Part-time w/benefits??

October 11, 2005 4:01 AM

Where can I work part-time and get benefits?

I'm making a pathetic attempt to beat the system (or else I'm moving to Canada). The pay doesn't have to be spectacular, just reasonable. I think Whole Foods and Wild Oats offer benefits to part-time employees, but I need more options.

posted by crapulent to Work & Money (25 answers total)

I've heard Starbucks offers this, but I don't know for sure and thirty seconds on their website doesn't yield an answer. What do yo uconsider "reasonable"?
posted by sohcahtoa at 4:20 AM on October 11, 2005

Response by poster: Oh. Current location is St. Louis, Missouri.
posted by crapulent at 4:20 AM on October 11, 2005

Response by poster: Reasonable meaning not less than $9-10/hour.
posted by crapulent at 4:30 AM on October 11, 2005

Look at hospitals. They often pay well have good health benefits. They also have a wide variety of entry level positions.

Doing a quick google search turned up a number of hospitals and their online employment listings:

http://www.tenethealth.com/Careers/default.aspx?Type=ExternalFac&HspCode=SLU
http://www.ssmhc.com/internet/apps/hr/hropport.nsf/newSearchKeyword
http://aseexternal.stjude.org/ASEPage_JobListMenu.asp
http://www.stjohnsmercy.org/jobs/searchjobs.asp?ssu=9
http://hiredirect.bjc.org/HireDirect/
http://www.barnesjewish.org/groups/default.asp?NavID=2601
posted by Apoch at 4:47 AM on October 11, 2005

I was also going to recommend hospitals, since last year I was offered a job working 24 hours/week with full benefits.
posted by McGuillicuddy at 5:06 AM on October 11, 2005 [1 favorite]

Just to echo sohcahtoa, Starbucks is well-known for offering full benefits to part-time employees. I'm not sure what starting pay is, but it's probably more like $7 or 8. Plus a free pound of coffee every week. (Or is it month? I forget.)
posted by Plutor at 5:13 AM on October 11, 2005

Often banks will offer full benefits to part time employees (like Tellers).
posted by anastasiav at 5:30 AM on October 11, 2005

email is in my profile if you want more information on BJC benefits.
posted by makonan at 6:04 AM on October 11, 2005

A friend works at Borders books & music in the St. Louis area and says she gets benefits.
posted by horseblind at 6:05 AM on October 11, 2005 [1 favorite]

Lowes.
posted by smackfu at 6:28 AM on October 11, 2005

NOT Walmart! Ever - even for full time, cause you'll be cut back to 39.9 hours faster than you can say ACLU legal services!
posted by thebarron at 6:49 AM on October 11, 2005

Trader Joes?
posted by alms at 6:58 AM on October 11, 2005

UPS gives benifets to part time employees.
posted by Crossbar at 7:34 AM on October 11, 2005

Once you've worked a critical number of hours at See's Candies they offer benefits, whether or not you're full time. It can take you a long time to build up those hours. My friend who did this started at $9 and hour in Oregon, but our minimum wage is higher here, so I don't know if that would hold true in Missouri.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 7:40 AM on October 11, 2005

FedEx also give benefits to part timers. Don't know about DHL.
posted by Carbolic at 7:52 AM on October 11, 2005

Another option you might try is job sharing, where you and an equally-talented and equally-trusted friend take on the duties of a full-time position together.

Of course, I'm posting from Canada, so I might just be tormenting you with foreign socialist pipe dreams.
posted by Sallyfur at 8:14 AM on October 11, 2005

Universities and/or colleges will usually give benefits for part-time workers, as well as the added benefit of tuition assistance.
posted by sarahnade at 8:36 AM on October 11, 2005 [1 favorite]

Barnes and Nobles gives benefits to part timers, but you have to work there a year first. The benefits are actually pretty good too including paid vacation, really cheap health and dental, etc.
posted by dial-tone at 8:59 AM on October 11, 2005

Safeway has good benefits for part-time employees-they're union (UFCW), so I imagine a lot of supermarket jobs would be the same. At Safeway, we had to work a minium of 16 hours a week to get the benefits, but they were good-vacation time, full medical and vision.
posted by slimslowslider at 9:11 AM on October 11, 2005

Oh, you have to work sixty days before they kick in and you also have to pay union dues. But it's totally worth it.
posted by slimslowslider at 9:12 AM on October 11, 2005

Starbucks does for sure -- or at least did two years ago, when I knew someone who worked there specifically because of the benefits. Borders, as well. Hospitals, as suggested above, are a really good idea. My best friend works in emergency room admissions (I think it's called that, whatever, she talks to people and sets up charts) and she gets benefits.

Slightly off question, but possibly related/helpful: Depending on your means, private insurance for just you isn't necessarily too bad. I had private BCBS for a bit and it wasn't debilitatingly expensive at all.
posted by Medieval Maven at 10:33 AM on October 11, 2005

Medieval Maven is on the right track: if your health is good and you've got a credit card or some cash, check out some high-deductible plans. They're quite cheap, but you'll be out of pocket the first few thousand dollars of care if you get injured or sick (hence the need for cash or a credit card to bridge the emergencies).
posted by MattD at 11:44 AM on October 11, 2005

Costco.
posted by sixpack at 1:48 PM on October 11, 2005

The Home Depot (if you have those nearby) gives my "domestic partner" (fiance, but they cover gay/lesbian partners and live-in boyfriends/girlfriends) and I benefits, and he only works about 20 hours/week.
posted by sian at 2:49 PM on October 11, 2005

Hey crapulent, I just moved from St. Louis. I worked at UPS for a while - they are union, a typical part-time shift is 2-4 hours, but the work can be hard. I had benefits as a part-time union employee, don't recall too many details, but I was able to get my teeth worked on and see the chiropractor a few times (put a rib out of place moving boxes). With enough seniority, you can be a full-time union employee (essentially work two shifts a day, 8 hours total, guaranteed paid even if you do not work a full 8) and better benefits. You could also (as I did) become a part-time supervisor - slightly longer shift, less manual labor, more paperwork, and even better benefits. If you want to work there and move up to full-time union or "management" fairly quickly, I'd work at Earth City rather than Jefferson Avenue - bigger facility, more people, higher turnover, more chances to advance.

My last job in the StL was with a computer company - it was structured such that there were no set hours - you were assigned service calls as they came in. You might work 60 hours a week, you might work 20, and it was up to you to set your availability and to some extent, take or not take calls. I was not there long enough to qualify for benefits (I left only because I moved, nothing against the company) but they were available. You might look for something similar, something service-related that would have flexible hours. Perhaps Charter, Dish, DirecTV, or SWB service installer, though I think most are freelance. A government job is always a consideration when looking for good benefits - I wouldn't answer the ads you see in the papers there saying "Postal Workers Needed!" etc - I imagine that's some sort of letter-stuffing operation or some such. But a job with the USPS proper, or the DMV, etc etc, might be worth looking into. Also check out (besides hospitals, good call all) doctor's offices, including dentists. I would tend to steer away from chiropractors - even though there are a ton (thanks, Logan) many (in my experience) are only open part time, may not even have any staff, or just one person, and possibly wouldn't be pulling in enough to both pay off the chiro's student loans + rent + malpractice + equipment loans and give you benefits as well.

Any questions you can email me, I think it's in my profile, or use my spam-catcher 'richardlisson' w/ yahoo.
posted by attercoppe at 9:24 PM on October 11, 2005