There are three main types of employment status within the creative media sector, as follows:
Firstly there is employed, which can be further divided into full-time and part-time employees. Within the creative media sector, as with most industries/sectors, there are many roles that can be filled by both full-time and part-time employees, the notable difference being simply the hours per week the employee works. Although not formally defined in the UK, the minimum hours for a full-time employee is usually around 40 hours per week, although this is ultimately determined by the employer.
Another sector is contracted employees, who are employed for a set amount of time, which is generally written into their contract at the time of employment. It is quite common for the contracted employee to have a set project to work on until completion of their contract, for example in film production an employee could have been contracted only until the production is complete, after which their employment has finished or in some cases they could be further contracted for other projects or even offered a full-time position.
Freelancing, which can also be described as self-employed, is another employment status. Rather than being under contract with an employer, you are essentially your "own boss". Freelancing is a popular choice in the design industry, for example in web design, where a project doesn't necessarily require an entire team of people to complete, and can instead be undertaken by an individual who is self-employed. It is also not uncommon to work both part-time while also working freelance where available.
While the three I have already covered are considered as the "main" types of employment status, there are others too that are common. For example, unpaid employment, such as working as a volunteer for a charity, is commonly practiced. Another example is working as an intern, usually for a set, fairly short period of time, where the intern gains unpaid "hands on" experience in the workplace, much like a work-experience placement.
Apprenticeships, another status of employment, also falls out of the three main statuses. Being an apprentice allows for a mixture of working for an employer while also studying for a qualification generally suited to that career path. Apprenticeships often lead to full-time employment, as the employee has gained set skills and knowledge for that particular job, both from gaining work experience and also a formal qualification.
