Should You Freelance? Considerations to Take Into Account Before You Become a Freelancer

What is a freelancer?

A freelancer is a self-employed person who does work in one or more of a number of professions. The most common freelancer professions are writing, editing, photography, web design, graphic arts and computer programming. Rather than being an employee for a business, freelancers sell or contract their work to their clients. This article considers the challenges that freelancers face and helps you make the decision as to whether freelancing is for you or not.

Working as a freelancer seems like the ideal opportunity - flexible hours, good pay, the opportunity to fit your career in around your other commitments (rather than vice versa, as is often the case). But there are considerations that you should take into account before making the decision to go freelance.

Why work as a freelancer?

Most of us have thought at some point that freelancing would be a great opportunity - usually on a cold, wet Monday morning. No travelling to work on a crowded bus or sitting in traffic; no boss shouting in your ear telling you what to do; in fact, no need to get off the couch until midday.

Freelancing does come with a large number of benefits but it isn't an easy option. You need to consider why you want to be a freelancer.

Good reasons for freelancing include:

Family commitments - if you're caring for another person such as a child or elderly relatives which makes it impossible to work regular hours, freelancing will save you the journey to and from part time work, and allow you to be flexible with your time

Extra income - if you've already got a job but it doesn't pay well and you have at least 3-4 hours a week you could devote to earning extra money, freelancing will allow you to earn that extra income whilst keeping your existing job.

In addition to looking at your motives, you may want to consider the following issues:

Tax breaks

As a freelancer you'll be self-employed and so working from home means that you can claim a fair proportion of expenses against any tax liability. For example, if you use a room in your house you may be able to claim a proportion of cleaning, mortgage interest, council tax and home insurance costs against your tax bill, provided that an area of the home is solely in business use for a significant amount of time.

Flexible Working

If you already have a job and you’re in the UK, your employer may be under an obligation to consider allowing you to work flexitime (they do not have to grant this request, however).

Discipline

Do you find it easy to concentrate on a project? Or are you quickly distracted by chatter, the television, magazines, children or other things that surround you? Freelancing from home requires discipline - the ability to shut out all distractions and concentrate on the job in hand. If you're not particularly disciplined, you'll find that in the absence of your boss to keep an eye on you, your attention is diverted by the constant stream of chores and distractions that keep you away from the computer.

Solitude

If you enjoy the company of your associates at work, freelancing at home may come as a bit of a shock. Freelancers don't have the chatter and bustle of a busy office - which can be an advantage, in terms of concentration, but it can also make for a rather lonely existence during work hours. If you love the company you get at work and need to have people around you, freelancing might not be for you.

If you're still considering freelancing as an option, think about how in your life you can replace the interaction you'd get from work. If you have a partner, don't rely on them to be your entire social network when they come home from work every day - you'll have no experiences to share and little to talk about. Join a gym, a class or a group so you have the circle of friends that you would have had as an employee.

Space

Don't be fooled into thinking you can work at home in the living room if you have two lively toddlers around you in the day. Neither is the cold garage, the windowless attic or the cluttered box room a good environment for home working. You need a comfortably heated, well-lit, tidy room that you can organise your belongings in, free from (the majority of) interruptions. Granted that if you don't have that space, you may have to improvise but the important thing is that you have some space to yourself that is comfortable, practical and sufficient to allow you to arrange your books, journals and notes without them being covered in coffee stains or used for drawing paper. It is also highly advisable not to use a bedroom or living room because you'll have nowhere to relax when you're finished and you'll end up feeling like you're at work every minute of the day.

Time Management

One of the most difficult aspects of freelancing at home is time management. Freelancers often choose to work at home so they can fit their work around their life - but this very thing makes freelancing a challenge. It is necessary to draw a line between work time and leisure time, setting aside certain parts of the day for working and certain parts to deal with other commitments. If no line is drawn, you'll find little errands: 'making the kids a snack', 'running to the shops', 'checking your emails', take up a huge portion of the day. The answer is to create a routine for your freelance work: have the same portions of the day set aside for work, plan reasonable breaks and stick to the planned finishing time. Turn off your mobile if you can, or have a separate number for work and for private calls. Don't forget that you do need to take regular breaks from your screen for the sake of your health.

Support Team

Whilst you may be considering freelancing so that you can support others, having your own support team is vital to the success of your lifestyle choice. Firstly, family and friends need to understand your decision and know that you aren't always available for a chat or to go for lunch. Secondly, you need to appreciate that freelancing at home is still a job and if your children get sick and you don't have any help, you'll have to sacrifice your work time for your other commitments. Like any other job, if you don't work, you don't get paid. So consider building in advance a 'support team' - people who can help when things go wrong. It's especially useful as a parent if you have back-up people to collect children from school or nurse them when they're ill. The better your support team as a working parent or carer, the more chance you have of making this succeed.

No work?

One final, but vital, consideration for those considering freelancing full time. Can you afford to sustain yourself if there's no work available? Many freelance opportunities are seasonal and you may find during the off-peak times that work is thin on the ground. If you need a regular, reliable income, you may be better off freelancing part time and working part or full time.

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