Types of contract

Original author: Sue Johnstone

Updating author: Zuraida Curtis

Summary

• Indefinite contracts may require some flexibility to be built into them to enable the employer to change the terms to meet changing conditions. (See Indefinite contracts)
• The term "temporary contract" can be used to describe a contract that is not expected to be indefinite. (See Temporary contracts)
• A fixed-term contract is one that ends on a specified date or on the occurrence of a particular event. (See Fixed-term contracts)
• Part-time workers are contracted to work for fewer hours than the employer's normal full-time hours. (See Part-time contracts)
• Job-sharing, annualised hours or term-time only contracts can be a form of part-time working. (See Job-sharing, Annualised hours and Term-time only contracts)
• Casual contracts and zero hours contracts are sometimes used by employers where the demand for work is unpredictable. (See Casual contracts and zero hours contracts)
• Where a secondment agreement is entered into, the rights and obligations of the secondee, host employer and original employer should be agreed and documented. (See Secondment)
• Volunteers are individuals who offer their skills or labour to an organisation in return for no payment. (See Volunteers)
• Apprenticeship contracts impose a heavy training duty on employers, and apprentices are more difficult to dismiss than other staff. (See Apprenticeship contracts)