What to expect as a part time new starter (long post)

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Royal Mail
...On a Good Day
You will be working from the office you are based at. The mail and parcels will be sorted and ready for you to bundle up. You will be with someone who knows the walk well and will talk you through it, or be on a walk you know once you get some experience. You might get out of the office at 9.30, have a break and get finished on time. It might even be sunny.
...On a Bad Day
You will be moved around on various walks a lot and you could end up on an unfamiliar walk. The mail will be half sorted because of staff shortages, meaning that the first two hours of your day will be spent trying to sort the mail and parcels onto an unfamiliar frame. A manager may try to force you to take extra mail called 'collapsing' or simply overtime. You will be the last ones to leave the office. You might be teamed up with another new starter or an agency worker with not much idea of where you are going. Having a break is impossible. In the winter you will be racing to finish before it goes dark. After about 12 to 16 miles of walking, you might finish two to three hours late. Your delivery office will be closed so all you can do is lock the van and look forward to the next day at work being worn out before you begin.
...On Another Bad Day
You turn up for work only to be sent to another office who is struggling with staffing issues. This happens to me about 1 in 3 days. They might be grateful for your help and send you out with a reasonable amount of mail... or they may use and abuse you because you are not their staff and they don't have to look you in the eye in the morning. See the previous paragraph.
There are about two bad days for every good day. I have worked for royal mail for about three months and this has been my experience.