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Original poster

freelance / S-E and work-life balance?

10 replies

fluffles · 20/02/2011 12:02

ok, first stoopid question - what's the difference between the terms 'freelance' and 'self employed'?

i'm considering going one of the above Grin when my current contract ends in July in a sector where i'd have no real costs and probably could pick up some work (how much i'm yet to find out).

But my biggest worry is work/life balance - right now i have NONE and i want to work less (maybe 30hrs instead of 45) but most freelancers i know work all hours of the day and night except when they're dying of stress cause they don't have any work.

is the famine or feast pattern inevitable??

i would ideally love to work in a salaried position for 15-20hrs a week and then do about 8-12hrs a week freelance but that's just cause i'm a coward Blush.

would love to hear others' experiences...

OP posts:
freelancegirl · 21/02/2011 16:41

Hi Fluffles,

I've just joined as 8 weeks pregnant and scouring through relevant chats as I am self-employed and freelance. Both are really the same thing although you can be self-employed and freelance and have a contract with someone, it just means you pay your own tax. I am assuming what you're talking about is going it alone, as I have done for several years now. I too was in a job that I hated, retrained as a journalist and have since then been freelance.

I am not sure if the feast and famine pattern is inevitable but unless you have some cushy regular work you will spend a lot of time pitching for work. It can be scary not knowing where the next cash is coming from. There are times when my mortgage has been in arrears. Your time is your own, which can be a great thing, but sometimes this makes you feel quite isolated. It's hard not having any work colleagues and no support network to fall back on when all your friends are busy at work.

That said, it can be really liberating. No need to set the alarm in the morning, no need to commute, time on your hands to meet friends if they are around, the choice to take a nap/break/spend a few hours in town or at the gym and then work later on to make up for it and best of all the chance to take as much holiday time as you like. The pros to me outweigh the cons. But hey, all this is said from my current non-mother position and I am terrified as to how my life/career/income/time etc will be managed once I have a child!

TalkinPeace2 · 21/02/2011 18:06

I fit my work around my yoga and swimming
have done for 12 years Wink

freelancegirl · 21/02/2011 20:58

Yeah me too, I love having time to go to the gym. The only thing is I do get a bit bored without colleagues. I guess it depends what type of person you are and I am someone who likes other people around. My DH works from home sometimes too and is perfectly happy not seeing anyone - including me.

TalkinPeace2 · 21/02/2011 21:08

why do you think I have this name dotted all over - virtual watercoolers are an excellent thing
I have my own armchair on ebay !

Original poster
fluffles · 21/02/2011 21:12

well i've got enough savings to get through six months of no work at all - and it shouldn't be that bad.. i might still look for full-time posts too.. just got to make sure i don't spend too much pitching and networking..

OP posts:
PermaShattered · 21/02/2011 22:18

freelancegirl don't be terrified, you'll be fine. I've been a freelance journalist for 11-12 yrs and am about to have my 4th x It's a question of being organised.

freelancegirl · 22/02/2011 09:56

Thanks PermaShattered - that makes me feel a bit better. Except your nickname :) Tired I can handle I guess - I've worked nights and all sorts. I just worry about still getting the work in, especially as a lot of the work I do is specialising in travel.

Hey and well done Fluffles for having 6 months worth of savings! I blew anything I had when I retrained as a journo 7 years ago and savings v travel journalism don't seem to like each other.

TracyK · 22/02/2011 11:22

Why don't you sign up with a few temp agencies for some occasional work? or look for part time work too.

I've mixed and matched over the years - you know you can always get a shift in Tesco's if you are skint!

hatwoman · 22/02/2011 16:06

one thing I find difficult is childcare. I dropped most of it - and am dependent on dh (works part-time) and school hours. in the feast times this can be stressful. but who wants to pay for childcare in times of famine?

My dds are a bit older (10 and 8) which, in some respects is good - they can come home from school and I can get another hour or two done before I need to clock off and cook or whatever - but in others bad - they are far more likely to express strong opinions when I do use childcare eg I booked them in to the half-term school club for one day and one of them kicked up a right fuss. If it was routine and I went to an office she wouldn't do that because she'd know there was no choice. but, because I do sometimes work when she's here, that gives her (not unreasonable) grounds to argue that she doesn;t need to go to holiday club. So - you can see it all gets a bit messy - and whilst, like others on here, I love bing able to go for a run sometimes, and be around for dds I do sometimes yearn for the truly child-free routine of an office.

my advice (which I wish I had taken) would be - if you can - set your working hours and child care accordingly and be very careful about being "flexible" - it can bite you on the bum.

PermaShattered · 23/02/2011 21:21

ooer, I think I need to change my 'name'! x

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