There are lots of reasons why people choose to do part time work. For some of you, the money might just be an added bonus as you go out to work to meet new people, or to enjoy working in a field you have a genuine interest in. It might be that you are a carer for a relative and your part time job gives you a bit of respite for a few hours each week, or you could be a student who needs to replenish the bank account before the bank manager starts hassling you about your increasingly large overdraft.

Yes, lots of reasons. And there are also many people around the United Kingdom who, for various reasons, decide to have multiple part time jobs. This article is all about holding down more than one part time job.

Do you think you would like more than one part time job? Perhaps you think you could handle more than two part time roles, even. Working part time can be very rewarding but there are a few things you need to think about if you are considering taking on more than one position. Working multiple part time jobs comes with both advantages and disadvantages so let’s take a look at a few points to bear in mind.

Get Yourself Organised

Working more than one part time job requires organisation on your part, especially if you are working varied shifts or are doing three, or even more, different jobs. Multiple part time roles are completely feasible if you get yourself organised. Here are a few survival tips:

Get A Diary

This is especially important if, a we said above, you are working different shift patterns in the same job. You need to be able to remember where you need to be and when before you go taking on any extra hours or accepting a shift that you might not be able to do.

Having a diary, a Google calendar, organisation app on your phone – whatever works best for you and whatever you can keep to hand – will let you know where to be and when so you are not letting managers and workmates down.

Get A Tracker

Again, this could be a paper method, a spread sheet or an app on your phone. When you are working multiple part time jobs, you need to keep track of the hours you have worked, your hourly rate of pay and the wages that are owed to you. After all, there’s no point running around, working all these hours, if you’re not going to be getting the correct financial reward at the end of it, is there?

Get A Timetable

Not just a work diary. There’s more to life than work, even when it’s multiple part time jobs. Make sure you timetable in some ‘me time’ between your shifts. This could be time where you just sit and chill with a book for a while or time for going out with friends or visiting family for the day.

And we all know how easy it is for those household chores to get neglected – even if we’re not working in different roles. Work out which jobs are priority and keep on top of those by putting them into your timetable. This will help you keep in control of your life, not just in work but also your work life balance.

Be Open

When working in one more than one part time job, it can be tempting not to tell your bosses that you have other work commitments. However, honesty is the best policy and your management will have more respect for you if you are completely open with them.

This can work to your advantage because they might be more understanding about your commitments and not pressure you to work extra hours. And the other advantage is that, if they really like your work, they might even offer you a pay rise or more responsibility and training if you agree to commit to their company.

The Pros And Cons Of Multiple Part Time Jobs

When considering the world of work, a lot of people might think, ‘What’s the point of getting a part time job when I can just work full time? A part time job is not going to give me as much money as a full time job.’

The Advantages Of Multiple Part Time Jobs

Well, depending on your current lifestyle, casual and part time work can hold many advantages over getting yourself a full time position. And, managing to hold down two or more part time jobs can not only help you out financially, it can also provide flexibility and variety in your work life.

A Bulging Wallet / Purse

When you are working in more than one part time position, this can give you the money you would potentially earn in a full time job.

If you are working in different positions such as hospitality and catering jobs, not only could you be receiving different wage packets; there is also the added bonus of extra tips, too, that customers leave for you. Depending on the types of roles you are working in, it’s a possibility that holding don more than one part time position could even end up generating more cash flow for you than one full time job.

Part Time Posts Give You Options

The beauty of working on a part time basis is that it gives you the option of being able to work flexible hours. You might be a student studying full time or part time and you need a bit of extra cash that will fit in around your course or you might be a parent or carer who needs to work but it has to fit in around your routine.

If you need more cash than one part time post can provide to support yourself, you might want to consider searching for a second (or even third) post. The roles do not necessarily have to take up all your time. They might be two or more separate part jobs where one is a Saturday job and one is a job for a couple of afternoons per week, for example.

And if you are worried about commuting between different jobs, remember that one of your part time positions could always be a role where you work from from home.

This will take careful planning on your part but many people hold down more than one part time job in this way and fit their work around their other commitments. It’s all about creating flexibility for yourself in a way that suits your personal lifestyle and giving yourself the work life balance you want. Working in one full time job can be a lot more rigid than this..

The Opportunity To Wear Different Heads

Another reason for considering taking on two or more part time positions is that it gives you the chance wear ‘different heads’ and get yourself in a different frame of mind for a while. For example, one of your roles might be a part time data entry job that you find quite relaxing and then your other position could be in a completely different atmosphere such as bar jobs in a busy nightclub where you are on the go all the time in a fast-paced environment.

Students who are pondering which direction they would like to take their graduate career in might consider taking on two part time posts which centre around different areas of their specialities. Part time work can be a great way of homing in on and identifying your strengths and weaknesses and also for deciding whether the career you are hoping for in the future really is the career for you.  

Again, students could consider two different part time jobs so they can wear a ‘different head’ for a few hours each week. Studying and lectures can be combined with a part time post that may be related to your degree in some way. As a complete break from all that focus, a second part time, casual post could be in a restaurant or supermarket. This can be your wind down time whilst earning extra cash.

Redundancy Is Not A Financial Disaster

In the fast moving world we now live in, companies are constantly reshuffling, making redundancies common. However, if you have more than one part time job and you find yourself being made redundant from one of your positions, this is not a disaster. No need to panic because you still have one more role – or others – to go to.

If you have a good relationship with your boss or bosses, you then have the flexibility to either look for another job or work some extra hours at your existing companies. You could turn your redundancy into an advantage.

Multiple Part Time Jobs Can Build A Broader Skill Set

Some people work multiple part time jobs in the hope of one of them becoming a full time job in the future, or in the hope that they build up varied and valuable work experience to help them find work elsewhere in the future.

Having more than one part time job can broaden your skill set in many ways – you might be working in different professional roles or you might be doing different entry level roles on a casual or temporary basis. These types of roles help you build up useful transferable skills that can help you succeed in landing future roles.

Working More Than One Part Time Job Can Be Good For Your CV

When you are applying for jobs of any kind, whether that’s other casual work or professional roles and graduate careers, the fact you have worked in more than one part job demonstrates to future bosses that you are not only hardworking but that you are also effective in organising your time.

If you are hoping one of your part positions eventually becomes a full time career an you receive an offer of full time work from two different bosses, well, this then gives you the enviable option of being able to pick and choose…and, don’t forget, you will also have room fr negotiation, too.  Which company is going to be able to offer you the best package to suit your needs?

So, holding down multiple part time jobs can be a very rewarding experience if you can find two or more posts that complement each other with regards to juggling your daily routine. Remember, you don’t necessarily have to worry about dashing around different parts of town. You can apply for casual work that is close to home and you can even choose to work from home. UK Part time Jobs is just one of the websites advertising part time vacancies all over the nation.

If you are considering the part time route, you can narrow your search to by clicking on the ‘View All Locations’ tab and selecting your local area.

Points You Should Consider With Multiple Part Time Jobs

So, we’ve been through all those great advantages to holding down more than one part time job and now you’re raring to go. However, before you go dashing off to search for, and apply for, positions in your area, here are some sensible points just to bear in mind before you begin your search:

Know your limits

You are not superman or superwoman and your body will soon make you aware of that fact if you take on too much. Don’t burn yourself out!

The important thing to remember with multiple part time jobs is that you juggle them so that you make sure you give yourself time off so you’re not getting too tired. Also, if you need to do shifts for different part time job positions on the same day, make sure those places of work are close to each other so that you are not getting stressed trying to get to your next shift on time. Your bosses need you ready for work, not arriving stressed and flustered because you got stuck in traffic coming from your previous shift.

Be Strong With Your Bosses

Especially for casual work such as catering jobs or bar jobs, for example, your work hours can be flexible and if you are working a shift on a particularly busy day in the restaurant, it’s common for managers to ask if you can stay around for a few extra hours. This is great for you if you need the extra cash…but if you have other part time jobs to go to, think about whether you have the time or the energy.

You need to be firm with your managers. Don’t cave in to do more hours than you can cope with just because you don’t want to let your boss down. Of course, this is fine as a one off, especially if you really like this particular job, but you don’t want to be caving in to extra hours on ongoing basis.

Treat Yourself!

Yes, we said that one of the advantages of working multiple part time jobs is all that extra cash you’re going to have. Well, you are working hard for this money o make sure you treat yourself occasionally then you know what you are doing is all worthwhile.

Treats can come in all shapes and sizes and you can do whatever you like that makes you feel like you are getting the reward for your hard work. It can be as small as treating yourself to your favourite indulgent ice cream at the end of the week, going out with friends occasionally or making a regular payment to pay off some debt. If you’ve had your eye on something for a while and couldn’t afford it previously, put some money aside each week or month and buy it. That way, you can see your hard work paying off.

Obviously, going out and blowing all your wages down the pub each week is not going to help you financially in the long run. Make sure you save a little cash all the time so you can see the bank balance going up – however small the increments.  

Tips For Students

Many students work in more than one part time job and it is possible to work this around your studies. Summer jobs and other seasonal work such as Christmas jobs could be done around a regular part time position, for example.

One good tip is to try and get casual jobs where there are already other students working. This is a good strategy because it means the bosses are happy to take on students and they are understanding about your needs for flexible working hours.

There are some managers who actually prefer to take on students because you can arrange shift swaps amongst yourselves if working hours don’t suit on one particular week. This is great for you if you have more than one part time role to juggle without upsetting any of your bosses.

Switching Heads Might Be Difficult

What is an advantage for some might be a disadvantage for others. Some of you might find it difficult to ‘switch heads’ when you are doing part time work in more than one role. You  could end up with your mind on one job while you’re doing one of your other jobs. To work in multiple part time jobs, you need to be a flexible type of person who can easily switch off from one position and turn their attention to the job in hand.

Choose Your Roles Carefully

Although working in more than one part time job can be rewarding, it can also be physically and mentally tiring. Don’t take on two (or more) part time jobs where there are demands and targets to meet as you don’t need double the amount of stress.

More Than One Part Time Job Makes Demands On Your Time

Depending on the type of jobs you are doing, you might want to look for other full time work at the same time. If you are doing multiple part time occupations, this is going to take up lots of your time and it could result in leaving you less time to find that full time career you ultimately want.

Of course, as we said above, it might benefit you if you are working in a position which you would like to become full time, eventually.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that if you do eventually manage to find that dream full time career, more than one part time job means more than one boss to hand your notice in to. If this is the case for you, check out our advice about handing your notice.  

Will I pay more tax if I have more than one part time job?

A lot of people fear taking on mıre than one part time job because they fear they ill have to pay more tax. Well, the answer to that question is, no, you will not pay more tax.

As we said at the beginning of this article, get yourself organised and be open with your bosses. This means you can make sure you get all the correct paperwork in order – some of it from your workplace – so that Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) can give you the correct tax code.

There is a chance you will be given a BR code for a while which means you will be paying emergency tax but this will be sorted out eventually and the money repaid to you.

Here are some links to help you organise yourself and make sure you are paying the correct taxes:

Check you’re paying the right amount of tax by using Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) income tax checker.

This link is for people who are employed by a company. If you are self-employed, you need to go to the self-employed ready reckoner.

If you are a student and you are doing more than one part time job, click here for more student tax information.

Think You Can Handle More Than One Part Time Job?

So if you have read all of the above and think you’ve got what it takes to do multiple part time jobs, visit the UK Part Time Jobs homepage and start your search, now. You can browse current job vacancies by location or job type and there is also a full advice section about working part time, on the website. Take a look through the posts for useful information which include valuable tips such as creating a great CV, advice about how to land part time jobs and how to shine in interviews. And there’s much more, too…

Good luck with your new jobs!