full-time
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full-time
Practiced as one's main profession or primary activity, which one mainly lives from. It stands in contrast to nebenberuflich (as a side job) or ehrenamtlich (voluntary/unpaid).
Sie arbeitet hauptberuflich als Ärztin und engagiert sich ehrenamtlich im Tierschutz.
She works full-time as a doctor and volunteers in animal welfare.
The word is made up of 'Haupt-' and 'beruflich'. Here, 'Haupt-' means 'most important' or 'primary', so it describes the activity that makes up the most important part of one's professional life.
Sein Hauptberuf ist Ingenieur.
His main profession is engineer.
'Hauptberuflich' can be used as an adverb to describe a verb, or as an adjective before a noun. As an adverb, it answers the question 'How?'.
Er ist hauptberuflich Musiker.
He is a full-time musician.
The word is often used to distinguish one activity from others. Common opposites are 'nebenberuflich' (as a side job) or 'ehrenamtlich' (voluntary/unpaid).
Sie ist hauptberuflich Übersetzerin, aber nebenberuflich gibt sie Yogakurse.
She is a full-time translator, but she also teaches yoga classes as a side job.
professional
Professionell and hauptberuflich can both describe paid work. Professionell mainly says that someone does this activity as a profession rather than just as a hobby; hauptberuflich, by contrast, emphasizes that it is their main occupation. So a person can work professionally without doing so hauptberuflich (as their main occupation).
Sie fotografiert hauptberuflich für Kunden und verdient damit hauptsächlich ihren Lebensunterhalt.
She works full-time as a photographer for clients and mainly earns her living that way.
Sie fotografiert professionell für Kunden, arbeitet aber hauptberuflich als Lehrerin.
She photographs professionally for clients, but her main job is teaching.
