Getting your first job after graduation isn't always easy and with a stack load of debt you may need to get an income quick. Moving back home to your parents is one way of reducing your expenditure but how can you get your hands on some cash quickly. One option is temping.

How does it work?

Temping work is obtained by registering with an agency which finds a position matching your skills. Such work is normally for a limited period and you usually get paid by the hour. If you work for an agency for some time you are likely to end up working for a number of companies. More and more people are taking temporary work and this includes graduates.

Increasingly, agencies are specialising in particular sectors e.g. education and IT. In fact this has become a big growth area and temping is no longer the preserve of telesales, and office workers. Getting temporary work in your career area offers you the opportunity to gain relevant skills for your sector and thus may now offer more to graduates than just a means of paying the rent until something better comes along.

Working for an agency offer you a degree of flexibility, allowing you to work part-time if you wish to and leave time for jobhunting. Temping is also a good way of getting some work experience, especially if your CV is a bit light in this area. Even if you are working in a call centre doing fairly mundane work you can use this to demonstrate your communication skills. Working in a number of environments allows you to demonstrate your versatility and build a wide range of skills. You may also gain an insight into some sectors you previously hadn't considered.

More rights

Temporary workers used to have very few employment rights but this is now changing. The introduction of the European Working Time Directive means that temps now have the right to up to four weeks of paid annual leave, so with an agency you would be entitled to a week's paid holiday for every thirteen weeks you work. There are now also proposals to give temps the right to the same pay as permanent staff doing the same work for the same companies. You tend not to get any benefits that permanent staff are entitled to but that isn't necessarily important, the main idea as a graduate is to get enough money to keep the wolves from the door and a bit of valuable experience in the process.

Pluses

So what are the main advantages of temping for a graduate?

• It's a fairly easy way to get a source of income in that gap between graduating and getting your first permanent job.
• Getting paid weekly is the norm so you won't have to wait long for your first wage.
• To some degree you can be selective about when you work. If you want to take a couple of weeks off between placements you can do so if finances allow. Remember though that if you keep turning work down the agency may start offering you less opportunities.
• If you are working in your long-term career area there may be the opportunity to get yourself know and in a position for permanent work. If you find a company you really like you can also make an effort to get a permanent job there.
• Temping is less stressful than having a permanent job. Whilst you should always be professional in your approach, you don't need to worry about performance appraisals and climbing the greasy corporate poll - just go to work, do the hours and take the money.

Minuses

But here are some of the drawbacks we've come across:

• You don't get the same sense of belonging that you do as a permanent employee. Temps do get treated differently in the workplace and may even be seen as outsiders and often be viewed in a less than positive manner. Many permanent staff tend to think that temps aren't going to care about the quality of their work and tend to foster a them and us attitude.
• You can find that a job disappears very quickly. If a company decides that it no longer requires your services then they can terminate your employment very quickly and there is nothing you or your agency can do about it. I worked in a call centre on what was supposed to be a 6 week placement but was finished (along with about 30 other people) after just 4 days when we were no longer required. Don't make any long term plans based on a regular income from temping!
• If you are offered work through an agency specialising in your long-term career area try to make sure that you get a full job description first. What might sound like a good opportunity may turn out to offer you very little by way of experience. We have known temporary positions in the IT sector claim to offer extensive opportunities but be little more than data entry.

In short

Temping offers better conditions than just a few years ago and are a good opportunity to get cash in the short term. However, rather than just going to a standard temping agency offering office or call centre work try to find one offering opportunities in your long-term career area. The internet may be the best bet for this. Many people prefer working on short-term contracts because in some sectors this offers better pay though poorer benefits (e.g. no company pension) and less job security, keep an open mind and get a feel for your industry and see what works best for you.