of the people who work part time jobs have partners and families, meaning that they can share much of the cost of living, averaging their needs out over two reduced incomes. As a rule, part time workers also tend to be more experienced – people who can earn more per hours because those hours are seen as valuable.

If neither of those factors apply to you, then living on a part time job is going to be a lot harder. Harder, but not impossible.

The key, of course, is to find a job with flexible hours that pays well while also minimising your expenses. That can mean sacrificing a few things in return for those precious extra hours.

Earning More For Your Hours

One thing that doesn’t get stressed enough is just how much of a wild west the job market can be. Your skills and your experience are, of course, crucial in finding you a great job but sometimes it’s all about finding the right company, the right person, and the right way to present yourself. There’s a skill in that but there’s also an awful lot of luck.

All of that to say that if you’re struggling to find a part time job that pays well, don’t give up hope. There are several approaches you can try that will get you closer to your goal but remember that persistence is key.

First and foremost, if you want to make more with the hours you work, then you’ll want to look into upskilling. By becoming a more specialised, and more valuable employee, you’ll have a better ground to negotiate from. Most importantly, as you learn new skills remember that it really helps to have evidence so consider working on projects as part of a portfolio.

Tying in with personal work and skill development, you also have the option of going self employed. In some ways self employment is a high risk, high reward strategy because you won’t earn much for a while and you’re gambling on your own ability to sell what you do.

That said, as the internet and online working have opened up countless new avenues to connect people, so to has the market opened up for more personalised services. In many respects, now is the best time to become a freelancer, especially if you can find a valuable niche.

The other major strategy – and one that many people underestimate the value of – is simply asking your company to go part time. If you’ve been with a company for a while, you often build up knowledge and experience that it would be hard to lose. You have training and, the longer you stay, the more likely you are to have trained others.

This is why companies are often a lot more willing than you might think to move people over to part time contracts. Most companies know they won’t keep you indefinitely – particularly if you’ve expressed an interest in moving on. While they may not advertise the option, a part time contract is a compromise many will be willing to make if it means they can keep you around a little longer, even if that’s just to train up your replacement.

Part Time For Students

Before we wrap up, we wanted to take a moment to note the other end of the spectrum. Much of the advice we’ve mentioned assumes a certain level of skill or experience – but what if you don’t have those yet?

There are many advantages of having a part time job while studying and, while circumstances vary, it’s also generally easier for students to survive on part time jobs. In the UK, a student loan can cover much of the basic cost of living – including rent and food – meaning that a part time job can be a valuable chance to build up some savings.

Furthermore, because of this relieved financial pressure, the money you earn per hour doesn’t need to be as great, providing a lower bar to entry for part time jobs.

Making Part Time Practical

All in all, whether you’re looking to reduce your contracted hours or go entirely freelance, the most important thing to do is set practical goals. That part time job can be more than a pipe dream but if you want to make it happen, then it all starts with making a plan.