Just had an interview with a company that was offering a nice competitive salary and part-time employment. In my country, permanent part-time is considered 24-35~ hours per week, give or take.
The interviewer, which also seemed to be the person I would be reporting to, was constantly vague with her questions but demanding with her expectations of an answer. For instance, she asked me what my availability was. I told her Monday to Sunday anytime (note that this is a remote position to boot). That wasn't good enough and she wanted a more concrete answer about availability. I kinda laughed a little and said well I don't know what else to say, because I don't currently have a job or any commitments such as kids. So that is quite literally my availability.
The interview was like this the whole time. Her question vague, my honest answer, followed by more 'hunt and pecking' for what I guess was the “correct answer” she was looking for. It culminated in her asking me how many hours I was expecting. I'd already established three times prior that part-time was the right fit for me, and it was in the initial ad. But of course, wanting something more 'concrete' she asked me for a specific set of hours. I said 24-35, as per the standard permanent part-time here, and she acted shocked and defensive like I offended her mother and said that “I must be looking for full-time employment with 35 hours” because “that's 7 hours a day, five days a week”.
Generally, employers like that you offer both low and high ends in case workloads get large and they need you for a few more hours than originally intended, or if the season is off and they don't need you quite as much.
I politely stated that in my experience, those hours are considered part-time and that even 24 hours is fine. She basically concluded the interview right there and said they would “perhaps be in touch”, which of course means I won't hear back.
Instead of this needless half-hour of back and forth that wasted both of our time, she could've simply stated that she was offering 5, 10, whatever hours per week, instead of acting shocked and offended when she asked me for a definitive answer instead of just telling me her own expectations. I guess I dodged a bullet though because she definitely had a “people don't quit the job, they quit you” vibe to her, especially when she called one of her own clients 'too annoying to exist'.