Thinking of going freelance

[jellytot1]

I'm currently working full-time while my 3 lo are in school. I've done this for 3 years since youngest has started school full time, the problem is the support during holidays and sickness is no longer available and I'm struggling. I'm also if I'm being honest really feeling like I'm missing out on a lot with them and the constant juggling is dragging me down. I've looked at some of the freelance jobs posted here and wondered if they are any good and worth applying for. I've always had admin based roles and learn very quickly. Having moved around a lot with ex hub I know how to adapt and deal with different situations well. Any advice on good sites worth visiting and amount of payI can expect would be gratefully received. Thanks

Why don't you look into becoming a virtual assistant? If you're good with admin that's a very good job. You just need to build up your reputation over time and increase your rate.

What are you like at asking to get paid? It's important to be clear what your rate is, bill promptly, chase bad debts etc as otherwise cashflow becomes a problem. It is also a good idea to get some initial advice from an accountant so that you can make sensible decisions to maximise what you earn, count appropriate things against tax etc. It also helps to have a clear separation between work and home. I rented an office for a while as I found it hard to buckle down at home. If you work from home you have to get good at ignoring laundry and timewasting friends and family during working hours!

When it works out, though, working for yourself cam be great.

Oops I meant to add that when freelancing I generally found I had too little work or too much - it's hard to balance it as it always feels like a bad idea to turn down work but when you are very busy there's no time to tender for new work. It's ideal to have a regular client or ongoing piece of work and then to fit extra projects round that.

Hello and thanks for the advice. No problem in asking for money. Majority of my roles have been in sales environments so I can be pretty upfront when I need to. Its just establishing what the rate would be etc. Oh and ignoring washing - definitely not a problem ha ha. No I'm in a work/home balance routine now, difference is I'm out of the house for 10 hours. I'll probably try and stick to same routine, do most things before I leave house to take boys to school and keep my ironing lady on (needs must). I have just had a quick glance at some virtual assistant sites as I like the sound of that and something I can feel confident doing. Some do sound very unrealistic though offering $3000 part time??? Hmm!!

I'm also currently researching becoming a VA, Jelly, initially alongside my current part time employment but with a view to eventually doing it as my only job. Are you in the US? Just wondering due to your use of $.

I freelance rather successfully - and I generally pick up jobs to suit my rate of work - There is a free training seesion called Introduction to Freelancing this Wednesday in Stockport I noticed on the website too - the link is:
htt://www.introductiontofreelancing.eventbrite.co.uk/

Good luck