[Trev Jones]

Fao Dickie
My advice is to speak to an accountant, like I did, you may find out it is not complicated at all using a self-employed person for the part time hours you need, this is what I do

I have worked for a number of companies all over the country as a self-employed welder (including RAF bases where I was paid by the government). At every company I worked for I handed in an invoice at the end of each week for the hours that I worked, they paid me into my account and I sorted out my own tax affairs with my accountant, simple as that 

[R.C Property]

I have worked for a number of companies all over the country as a self-employed welder (including RAF bases where I was paid by the government). At every company I worked for I handed in an invoice at the end of each week for the hours that I worked, they paid me into my account and I sorted out my own tax affairs with my accountant, simple as that 

That's because they are the customer, not the middle man.

For example, I invoice them, they pay me, then I pay the sub contractor.

You

[Trev Jones]

The companies I worked for also had customers believe it or not, so they were the middle man. In fact the customers had customers and so on and so on, so some of the companies I worked for were in a long chain of companies before the final product was finished and delivered to the final customer, the product was usually an aeroplane.
If you sub-contract out to someone self-employed, then you are the customer of that self-employed person. 

[gewindows]

If you need another person to help you, but only need them for say 10 days per month initially, would it not be easier to get them to set themselves up as self-employed and invoice you for the hours they work and pay them this way. Would this not be an easier way, rather than having to go through all the employment requirements for a company if you can only offer (initially) a part time number of hours.

No - because the self employed worker are not allowed to use the company's equipment, they would have to have their own setup.

Rent it out to them, that covers that.

So far as the tax-man is concerned you are the client, the self-employed individual is the contractor.

[DaveG]

If you take on a part timer, you can pay them £155 per week "on the cards" (tax year 2012-13) before they have to pay tax or NI contributions.

Thats 20 hours a week at over £7 an hour....

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/rates/it.htm