If you are self-emplyoyed/freelance, what kind of work do you do and what does your working day look like?

[trailingvine]

Hi,

Just being nosey really! I have just started out as a private educational psychologist and was wondering what the other freelancers who work on here do.

After five months of freelance work, having finally handed in my notice from my 'real' job (eek!) and with a one year old and a three year old, I am just starting to work out what my working days are likely to entail. Sometimes they are lovely, productive days with a quick break for lunch and to play with the children, or a full day in clinic in London (a civilised coffee somewhere and feeling very grown up coming home with all the suited commuters). Other days descend into farce, with mucked-up childcare arrangements, sick children, non-showing clients and quick trips to Sainsburys that take half the day!

Please share your experiences, I have a lot to learn!

Very like yours! I have dd (5m), and I do freelance marketing. I can usually arrange my hours to suit myself (though not always) so try and get her to nap when I really need t get some peace and quiet.

Some days are a write-off, and I give up and head into town for a cuppa with friends. I class this as "networking" to make myself feel better! Then get work done in the evening when dh can look after dd.

Freelance copy-editor/proofreader. Drop kids off at school, work 9-3, leave 3.15 for kids. Work in evenings too when am really busy. Main problem is not being able to control workload - not wanting to say no to a potential new client, etc.

I'll go back to lecturing one evening a week next month, otherwise I help people do their own marketing and communications and do research online, write briefings etc.

My baby is 6.5months old and his Dad is on paternity leave until January but I'm still breastfeeding so I count myself lucky if I get 3 billable hours a day, plus email, accounts, etc. I tend to work 9.30 to midday and then 2.30 to 5.30. Too tired for evenings.

OP -apologies for leaping in.
Piedwagtail, mind if I ask how you got into proofreading and copyediting? Was it something you did pre-DC?

Freelancemama - can I ask what sort of research you do?

I'm looking for some freelance work to supplement my full-time job.

Hi Wolf - yes, I used to work in-house in publishing, and went freelance from there. You can find out all about it at www.sfep.org.uk - they have info for newbies/people trying to decide if editing is for them.

Thanks, I'll look at that site. Seems a shame to waste the pedantry skills that make me so popular in the office

Absolutely :)

Market research consultant.

Spend far too much time on mumsnet Get up, write a to do list - set up projects, client calls, write a report, run focus groups or go and present.

academic proofreading/editing - working day is whenever it fits, could be when the kids are at school, could be before they get up, could be in the dead of night.

Storyteller and author:
School run
Monday: emails, marketing/chasing leads
Tuesday: cafe storytelling, banking, accounts
Wednesday: writing/editing my book
Thursday: networking, more writing
Friday: research, emails, social networking, website maintenance, anything that got missed earlier in the week.
That's the general shape of my week, although it's flexible dependent on whether I'm in the mood to write. I try to respond to enquiries within 24 hours, which can throw things, sometimes I get school bookings which usually take the best part of a day including prep.

Writer and copy editor.

Would love to have a regular day but only get to work two days a week at the moment due to childcare being so costly.

Spend most of my time networking, chasing leads and thinking up new writing ideas. When I get a job on it is always a mad rush of working weekends and evenings around the kids.

Fantasising about when all three are at school and I have more time to work but that is three years away!

i am a lawyer and have two children under 4.

i work from home but have f/t child care (except friday afternoons). the kids are out with a cm 2.5 days p/w but i have a nanny at home 2 days a week. so if things are a bit quieter i do get to spend the odd hour or lunch with the kids on those days

otherwise they are days much like those in the office. some are manic others are lazier.

ive done this for 3 years and this mornign was the first morning i have ever had a lie in. fall out from a stupidly boozy weekend and a 4am start yesterday.

Hi - I'm a freelance designer - have been freelance for last 12 years - a designer since 1985 - day consists of usual mum things and dog walks / runs in the morning till 9am then work through till I'm done !! If I'm busy daughter or hubby make supper ! An interesting day is when I'm on a deadline to get drawings printed and into the post office before the mailman collects from there at 4pm !! Manic !! You can guarantee that's the day the printers will play up !! Wouldn't swap my lovely clients for the world - have a bunch of studios ( kitchen mostly ) that I design for ! They have stuck with me through a medical hiccup nearly three years ago when I lost my speech - so all my work is email/iMessage based now ! I miss the 'on site designing with individual clients' - but help out on the dilemmas on Houzz and that's great. I like to be able to help ... And one day, when my speech returns, I will go back to that side of my job too ! Until then, I type a lot !!!! Anyway best bit about being your own boss is you can work from home or in the office or anywhere really ! You are your own boss - and that's just great ! Thoroughly recommend it !!!! :-)

Hi all, well, I am self employed, working as a jewellery maker but I am also making an increasing monthly income as a network marketer which I am thoroughly enjoying. I felt that being self employed would be lonely but with all the events we do I have found it to be really exciting and far from lonely.

Does anybody know if I am allowed to say what I do as I know it will benefit others?

Leigh

What's a network marketer, Peapod? Can pm me if you'd prefer .

A started as a self employed cleaner 3 week ago. Hardly brain taxing stuff, i know, but i am just wanting to earn some money while volunteering (hoping that the volunteering will lead to a better job).

I have regular clients who, i work for 9.15/9.30-12.15/12.30, 4 days a week.
Then on my non-contact day, i do all the paperwork, restock supplies, research the market and admin type stuff.

When the children are back at school in September, i will work 9-2 on my non-contact day, so will have to do the admin etc in the evenings.

I always plan to leave my weekends free to spend time with my children, or if they are with their Dad for the weekend i like to treat myself :)

Self employed vet, though I employ another 17 people. I work minimum of 52 hours per week and another minimum 24 hours on cal though this week will be 60 hours and 72 hours on call. Oh and I' m a single mum.