AIBU to go on hols which will mean missing work opportunity?

[Workrelatedquestion]

I'm self employed free lance and do work as it comes up. I work pretty much non stop but there are down periods during which the work isn't on and I booked a holiday for one of those down periods.
The work is the kind of thing that you get a call to do with 2/3 hours notice so you need to be available or agency will go to someone else. There's no way of knowing in advance when the work will come in.
I've booked a holiday for next week and it turns out that because of a development in the area that next week could be pretty busy. If I go on holiday I lose out on the work if it comes in and equally importantly the agency will go to someone else who they may use again instead of me. I'm the default person at the moment but there's no loyalty in business, that could change.
On the other hand the prediction could be wrong and I cancel a holiday and nothing comes in.
So as not to drip feed each job is worth £1.5-2 k and because of this recent development there could be 3/4 next week. Or there could be none.
My DH says to go. He says I can't always be available.
It's not with him. It's with three college pals and they'll be upset I'm not going but it won't affect their holiday.

Tricky, I k ow this feeling well, but you cant be on call 52 weeks a year.

If you're the go-to person at the moment could you sub contract work out when you're unavailable so you still retain some control/contacts?

Go on holiday.

Too many freelancer run themselves into the ground and have mental health problems from working too much .

I think I'd cancel. You have less security as it is, being freelance, you will have a chance to show how flexible and committed you are, and you probably wouldn't enjoy your hols as much with this on your mind anyway. This probably isn't what you want to hear, sorry! As a compromise, what about doing the work but putting aside any money you make and strictly using it for a treat for yourself?

I'd go but have a plan B that I could return if needed. How much notice do they give, and how long will it take to get you back/where are you going?

For £4.5-6k, it's worth it when you are freelance.

I think you should go on hols. Lots of people are away at the moment so turning down work at this time of year not so bad.

I am also freelance and having to turn down work this summer because I haven't got enough childcare so just having to hope it picks up again in September when kids back in school. It's tough.

Can't go and come back for it because notice is typically 2/3 hours. Holiday is to Cyprus.
I also can't sub contract because anyone who does this does it in their own name and the agency are booking a specific person on request normally.
It's not just the few jobs I'm bothered about. It's that if they get someone else they may well prefer them and then use that person going forward. But on the other hand if I don't get some sort of break I will probably burn out.
I'm on phone so can't scroll to check but the person who said up thread that I wouldn't enjoy hols thinking of this is completely right I think. If I got a call when I was away and knew the prediction was right and a flood of work came in that went to someone else I'd be really pissed off.
I'm the sole earner so I do feel a responsibility to keep the show on the road.

I sympathise with your need to take a bre

I sympathise with your need to take a break. It sounds like it's just bad luck to have this potential work come up when you have holiday plans. Could you cancel this holiday and grab a late deal for a break the week after, or whenever things calm down? I'm assuming the type of work is not something you can do from a laptop ...

Can you do it in Cyprus (if laptop based?)

Unfortunately it's hands on. Have to be in situ.

Go on holiday

If it's going to spoil your holiday, then you probably need to cancel anyway. But can you contact the agency and explore with them exactly how likely it is that the work will come in before taking a decision?

I think you should go on holiday. Being self employed is rubbish, but you really can't always be available.

I'm freelance too, and can completely identify with your dilemma. I've been in similar positions in the past in terms of having made myself indispensable to a couple of clients, leaving me with no cover when I want to go away.

I've also been caught up in that paranoia you describe - that not wanting to turn down any work - ever - in case someone else snaps it up and ends up taking my other work, too.

Thing is - this has never happened. Ever. If you are reliable, consistent and develop a good rapport for the people you work for, they really will continue to send work your way. I've found several times now when I've gone away on holiday that the people who've secured the work in my absence have ended up actually doing a worse job that I would have done and this has worked in my favour.

You have to take a break from the madness - live your life and have your holidays. More jobs will turn up. I'm not sure what industry you're in, but I'm finding things pretty buoyant at the moment.

More work will come in. Take the break.

I am also a freelancer...

I don't think you are are going to enjoy the holiday with all this going on, based on the tone of your op :-( I really feel for you. I guess you just need to work out which situation you can live with more easily - cancelling the holiday and the work can coming through, or going away and missing the work. Which would potentially cause you the most regret? That is how I always make decisions.

So do you never go for a day out, if you only have 2 - 3 hours notice to start a job?

Can the job start anytime eg 2.00am, or is it more 9 - 5 sort of hours?

there will always be some reason why you shouldn't go away. You (or other pp) have said you won't enjoy the holiday but really that's up to you - if you go, decide that you've made the decision to turn down the work (possibly) and commit to the time off. As someone else said, if you're good, they'll come back to you anyway.

Most of the time I do scheduled jobs between 9-5 where I've notice weeks in advance.
Something happened in the industry and there have been a spate of emergency (for want of a better word) jobs coming in. These are the ones with 2-3 hours notice. Next week is a down time so I've no scheduled jobs and didn't anticipate there being any likelihood of there being many (if any) emergency ones. There could always have been the risk of one coming in but the likelihood of number being more like 2/3/4 has only come in because of the recent development.
There's absolutely no way of me or agency knowing what's going to happen. The jobs come to us and because these are emergencies there's never more notice.

Sorry forgot to say that these emergency ones still only go on between 9-6

Does the agency already give work to others if you are busy on scheduled work?

Yes they do give work to others when I'm not free.
The only thing is that the recent emergencies have all been dealt with by me (5 since new development).

I would go on holiday.

If you are good in your field you will get a name for yourself that is trusted.

I would follow the general advice (ie go on holiday), UNLESS this is a unique opportunity, to be a specialist in a niche area. So if this emergency work all coming to you means that you are now, or could quickly become, the key person working in this area, then I would reconsider. A law change which I had to quickly become an expert in meant that my charge-out rate quadrupled for a couple of years. Eventually most people adapted and I was no longer ahead in the field, but financially the benefits were huge .

Thanks everyone.
It's not really a niche thing as such. I'm a specialist but there are quite a few of us.
I'm thinking that I may just go and come back earlier than I'd planned. I can change the flight so I'm back Wednesday and here for Thurs and Fri.
Maybe that'll work?