New to freelancing - am I being taken advantage of?

[FoxPass]

I've recently starting doing freelance training consultancy work for a large well-known company. I was recommended for the work by a friend, interviewed etc and starting working officially for them on the 13th of March.

All well and good but they have not drawn up any kind of contract. I have agreed a daily rate in person and have been paid for that and expenses for March, but should I have anything in writing? This is my first experience of working freelance so I'm not sure. They say they only do a basic contract covering confidentiality etc and will not guarantee me a definite amount of days in writing.

I agreed verbally to work 5 days a month which was fine for March. But now they have at short notice cut a working day from April - can they do this?

Also can I stipulate a date I am paid each month? They are not bothered at all about paying me by the end of the month and I have to pester them to make sure someone is actually dealing with my invoices

I am working from home as their offices are in London, I go there once a month but the rest of the time I feel totally out in the cold.

Should it really be this difficult? Any advice would be great!

You seem to be blurring the boundaries between freelance and employee.

If you want a guaranteed wage you become an employee.

can you explain what you mean? Is it this the norm for freelancing to not have a definite date for payment, and no contract stipulating hours or duties? I'm new to this so nothing to compare it to

I don't think you are being taken advantage of. The whole point of being a freelancer is there is no minimum hours, no guarantee of work, no security. But you also have no obligation, can work for whoever you like (unless you have a contract you have both agreed that says otherwise) and work when you want.

You should probably have a contract for services to give an idea of what you will be doing but being freelance if you don't want to do something you say no. Presumably you have a rough idea of what you agreed to do?

It sounds like you might just not enjoy being a freelancer. Not everyone's cut out for it - so me people like the trappings of being an employee. Personally I think there's advantages and disadvantages to both and you make the best of it or change your employment arrangements.

You should be invoicing for your services and putting a date by when you should be paid, usually 4 weeks or 30 days from date of invoice. This is a useful template here: www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/invoice-templates/ and you can download an Excel version.

It might be helpful to compare yourself to a plumber or similar doing a job?? You wouldn't expect the customer to tell the plumber what to do but you would expect the customer to give the plumber the outcome (eg stop the leak). How best to go about completing the task is for the plumber to decide, but if the plumber's suggestion was too expensive or the customer did not agree the customer is free not to take up the plumber's offer to do the work.

I'm sorry, that was really rude and short of me earlier. :(

Katie's put it nicely.

There's absolutely no reason why you couldn't negotiate a contract of e.g., 6 paid days per month - however they are unlikely to say yes to this. Right now you are exactly where they want you - they pay you when they want you, not more.

I think you probably want some paperwork that confirms that they'll pay you for the work done, however many days that turns out to be. Even if you just create a memo of understanding of what you are doing for them.

As Alpine says, they might not go for "we will pay you xx days a month", but you really need something in writing. I speak as somebody who didn't do contracts initally and had my fingers burned with a client who was not paying up.

As you become more useful to them (delivered courses to happy delegates) then they might be willing to enter into an agreement about the terms of cancelling days, as they won't want you turning around and saying "Oh sorry, I cannot deliver that course next week". Speaking honestly, they may well know you are a new freelancer and are playing on the fact you need them more than they maybe need you....

It can take time adjusting to being a freelancer, I'd give it a while to see if it fits.

Good luck.

thanks everyone :) this is useful. I feel like such a newbie and quite needy after being an employee for so long, it's such a change!