Getting a stop-gap job

You may want to explore options other than a permanent job, especially if you're having difficulty finding one. If you want to work flexibly on your own terms while you search for a permanent position, then freelance home working is a possibility. Alternatively you could also consider taking a temporary / stop-gap job while you wait. Here are a few ideas on what to do and where to look.

Temporary home working

More and more people are working from home. A report by Enterprise Nation and BT found that the number of businesses operated from home increased 16% in the year to October 2008. This is a real option if you worked in the service industries (e.g. accounting, PR , IT) and can work individually or in a small team for your clients. The challenge is finding work. You may be able to secure freelance work through your own contacts and network, it's worth asking around, but if not we found some services that connect freelance home workers with clients:

Peopleperhour.com - a marketplace that connects companies requiring work and people offering their services. Social networking features included. See what people say about it in our forum.

Freelancer.co.uk - a site where freelancers can create a profile and employers can post projects and jobs

freelanceuk.com - a resource for freelancers in the creative industries

If you are considering working freelance, even for a short time, you may need to register by calling the HMRC Newly Self-Employed Helpline 0845 915 4515.

Finding a stop-gap or temporary job

If the job you really want is a long time coming then why not consider doing something different for a few months. You may need to take something less well paid than you are used to, but if you think of it as only short term then your pride need not take a hit. There are some temporary jobs in most fields, with large amounts of seasonal work in industries including agriculture, tourism and retail.

There are various sites which can help you to find a stop-gap or temporary job:

Seasonal-jobs.com - a jobs board for retail and leisure jobs, should have an increasing number of opportunities as the summer gets closer

Reed.co.uk/Tempzone/ - Reed.co.uk's tempzone has a huge selection of temp jobs

Albemarleinterim.com - an agency which specialises in providing interim managers to major blue-chip companies

Gumtree.com/jobs - there are lots of short-term opportunities on the Gumtree website, broken down by city

Would you consider this kind of work? See the 'Stop-gap jobs. Would you take one?' forum.