Employment status and contracts

Your employment status defines your rights in the workplace. Find out how to get to grips with your own status before starting a job
A close-up of a man and woman shaking hands

Your employment status – whether you are a placement student, an employee, self-employed – will define your rights in the workplace. 

Get to grips with your own status and be sure to know the terms of your employment, before agreeing to fulfil a job role. 

Remember – a contract of employment doesn’t have to be in writing.

Employment advice by Plymouth Law School's Ann Lyon

Ann Lyon qualified as a solicitor in 1991, and taught employment law on academic and professional courses from 1996 to 2018. She is co-author of Modern Employment Law, published by Routledge in June 2018, and is particularly interested in disability discrimination and discrimination on grounds of religion and belief.
Find out everything you need to know about – from looking for a job, learning about your rights at work, to what to do if you lose your job.
Ann Lyon