Types of employment

Knowing your employment type helps you know your rights and responsibilities at work, as well as the legal obligations your employer has towards you. This page links to further information on different types of employment.

Agency work

Agency work

You are not an agency worker if: you are self-employed; you work for a “managed service company”…
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Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships

Who can apply for an Apprenticeship? Apprenticeships are for adults as well as young people. In England…
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Employee

Employee

A worker is probably an employee if:
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Freelancers

Freelancers

As with any self-employed individual, a freelancer typically has control over which projects they…
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Home working

Home working

Types of home working Home workers tend to fall into one of two categories:
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Internships

Internships

Young workers are increasingly expected to work for nothing as interns in order to get a step onto their…
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Economically inactive

Looking for work

Economic inactivity People who are not employed or self-employed are said to be economically…
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Self‐employed

Self‐employed

Going self-employed When to register as self-employed In the UK, sole traders and partnerships must…
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Thinking about self employment

Thinking about self employment? Podcast

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traineeships

Traineeships

Traineeships were introduced in August 2013 for 16- to 23-year-olds and young people with learning…
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Volunteering

Volunteering

Why Volunteer? There are a range of reasons why people carry out voluntary work.  It can provide…
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Working abroad

Working abroad

How to work abroad Find a job Whether your destination choice is because that country is actively…
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Zero hours contract

Zero hours contract

While zero hours contracts have been used in the UK for many years, their use has spread widely in…
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