Going freelance - taking the leap

[Corilee2806]

Hi, interested to hear from anyone who has moved to freelance work especially with public sector and civil service type backgrounds. I’m aware of what the job market is like at the moment and I’m not sure what the demand is for my skill set and background.

I know it can take a bit of time to build up reliable work and I’m in the fortunate position of not needing to bring in a lot of money straight away as we can rely on my husband’s income. I only plan to work part time, and it’s more to bring in a supplementary income rather than needing to pay the bills so I’m not taking a huge risk in giving it a go. That said, I would really like to make a success of I’m looking for some advice from anyone who’s gone freelance/self-employed, especially in communications, writing, campaigns, or project management.

I’ve just finished a demanding role (Head of Office for an MP) which ended in burnout, and I’m now trying to rebuild in a way that works better for family life and my own needs. I’ve got 15+ years’ experience in comms/PR/strategy (civil service and politics), but no real freelance network to fall back on and I feel like I’m starting from scratch.

My kids are in school full time so I’ll have 9–3 weekdays to focus (both are ND which is one of the reasons I’m looking for flexibility so I can also support their needs). I know I’ve got transferable skills, but I don’t know how to package them, find clients, or decide where to pitch myself.

If anyone can provide tips on how to find first clients, how to decide on rate when you’ve only worked salaried before, and any advice for building confidence when you don’t have a ready-made network - I would really appreciate it. Thanks for reading!

I'm happy to give some advice on freelancing... start with the people in your network. Let them know you're going freelance, are you on Linkedin yet? Connect with everyone you've ever worked with, and ask for recommendations on Linkedin. Pick a number for your day rate - based on how much you need to make per month. Work out how many clients you need or how many days you need to work per month in order to get to your goal.

@RTTCoach thank you! I am on LinkedIn but I feel like my networks have gone a bit dormant especially after the way my last role ended. And my civil service connections waned once I left, especially after several years of lockdown and mostly home working. I feel like I can package my skills up into a strong offer, it’s just putting myself out there and finding who wants to buy it! My confidence is quite dented after the way my last role ended too unfortunately but trying to get past that. I’m thinking to aim for working 15/20 hours a week but can do more in the set up phase. But ideally mostly around school hours.

it might have been a while ago but it’s ok to reach out to old contacts! Much easier to talk to them, and it’ll help your confidence to get some recommendations. Best of luck!

I was an international civil servant and have been freelance for 7 years.

• A freelance rate of around double your employed salary would be needed to end up with a similar income, taking into account holidays and illness.
• Everyone says it takes two years to have consistent work and it was true for me two, even though I had clients from my previous job.
• Finding clients will be a big and unpaid part of your time for the first two years. After that you can hope that most or all are repeats and that they get in touch with you.
• I have the same income as when employed now but work fewer hours. However, I do work almost every day, at least a couple of hours, and have worked on Christmas Day, for example.
• I hate being freelance and would take a job if I found a suitable one (difficult to find as I have gone quite deep into a niche). Though I appreciate the flexibility I also have to offer flexibility and I miss having colleagues. I am the breadwinner, though, and might feel differently if my income were less important to the family.

thanks all! Finding clients is the bit I’m most worried about (or where the imposter syndrome is kicking in most). I didn’t leave all my last roles in the most positive of circumstances so it’s not a simple case of getting back in touch.

I don’t need to earn what I was earning before, I actively am not aiming for that. But if things go well and I can build things up then great. I think I just need to test the waters and see what happens.

@DameSylvieKrin what aspect of being freelance do you not enjoy - the finding clients?

Having colleagues, working together on things, the possibility of promotion, bonuses, a sick day being OK rather than a disaster, having someone to call when the printer doesn’t work, having a printer that prints nice and quickly because it’s enormous, office Christmas parties, lunch hours, getting out of the house, meetings. Off the top of my head.

@DameSylvieKrin food for thought. Thank you for replying. Some of those things would bother me, others less so and I’m sure I’d have my own list.