What are your reasons for wanting to work part time? For some people, it’s a necessity. They need to work part time because of other commitments.
You might need to work part time because you are a parent who needs to be around for small children or for when the kids get home from school. You might be a carer for a family member so you can only work part time hours. And if you can work remotely, then that’s even better because you can still get tasks completed and be around for children and family members, too.
For some of you, you might want to work part time. Perhaps you are studying for a qualification and you need to pay fees or you want some extra funds whilst you complete your studies.
You might want to have multiple part time jobs because you enjoy the variety of different roles and so you also are not relying on one income stream – if you lose one job for whatever reason, you still have an income from those other positions. Multiple part time jobs can cause a bit of a headache when you need to commute between roles and get to work on time so having the opportunity to work remotely is ideal in this situation.
For others of you, you might be trying to set up your own business from one of your hobbies but you need to work part time to keep the bank balance replenished whilst you develop this business. Or, you might want to travel around a little and have an income whilst you do so.
So yes, lots of reasons for people wanting to work part time and be able to work from home. And when you do get a part time job, there will be those of you out there who really want to make that part time job pay financially, as well as being rewarding. You might want to continue with your career path but only on a part time basis, for example.
One area where there is a skills shortage in the UK and where there is often lots of opportunity to work remotely is in the tech fields. A previous article on UK Part Time Jobs has highlighted areas where there are skills shortages and, if you have a background in IT or other digital fields, you could be leveraging this and creating a situation for yourself where you could have a well paid part time role that also allows you to work remotely, at least for some of the time.
Let’s take a look at some of the IT and digital careers out there that could lend themselves to part time hours and also working remotely.
Part Time Front End Web Developer / Back End Web Developer Jobs
Front end web developers can also be web designers or user interface developers. Part time front end web developer careers will see you using languages such as HTML so that users of a website or application can interact with it. You are responsible for the visual elements that users see when they open the site or app and, often, you will be responsible for maintaining this so that users can use the site smoothly. Visual elements include features such as fonts and navigation tools such as drop down menus and effective placing of photos and videos.
As a back end developer, you will work closely with the front end developers to make sure the website or the app is working smoothly for the end user. Remote working will be possible but there will be times when you may have to collaborate with other team members in person. Back end developers, like software developers, will need to have excellent programming skills. As well as working on the development of new applications, you will also be responsible for maintaining, updating and improving existing ones.
Part Time Customer Support Jobs
Remote part time IT jobs are not just necessarily available to those people experts in a particular area of IT such as software development. If you have a knowledge of how a company’s IT systems work, then you can work in areas such as customer support or customer services.
Part time customer support staff who work remotely can be responsible for taking online questions, complaints or feedback about a product or a service. You could also be responsible for trying to attract new customers by answering questions about the product or service and upselling by suggesting alternative products and services you think that customer would find particularly useful.
Any new customers you do attract, you will be responsible for setting up account information using the company’s software systems and also maintaining those accounts.
Part time remote customer service jobs could be in across many sectors so if you have worked in a particular industry before, or you have a genuine interest in a particular industry – travel or retail, for example – you could stand a better chance of landing roles in these areas.
Part Time IT Project Management Jobs
Part time IT project management jobs can give you the opportunity to work remotely on occasion but you will also be required to meet with clients and also other members of your team, too, in order to get the best out of them in getting a project completed on time. As the project manager, you will be the go to person for anyone who has questions or problems.
IT project managers need to be organised and be able to multitask. As well as getting projects completed on time, they also must be within budget, too. You will be responsible for setting the timescale and negotiating the budget for any IT projects.
As well as your IT skills, part time IT project manager jobs mean you will need excellent business skills, people management skills and communication skills.
Part Time Marketing Copywriter Jobs
In a previous article about ideal part time jobs for wordsmiths, part time copywriting jobs was one of the suggestions. Marketing copywriters need to have a way with words – an ability to choose effective, persuasive language in a way that is also engaging for the reader. Depending on the product or service being sold, this writing needs to be amusing, entertaining or serious and to the point.
Copywriter jobs can be done remotely as well as in a place of work. You will often have to work to deadlines so you will need to be able to thrive when working under pressure and come up with content ideas.
Part time marketing copywriter jobs can be rewarding as you will see or hear your work in newspapers, magazines, websites, TV or radio.
Part Time Remote Social Media Manager Jobs
Many of you out there will be using social media on a daily basis so you will likely have some experience in how Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets work. As well as being able to create content that keeps a company’s target customers interested and engaged, you will also need to know how to access stats and extract information from them so that you can do targeted campaigns.
Part time social media jobs are a mixture of using your analytical skills so that you can make the most of ‘insights’ offered by the various social media outlets and also making a company seem professional yet friendly and approachable to potential and existing customers.
Part Time Content Writer Jobs
Content writer jobs lend themselves well to those of you who need to work remotely for the majority of the time. Again, as with copywriting jobs, you will clearly need to be a wordsmith and have the ability to direct your writing towards particular audiences. Some part time content writer jobs will require a little knowledge of SEO so that your writing can be found online.
Content writers often carry out their own online research and, where necessary, you may have to interview people for your current project. You will sometimes need to produce drafts of your work and be able to write to a specific number of words.
Depending on the size of company you are working for, some content writers are responsible for the online publishing of their work onto the company’s websites, email newsletters or blogs.
Digital Marketing
If marketing is your thing but you want to work remotely, then part time digital marketing roles could be perfect for you. As well as a knowledge of marketing and how to create targeted content, digital marketing will require other skills of you. Remote, part time digital marketing jobs will need you to have a knowledge of social media, how to run email campaigns, extract information from web analytics and you will also need a knowledge of SEO (search engine optimisation).
Part Time Software Developer Jobs
Another type of IT role that lends itself to remote working is software development. Software developers need a knowledge of computer programming so this is a specialised role. Software developers are responsible for the creation of IT systems that help a business to run more effectively and efficiently. Some part time software developer jobs will require you to go into the business you have developed a programme for and demonstrate its capabilities and how it should be put into use.
Depending on the company you are working for, you could be working remotely for some of the time but also be part of a team, working on a large project. Other part time software developer jobs could see you designing bespoke systems that suit one company in particular.
Part Time IT Security Jobs
IT security is a highly specialised role where you could be working as a consultant, identifying risks and providing security solutions for companies who are looking to avoid cyber security issues.
Data breaches occur regularly across the web and this means a lot of highly sensitive information is at risk. Companies looking to avoid this will work with experts like you to try and avoid any breaches of their security and maintain the trust of customers.
Obviously, when working in cyber security, you will need to keep yourself right up to date with latest IT developments and where security breaches seem likely to occur.
Could You Do Part Time Remote IT Jobs?
As you can see in the suggestions above, working part time and remotely in tech jobs does not necessarily mean you need specialist qualifications in IT related areas. For some, you might need previous experience or a degree, but for others, a passion for writing and or some administrative skills could land you a part time role.
For many remote part time jobs, there are going to be times where you will need to be in the workplace or working with clients elsewhere. For the most part, however, part time IT jobs lend themselves perfectly to remote working – whether that is work from home or from somewhere else such as a holiday home or other temporary travel accommodation.
If you are looking to make the most of your IT skills by working on a part time basis and in a role that gives you the opportunity to work remotely, why not take a look to see if there are any current vacancies to suit you. You could soon be on the path to a rewarding part time career.