Since 2001 the number of freelancers in the UK has increased and currently around 15%. Hiring a freelancer can be cheaper for an employer because they’re not obliged to pay you whenever you fall ill or go on holiday. However, for many people, freelancing is a choice. Why? Because it’s a really great lifestyle. But is it for you?
Some people freelance because they want to work in a certain profession and are unable to find someone who wants to hire them. Some people are very self centered, enjoy their own company and hate the idea of having their time off restricted by someone in Human Resources. If you want your work to have variety, prefer to have control over what projects you undertake and are comfortable with an element of risk about your career, it’s perfect. If you like stability, reliability, companionship and a clear cut trajectory, then it’s not.
Many people think that freelancing means having no one to answer to. In reality, it means having many people to answer to. Yes, you can choose what work to do and who to tell to get lost eventually, but whilst building a reputation you pretty much answer to anyone who’ll have you. On a positive note, it’s a more equal relationship and the only thing that your clients have any control over is your actual work. You’re not restricted by anyone else’s holiday policy or workplace rules.
If you want to go freelance you need to figure out how you’re going to find enough work to support yourself. Networking events are a big part of that. If you think that being freelance means skipping awkward office parties, think again. You need to be a part of professional networking groups and go to as many events as you can. If there is a piece of work going and it’s between a person you’ve met in real life and a name on a screen, it’s always going to go to the person you’ve met in real life.
Some people would say, ‘Oh you must be so disciplined with your routine’ and other freelancers say that you need to get up at a regular time and get in front of your desk showered and changed. Some people who are freelance don’t do any of those things. Some freelancers see a good routine as waking up around half eight in the morning, working from bed until mid-morning, having breakfast, then showering and getting dressed. Similarly, it’s tempting to think that you can do loads of housework because you’re at home. You can’t. Work time is work time.
You have to find your own way with freelancing. Some freelancers work in cafes, but some need total silence. Some freelance friends can sit in the park with their laptop, but some would never be able to concentrate in that sort of environment. Trial and error is the only way to see what works for you. If you’re struggling to find what works for you, a local library is often a great place to try.
If your partner works in an office, they’ll have been talking all day. They’ve used up their words. You, on the otherhand, haven’t had any water cooler chat about Love Island or Brexit. There’s no perfect answer to this, other than both of you making an effort to be understanding towards each other.
Being freelance doesn’t mean having to work from home on individual projects all of the time. It’s also possible to get some ongoing projects where you go the office and work with the same people on a long term basis, as well as your own independent side hustles. Also, you might find that being freelance suits you perfectly during a period of your life but that it’s not forever. That’s totally fine too.