A “freelancer” is someone who works for themselves

They work when they like, where they like, and for who they choose. 

That means they might do a lot of work for one company, or client, or work with lots of different ones.

Freelancers earn money by charging a “day rate”

A day rate is the amount you earn per day. It’s based on your experience and industry. And, even then, you can change it depending on the client or how tricky a job is.

For certain types of work, like journalism, you’ll get paid “per article” or “per task” as a freelancer. If you’re a freelance content writer at the start of your career, you could earn between £75-£150 per article, for example. But if you’re a freelance photographer at the top of your profession, your day rate might be thousands of pounds.

All this means that the money freelancers can earn changes from person to person, and from job to job. (At the start of every job, you set up a contract with your client, so it’s agreed what they’ll pay you.)

Why do people like to work freelance?

Freelancers have freedom

Like we’ve mentioned, freelancers are “free” to charge their own rates, work for who they want to, and often from where they want too. This freedom to pick and choose is a big benefit of freelance work.

It’s good if you’re someone who doesn’t think they’ll work well in an office 

That could be because you don’t feel comfortable around a lot of people, or have a health issue which makes certain things difficult. In those cases, the remote nature of a lot of freelance work is really helpful.

You can also stop doing freelance work whenever it suits you

Instead, you could take a full time position — maybe with a client you want to work for permanently. You just have to tell HMRC that you’re not self-employed anymore.

What are some of the downsides of freelance work?

Because you’re self-employed, you won’t have your taxes paid by an employer

You’ll have to register as self-employed and fill out a tax return each year. And that means you need to keep up-to-date records and make sure you can pay the tax and National Insurance contributions you owe on any money you earn. 

It can be quite intimidating at first, but this guide from money.co.uk helps explain what you need to do.

You’re also often not protected by employment law

So you don’t earn money if you’re sick, or go on holiday. And you don’t get the same benefits as full-time employees — things like health insurance, gym memberships, or other “perks”.

But you do have the same rights as an employee, so the company you’re working for is still responsible for things like your health and safety.

And getting paid can be tricky

Some companies take ages to pay freelance workers, so you can be waiting a month or more for even a small amount of money owed to you. 

You can also find that some people try to take advantage of freelance workers who are just starting out. They might offer to pay you in “exposure” or free merchandise, rather than in money. 

In those situations, it’s important to know your value, and weigh up whether it’s worth doing that work. Don’t feel like you have to take work just because it’s offered to you, or because there’s a big name brand involved. 

That’s even more reason for them to pay you.

What kinds of jobs do people work freelance in?

Lots of different jobs use freelancers. Some of the most common examples are in the creative industries. Photography, graphic design and copywriting or editing are all jobs people often freelance in. 

But freelancing isn’t just for roles like those. You can be a freelancer for really technical jobs, like:

• Translator: Most businesses don’t need a translator all the time, so they’ll bring one in for specific tasks.
• Web developer: Coding is a highly complex, technical job, and people who are good at code can earn big day rates for freelance work. 
• Consultant: This is a person who specialises in a specific area, like management or marketing. Companies hire them as freelancers, so they can bring their expertise to teams and projects that don’t have their experience. (They’re usually very experienced in what they do.)

How do you get into freelance work? 

Freelance workers are usually experienced in their profession, so you might not be able to start freelancing right away. Journalists, for example, often have to have “clippings” or links to the work they’ve had published before they can start freelancing.

For any profession, it takes time to put together a portfolio of work, build a network of contacts and get your name out there. And if you want to be a consultant, it might take a long time before you gain the reputation and experience you need.

If you’re an artist, designer, or photographer, having a social media presence and a website can help get you noticed. But it might take a while to build up credibility in your industry before you can charge higher rates.

Freelance work isn’t for everyone

It’s a way of working that comes with more freedom, but less certainty. So whether you’d like to try freelancing really comes down to the type of person you are — and what your priorities are. 

Working for yourself and working for a company, both have their pros and cons. There’s no right answer to which is better. There’s only what’s right for you.