If you want a consistent alternative to full- or part-time work — or if you just want to earn some extra cash on top of an existing job — flexible work might just be the perfect fit for you. Take it from Bryin W., a Pro based out of Los Angeles who has completed nearly 200 Instawork shifts.
"I went from working in a restaurant full-time to quitting and doing Instawork," Bryin said. "It's been the greatest thing for me."
If you're thinking of trying flexible work, check out some of the top benefits below to help you make your decision.
Traditional jobs don't give you much control over your income. Full-time jobs usually have a fixed salary, while part-time jobs often have a cap on how many hours you can work — so if you need a little extra cash to cover an unexpected expense, there's not much you can do.
Flexible work, however, gives you the ability to take on as many or as few shifts as you want. If you already have a job and just want to supplement your current pay, you can sign up for a few shifts whenever you have the spare time. But you can also make flexible work your main job if you prefer, like Bryin.
Each month, Bryin comes up with a financial target that will cover expenses and allow for savings, then signs up for enough shifts to meet that figure.
"It might be three days this week, five days the next, four days the following… I'm able to kind of hopscotch the gigs so I can meet my [income] goal every single time."
-Bryin W., Los Angeles
And with tons of different shifts available, he's able to prioritize ones that are most convenient, interesting, and well-paying — luckily, Instawork shifts often pay more than industry averages!
Almost anyone who has worked in a restaurant, warehouse, or other shift-based workplace will agree that there's not a whole lot of wiggle room when it comes to your schedule. While you can sometimes let your higher-ups know which shifts you prefer, when it comes down to it, they have to create schedules based on the business's needs. And if you can't make a shift for one reason or another, you just have to hope you can find a coworker willing to fill in for you.
With flexible work, on the other hand, you're the one who determines your schedule. For Bryin, this meant that he could actually take time off to recharge — something he wasn't able to do at his previous full-time jobs.
"If I'm new to a restaurant, and there are 15 other people that have 10 or 15 years of seniority over me, I'm not able to just go on vacation," Bryin said. But because he's able to set his own schedule through Instawork, he can now take time off whenever he needs it.
There's no way around it — searching for jobs is a pain. Between updating your resume, applying, interviewing, and sometimes even taking skills assessment tests, you put in hours at a job before you even punch in for the first time. And after all of that, there's no guarantee that it will be the right role or environment for you.
As Bryin put it, "there's a place for everyone to work, but not every place is for everyone."
"If I apply to a restaurant and get the job‚Äö√Ѭ∂ and I walk in there on day one and I hate it, I'm stuck," Bryin said. "With Instawork, if you go into a shift and you love it, you can do it again" — and if not, you can just choose a different one.
With Instawork, Bryin said, he can be temporary or permanent, all at his own choice.
"It makes somebody like me feel a lot more free and a lot more of an asset."
- Bryin W., Los Angeles
He's now worked at enough places and met enough people that he has personal requests coming in all the time.
"It's almost like a bidding war," Bryan said. "I'm kind of like the eBay deal."
Doing the same tasks in the same place day after day can get old pretty quickly — and when that happens, it can make you dread going to work. When you still have bills to pay, though, you often can't quit.
But with shifts in all sorts of different workplaces, roles, and industries, flexible work offers a lot more variety. It's one of Bryin's favorite things about Instawork.
"I get really bored working in the same place all the time. This is a more realistic way of having a consistent income, but also utilizing my skill set every day," Bryin said.
He's even been able to develop an entirely new set of skills by taking on warehouse jobs in addition to restaurant jobs. Bryin has logged enough hours warehousing that now, when he starts a new warehouse shift, they're wowed within five minutes. He's even gotten certified in forklifting.
"I've been able to utilize different skill sets, and learn to my advantage," Bryin said.
One of the best ways to find new opportunities is just by building relationships with other people — in fact, 50-80% of jobs are filled through networking. Flexible work allows you to meet all sorts of different people at different workplaces, which can really come in handy in the future.
Through Instawork, Bryin's network has expanded significantly, both with the employers he's working for and the people he's working alongside.
"Building the relationships and a camaraderie with different teams is massive," Bryin said. Now he knows that if any one opportunity closes, he can reach out to his network to find new ones — and that's something he can rely on for years to come.
See why thousands of professionals use Instawork to quickly find flexible work.
