Information » Employment & Training » Being Employed » Hours of Work
- Your normal working hours should be set out in your contract of employment.
- Your terms of employment should say what hours and working patterns are involved in your job. You might not have a written contract, but employees must be given written particulars of their main terms and conditions - including the working hours - within two months of starting.
- Most workers should not have to work more than an average of 48 hours a week, according to the Working Time Regulations, unless you or you work in a sector with its own special rules (see below).
- The Working Time Regulations also give you rights to paid holiday, rest breaks and limits on night work.
Young workers
- If you are under 18 and over school leaving age (you are under school leaving age until the end of the summer term of the school year in which you turn 16) you are classed as a young worker.
- Young workers cannot usually be made to work more that eight hours a day or 40 hours a week. These hours can't be averaged over a longer period. There are some exceptions to these rules.
Who is exempt from the working time regulations?
- Your working week is not covered by the Working Time Regulations if you work in the following areas:
- jobs where you can choose freely how long you will work eg a managing executive
- the armed forces, emergency services and police are excluded in some circumstances
- domestic servants in private houses
- trainee doctors
- oil workers in the transport industry (either road, rail, air or sea).
