Full time
Encyclopedia
Full-time employment
is employment in which the employee works the full number of hours defined as such by his/her employer. Full-time employment often comes with benefits
that are not typically offered to part-time, temporary, or flexible workers, such as annual leave
, sickleave, and health insurance
. Full-time jobs are often considered career
s. They sometimes pay more than part-time jobs, and usually carry more hours per week.
Full-time varies between company, and is often based on the shift the employee must work during each workweek. The "standard" workweek consists of five eight-hour day
s, totaling 40 hours. While a four-day week
generally consists of four ten-hour days, it may also consist of as little as nine hours, or ten hours including a half-hour lunch (full-time being 40, 36, or 38 hours respectively). Twelve-hour shifts are three days per week, thus 36 hours is always full-time, compensating slightly for the greatly increased fatigue which a person experiences on such long shifts. Shifts can also be very irregular, as in retail store
s, but are still full-time if the required number of hours is reached. A person who needs full-time work but is dropped to part-time is underemployed, which is sometimes a form of constructive dismissal
to avoid paying unemployment benefits to a laid-off
worker.
in the U.S.
is between 32–40 hours. In France
it is a government-mandated 35 hours per week
. In Germany
it is between 35–40 hours per week, and in Denmark
it is 37 hours per week and 40 hours per week in Iceland
. In Australia
it is around 38–40 hours per week, and in the U.K., whilst there is no formal definition, it is generally considered to be around 40 hours a week. A person working more than full-time is working overtime
, and may be entitled to extra per-hour wages (but not salary
).
to a student
(usually in higher education
) who takes a full load of course work each academic term
, commonly 12 credit hours or more. This translates to 12 "hours" (often of 50 minutes instead of 60 minutes each) in class per week. "Lab hours" often count only as one-half or one-third of a credit hour. In the U.S., international student
s must maintain full-time status for student visas. Adult students (typically up to age 22 or 23) may also fall under their parents' health insurance (and possibly car insurance and other services) if they are full-time, except for one term per year (usually summer
). Students may also be eligible for elected office in student government or other student organizations only if they are full-time. In the United states, the Department of Labor
has a full-time student program which allows employers to pay not less than 85% of the minimum wage to the student/employee.
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
is employment in which the employee works the full number of hours defined as such by his/her employer. Full-time employment often comes with benefits
Employee benefit
Employee benefits and benefits in kind are various non-wage compensations provided to employees in addition to their normal wages or salaries...
that are not typically offered to part-time, temporary, or flexible workers, such as annual leave
Annual leave
Annual leave is paid time off work granted by employers to employees to be used for whatever the employee wishes. Depending on the employer's policies, differing number of days may be offered, and the employee may be required to give a certain amount of advance notice, may have to coordinate with...
, sickleave, and health insurance
Health insurance
Health insurance is insurance against the risk of incurring medical expenses among individuals. By estimating the overall risk of health care expenses among a targeted group, an insurer can develop a routine finance structure, such as a monthly premium or payroll tax, to ensure that money is...
. Full-time jobs are often considered career
Career
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
s. They sometimes pay more than part-time jobs, and usually carry more hours per week.
Full-time varies between company, and is often based on the shift the employee must work during each workweek. The "standard" workweek consists of five eight-hour day
Eight-hour day
The eight-hour day movement or 40-hour week movement, also known as the short-time movement, had its origins in the Industrial Revolution in Britain, where industrial production in large factories transformed working life and imposed long hours and poor working conditions. With working conditions...
s, totaling 40 hours. While a four-day week
Four-day week
A four-day week is an arrangement where a workplace or school has its employees or students work or attend school over the course of four days rather than the more customary five. This arrangement can be a part of flexible working hours, and is sometimes used to cut costs.In 2008, employees of the...
generally consists of four ten-hour days, it may also consist of as little as nine hours, or ten hours including a half-hour lunch (full-time being 40, 36, or 38 hours respectively). Twelve-hour shifts are three days per week, thus 36 hours is always full-time, compensating slightly for the greatly increased fatigue which a person experiences on such long shifts. Shifts can also be very irregular, as in retail store
Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
s, but are still full-time if the required number of hours is reached. A person who needs full-time work but is dropped to part-time is underemployed, which is sometimes a form of constructive dismissal
Constructive dismissal
In employment law, constructive dismissal, also called constructive discharge, occurs when employees resign because their employer's behaviour has become so intolerable or heinous or made life so difficult that the employee has no choice but to resign. Because the resignation was not truly...
to avoid paying unemployment benefits to a laid-off
Layoff
Layoff , also called redundancy in the UK, is the temporary suspension or permanent termination of employment of an employee or a group of employees for business reasons, such as when certain positions are no longer necessary or when a business slow-down occurs...
worker.
Definitions by country
The most common full-time workweekWorkweek
The workweek and weekend are those complementary parts of the week devoted to labour and rest respectively. The legal working week , or workweek , is the part of the seven-day week devoted to labor. In most Western countries it is Monday to Friday. The weekend comprises the two traditionally...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
is between 32–40 hours. In France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
it is a government-mandated 35 hours per week
35-hour workweek
The 35-hour working week is a measure adopted first in France, in February 2000, under Prime Minister Lionel Jospin's Plural Left government; it was pushed by Minister of Labour Martine Aubry. The previous legal duration of the working week was 39 hours, which had been established by François...
. In Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
it is between 35–40 hours per week, and in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
it is 37 hours per week and 40 hours per week in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
it is around 38–40 hours per week, and in the U.K., whilst there is no formal definition, it is generally considered to be around 40 hours a week. A person working more than full-time is working overtime
Overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:*by custom ,*by practices of a given trade or profession,*by legislation,...
, and may be entitled to extra per-hour wages (but not salary
Salary
A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis....
).
Academic usage
“Full-time” can also be used in reference what a headto a student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
(usually in higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
) who takes a full load of course work each academic term
Academic term
An academic term is a division of an academic year, the time during which a school, college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called terms...
, commonly 12 credit hours or more. This translates to 12 "hours" (often of 50 minutes instead of 60 minutes each) in class per week. "Lab hours" often count only as one-half or one-third of a credit hour. In the U.S., international student
International student
According to Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development , international students are those who travel to a country different from their own for the purpose of tertiary study. Despite that, the definition of international students varies in each country in accordance to their own national...
s must maintain full-time status for student visas. Adult students (typically up to age 22 or 23) may also fall under their parents' health insurance (and possibly car insurance and other services) if they are full-time, except for one term per year (usually summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
). Students may also be eligible for elected office in student government or other student organizations only if they are full-time. In the United states, the Department of Labor
United States Department of Labor
The United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. Many U.S. states also have such departments. The...
has a full-time student program which allows employers to pay not less than 85% of the minimum wage to the student/employee.