From writers to web designers, TV presenters to radio producers,
many people in the media industry are ‘freelancers’. But what does this mean
and will it work for you? Read on to find out more.
What is freelancing?
A freelancer is someone who doesn’t work for one company
full-time, but is hired by different companies for certain jobs. For example, a
magazine or website will have a core team of editors who hire freelance writers
to write articles, or a TV production crew might hire freelance cameramen to
work on one series of programmers.
What are the advantages of freelancing?
§ Choose your work. Being a freelancer means you don’t have
a boss telling you what to do so you can say ‘no’ to jobs you don’t want. You
might also get to work at home for specific projects. As long as your work is
delivered to the deadline most clients won’t mind how and when you do it –
making freelancing a good option for people who don’t want to work normal office
hours.
§ Better pay. Freelancers can negotiate your own rates
with the companies who hire you. Companies are often prepared to pay
freelancers a better rate than their own staff because they don’t have to pay
for things like sick leave as part of the contract. The more experience you
have then the more money you can ask for.
What are the disadvantages of
freelancing?
§ Getting work. There are a lot of freelancers out there
and getting your first few jobs can be hard. Just being good at what you do
isn’t enough – you need to network, market yourself and make contacts because
no-one will hire you if they don’t know you’re there! The workload can be
unpredictable – sometimes you might be working all night to meet three
deadlines in one week, while even the most successful freelancers have months
where they get no work at all.
§ Managing your money. Not only will you not receive a regular
paycheque per month, you’ll also have to make all the tax and National
Insurance arrangements employers would normally do for you. You need to
register yourself as ‘self-employed’ with Inland Revenue, who can give you some advice. You’ll also
need to remember to keep some money aside for times when you’re ill or there’s
no work – and while it might be great to have a holiday any time you want,
remember that no-one will pay you for it!
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