to ask what you do if you are self employed/work at home

[PocketFluff]

In a few threads recently people have talked about being self employed, some only doing a few hours a week, or being able to have a work at home job that fits around the children.

Can I be nosey and ask what it is you do and get a bit of the action myself?

When I started out I advertised anywhere that required me to spend little or no money, so things like post office windows and yell.com. I do get more enquiries via word of mouth, but yell.com is my biggest response from advertising.

I sell dd to KK bras on eBay

Book designer/production editor/proofreader

I started off with one of the large agencies, who I still do work for on occasion, though my work is mainly via my own company now and working with someone else whose subject coverage is complimentary to my own.

However, prior to tutoring I was a tenured academic at university and then changed to secondary teaching. I have students via contacts from both of these. Finally, word of mouth has counted for a lot.

I get almost all my students through word of mouth. I occasionally advertise on first tutors but usually only for a week or so in September. I could easily double my hours if I wasn't a SAHM during the day. It helps that I teach maths which is popular for tuition, and that I can teach up to a level.

fancyanotherfez can you mark A level? The exam boards are in need of extra A level markers due to getting rid of January exams. I work with OCR, their website had vacancies last time I looked.

Forgot to say that having previously been a teacher, I have lots of contacts in different schools who give my number out which is very handy!

I'm a landlord, which isn't really a job as such. I also do a bit of teaching, a bit of tutoring, some driving and some shop work. Anything for a few bob, really, until I get a "proper" job.

I teach music, that's word of mouth as I've been doing it for years.
But I do the odd bit of maths tuition here and there, mostly people begging me to help them improve their GCSE grade - but a few years back when the recession hit I was a bit shorter of work and so went through Personal Tutors.
On one hand it was annoying as you have to send them quite a big percentage of every lesson, but on the other hand, the amount of work that came in was unbelievable. New people every week - as many as I could take. If I ever went somewhere new and had to start afresh, that's what I'd do.

Clown. I entertain children with magic, facepaint and balloon modelling at parties. I am really lucky because I love what I do, and am good at it, and it only involves a few hours a week.

Out of interest, how many of the self employed earn enough to really live on?
Arbitrary figure of mean national wage £26,000 a year (tax return figure not turnover) not pro rata
Less or more?

I'm only asking because HMRC are trying to get rid of 'pin money' self employments from the tax credit system and its interesting to gauge how widespeard they are.

I'm "more" btw

I run a gite here in France, & love it (mostly)

marshmallow maker/ interior stylist/ jamie at home sales consultant

Oh no, I'm far less, probably about 5k a year? I do a tax return, though I don't earn enough to pay tax.

I'm far less than that at the moment because my child free time is only 2.5hrs per day. I'm planning to step it up next year when DS2 starts school.

I'm a registered childminder, earning about £13k a year. Our joint income is above national average and we don't have a mortgage, so for us that's sufficient to live on.

I guess a better question would be how many of you are earning less than NMW x 30hour week and claiming working tax credits?

Another accountant and tax adviser here

I pay tax but not vat as sales are just below threshold. Profits are enough for the nice extras (more that 1 holiday abroad a year), gym membership, nice clothes etc. Not £26 k after all taxable deductions but then I only actually have to work for 2 or 3 hours a day and I close the whole thing down most school holidays.

It's a business to supplement our lifestyle and let me stay at home even though dc's are 11 & 9. I probably could grow it, work more hours and make a lot more but I don't want to (and luckily don't have to). I'd rather carry on volunteering at school and be a school governor.

Don't claim any tax credits and am on the losing child benefit band due to dh's income.

I don't want to out myself but one of the professions and I have never wanted shorter hours and more time to clean the house! So definitely did not pick working for myself to ensure I had more time to do house jobs.

In terms of advice to teenage girls and students I would say pick careers where you can work for yourself ultimately and where the basic hourly rate is pretty high and where most people cannot qualify into what you do and cannot pass the exams as then you will be one of the few who earns quite a bit.

I earn much more working for myself as a lawyer than I would do working for a law firm but it would be difficult if I hadn't spent years building up contacts and a strong client base.

Another one who worked and passed exams for many years before going self employed - hence why I actively do not advertise - all my work is word of mouth or infamy reputation in the sector.

I started working from home in Sept and by the end of Dec will have earned about £15000 over those 4 months. This compares pretty well to my previous full time salary on SLT at an academy, and I know which I prefer!

I own a small marketing company... Really love it