Author: Micky Harris

Free workshop for members
Getting known to the right people

The date and time: Oct 12th, 10.30am to 4.30pm

The venue:

Equity
Upper St Martin’s Lane
WC2H 9EG

Tutor: Louise Grainger

Apply Online

Workshop Content

To build a successful freelance career in the long term, you need to put considerable effort into marketing yourself and your work.

You need to get yourself and what you do known, as well as present what you do in the best possible light. This course will help you do just that and includes:

• What is marketing?
• Brand versus product
• Identifying your market
• Identifying your competition (including research techniques, SWOT & other useful matrices to use)
• Key messages and unique selling points and how to communicate these
• Key marketing tools and activities
• Action plan.

Who should attend?

Freelances working in the creative industries who wish to improve their marketing skills.

Qualifications

No formal qualifications are required, just a desire to learn new ways of building your reputation and career success.

Expected learning outcomes

• A better understanding of marketing and why it is important
• Knowledge of key marketing tools, activities and skills, including how to promote yourself and your work
• A better understanding of how to identify, target and communicate with potential clients.

Apply Online by Sept 27 2012

To apply for a place on this free, one-day workshop, fill in the short application form by Sept 27. You will need to register if you have not done so already.

All workshops have been over-subscribed to date so successful applicants will be chosen randomly after the cut-off date of Sept 27. We will let you know if your application has been successful by Oct 1st.

Further enquiries
E: [email protected]
T: 07990 504 612

Free workshop for members
“Goals are dreams with deadlines.”

The date and time: Oct 11, 10.30am to 4.30pm

The venue:

Musicians’ Union
60-62 Clapham Road
SW9 0JJ

Tutor: Muriel McClymont

Apply Online

Having goals in our lives sets a direction and helps us make the decisions on what to focus our efforts on.

Some find it hard to create goals at all, while others have no problem setting goals, but are unable to motivate themselves to achieve them.

There can be all sorts of reasons for this, for example, your goals may not actually be your goals, but other people’s that you have (consciously or unconsciously) adopted, or perhaps securing the dream job means you’ll have to travel extensively and you are worried that this will have a negative impact on your family life.

This workshop aims to give you tools to process all your aims, now and in the future, so you can create clear, achievable, compelling goals, which are compatible with and do not conflict with any other areas of your life.

Workshop Content

This course will:

• help you define clear, achievable goals which are within your control
• provide a model to allow you to check your goals to ensure that you really want them, and that achieving them will not result in you losing something else that is important to you
• give you an opportunity to amend or re-configure your goal to make it fully desirable to you
• identify what might obstruct your goal, and what you can do about it
• understand what the purpose of your goal is to you and become fully aligned to it - making it a compelling goal
• learn tools to tackle difficulties
• identify your first steps.

Who should attend?

Freelances working in the creative industries who want to improve their goal setting and goal achievement capabilities.

Expected learning outcomes

You can expect to leave this workshop with a set of tools you can use on any of your goals to reshape them so they are compatible with all aspects of your life, and therefore compelling for you to achieve.

Join us and take the first steps to making your current goals your future reality!

Apply Online by Sept 25 2012

To apply for a place on this free, one-day workshop, fill in the short application form by Sept 25. You will need to register if you have not done so already.

All workshops have been over-subscribed to date so successful applicants will be chosen randomly after the cut-off date of Sept 25. We will let you know if your application has been successful by Sept 27.

Further enquiries
E: [email protected]
T: 07990 504 612

Free workshop for members
How to leave a good impression in the digital world

The date and time: Oct 9, 11.30am to 5.30pm

The venue:

Crescent Theatre
Sheepcote Street
Birmingham
B16 8AE

Whether through digital media or face-to-face, networking is important to raise your profile and market your work successfully.

Tutor: David Thomas

Apply Online

Workshop Content

This workshop falls into two parts:

1. Why networking works and why effective digital networking is so 
important.
2. How we fit networking into our daily work schedule.

Areas covered in the workshop include:

• Networking refresher - what it is and why it works
• Identifying what you’re selling and how it helps others
• Your key messages
• Understanding your digital footprint
• Social media for work - polishing your online profile
• LinkedIn - including groups and recommendations
• Google + circles
• Tools for managing multiple social networks (without wasting time)
• Your next steps
• Participants will devise a personal action plan with practical measures to improve their online and face-to-face networking.

Who should attend?

Freelances who wish to find better ways to network both digitally and face-to-face. No technical knowledge will be assumed. The aim is to help freelances understand how networking works and hone their message. It does not require participants to be online during the training.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand how face-to-face and digital networking interact
• Draw up a plan for engaging with others face to face and on a range of social networks
• Understand how to use time-saving tools to maintain digital engagement
• Know where to get advice and help on the above.

Apply Online by Sept 24 2012

To apply for a place on this free, one-day workshop, fill in the short application form by Sept 24. You will need to register if you have not done so already.

All workshops have been over-subscribed to date so successful applicants will be chosen randomly after the cut-off date of Sept 24. We will let you know if your application has been successful by Sept 26.

Further enquiries
E: [email protected]
T: 07990 504 612

Free workshop for members
How to present yourself more effectively to get that next job

The date and time: Sept 28, 2012 10.30am to 5.00pm

The venue:

Musicians’ Union
60-62 Clapham Road
London
SW9 0JJ
T: 020 7840 5506

Effective interview and presentation skills - whether at a formal interview or a chance meeting where there might be work at the end of it – are essential. Some find the thought of self-presentation terrifying! Others find it easier. Whatever you feel, you can always do better.

Apply Online

Workshop Content

This one-day workshop is designed to give practical advice and support to help you improve how you demonstrate your many skills and abilities to a potential employer, through both what you say and how you say it. It covers:

• How to prepare effectively
• How to get your message across
• How to respond to difficult questions or challenging scenarios
• How to match your skills to the opportunity
• How to positively use your voice and body language
• How to confidently present yourself and your experience

We offer lots of practice, advice and mock interviews/meetings (you define the situation that will be most helpful to you). You will receive constructive feedback, and get the chance to test-drive new responses to your dreaded questions or scenarios.

Who should attend?

Anyone who needs to present themselves effectively with the aim of making the most of every face-to-face opportunity to get more work.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the workshop, you will:

• have gained a clearer understanding of how you come across in person and how to improve this
• have practiced and received constructive feedback on the effectiveness of your interview or presentation technique
• understand what you need to do to maximise the impact you make
• know how to prepare for an interview so that you feel informed, confident and as relaxed as possible
• be better prepared for challenging questions or scenarios – and know how you can use them to your advantage
• have an action plan for your next steps.

Apply Online by Sept 14 2012

To apply for a place on this free, one-day workshop, fill in the short application form by Sept 12. You will need to register if you have not done so already.

All workshops have been over-subscribed to date so successful applicants will be chosen randomly after the cut-off date of Sept 12. We will let you know if your application has been successful by Sept 14.

Tutors: Sue Walker and Muriel McClymont

Further enquiries
E: [email protected]
T: 07990 504 612

Free workshop for members

The date and time: Sept 19, 2012, 11am-5pm

The venue:

Bristol Old Vic
King Street
Bristol
BS1 4ED

Tutor: Nathalie McDermott

Apply Online

Workshop Content

This workshop is for social media beginners who want to get a clearer idea on how to use it to help their freelance career - whether it’s to market and promote work or create beneficial two-way communication. With around 40 attendees, it is not a hands-on workshop and you will not be using a computer. It includes:

• Why social media is important to freelances as a communication tool
  The ways in which social media can be used to help freelances influence their audience, e.g., marketing and promotion
  Getting started – what to use and how?
  The basics of Twitter and Facebook (demonstration)
  Producing effective content
  Finding the right tone
  Developing a social media presence and useful following
  Managing your time
  Setting expectations.

Who should attend?

Any creative freelance who wants to learn how to use social media as an effective tool to support and advance their freelance career. If you’re a beginner or want to use social media more efficiently and effectively, this is the workshop for you.

Qualifications

No formal qualifications are necessary. However, participants will need a basic awareness of online communication. It would help if you set up a Twitter and Facebook account (if you don’t have one) and have a play before you come to the course.

Learning outcomes

A clearer understanding of how:

• social media can be used to support your work
  to get started
  to use social media effectively for your chosen purposes
  How to manage your social media time efficiently.

Apply Online by Sept 4 2012

To apply for a place on this free, one-day workshop, fill in the short application form by Sept 12. You will need to register if you have not done so already.

All workshops have been over-subscribed to date so successful applicants will be chosen randomly after the cut-off date of Sept 4. We will let you know if your application has been successful by Sept 6.

Further enquiries
E: [email protected]
T: 07990 504 612

Free workshop for members
CVs/Résumés/Career Summaries - How to make an impact in writing

 The date and time: Sept 14 2012 (London) & Sept 18 2012 (Manchester); 10.30am to 5.00pm

The venues:

The ability to produce a CV/Career Summary/Résumé in a way that makes you stand out from the crowd is a must. It should be clear, straightforward and deliver an immediate and accessible snapshot of why you are the ideal candidate. A general 'one size fits all' document just won’t do.

Apply Online

Workshop Content

This workshop aims to give you the tools to assess each opportunity and how best to construct and tailor your CV to get yourself noticed. It includes:

• Initial review of each other’s CVs/career summaries
• Analysing the function and purpose of these key documents: what you want your CV/career summary to do for you?
• How that knowledge can help to produce a new document, tailored to specific clients and markets
• Specific fundamentals of effective CV/career summary writing
• Assessment/review of ‘mock’ CVs / career summaries
• Identifying key achievements and vital experiences that should be highlighted in your CV/career summary
• Re-designing your CV /career summary foundation document
• Next steps to re-working your CV/career summary.

The workshop includes a number of practical exercises in which you will get the chance to work individually and in pairs. You will need to bring a hard copy of you CV/Résumé/Career Summary.

Who should attend?

This course is relevant to anyone who wants to improve the way they present themselves in writing with the aim of getting a specific interview or audition.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will:

• Have a clear idea of what an effective CV/career summary looks like
• Have made the first steps to update their own
• Have a greater understanding of how to create individual selling documents with maximum impact
• Know how to produce a selling document that will support them in trying to secure interviews and/or to open up other work opportunities.

Apply Online by Sept 3

To apply for a place on this free, one-day workshop, fill in the short application form by Sept 3. You will need to register if you have not done so already.

All workshops have been over-subscribed to date so successful applicants will be chosen randomly after the cut-off date of Sept 3. We will let you know if your application has been successful by Sept 5.

Tutors: Sue Walker and Muriel McClymont

Further enquiries
E: [email protected]
T: 07990 504 612

How to leave a good impression in the digital world

Free workshop for members

The date and time:  July 2, 2012 11.00am to 5.00pm

The venue:
The Tobacco Factory Theatre
Raleigh Road
Southville
Bristol
BS3 1TF
T: 0117 902 0344

Whether through digital media or face-to-face, networking is important to raise your profile and market your work successfully.

Apply Online

Workshop content

This workshop falls into two parts:
I.  Why networking works and why effective digital networking is so important.
II.  How we fit networking into our daily work schedule.

Areas covered in the workshop include:

• Networking refresher - what it is and why it works
• Identifying what you’re selling and how it helps others
• Your key messages
• Understanding your digital footprint
• Social media for work - polishing your online profile
• LinkedIn - including groups and recommendations
• Google + circles
• Tools for managing multiple social networks (without wasting time)
• Your next steps
• Participants will devise a personal action plan with practical measures to improve their online and face-to-face networking.

Tutor: David Thomas

Who should attend

Freelances who wish to find better ways to network both face-to-face and digitally. No technical knowledge will be assumed. The aim is to help people understand how networking works and hone their message. It does not require participants to be online during the training.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand how face-to-face and digital networking interact
• Draw up a plan for engaging with others face to face and on a range of social networks
• Understand how to use time-saving tools to maintain digital engagement
• Know where to get advice and help on the above.

HOW TO APPLY (BY JUNE 21)

To apply for a place on this free, one-day workshop, fill in the short application form by June 21. You will need to register if you have not done so already.

All workshops have been over-subscribed to date.

Successful applicants will be chosen randomly after the cut-off date of June 21. We will let you know if your application has been successful by June 22.

Further enquiries

E: [email protected]
T: 07990 504 612

How to leave a good impression in the digital world
(MAKE IMPACT IV)

The venue:
The Abbey Centre
34 Great Smith Street
Westminster
London
SW1P 3BU

The date and time:  March 13 2012 10.00am to 4.30pm

Whether through digital media or face-to-face, networking is important to raise your profile and market your work successfully.

Apply Online

Workshop content

This workshop falls into two parts:
I.  Why networking works and why effective digital networking is so important.
II.  How we fit networking into our daily work schedule.

Areas covered in the workshop include:

• Networking refresher - what it is and why it works
• Identifying what you’re selling and how it helps others
• Your key messages
• Understanding your digital footprint
• Social media for work - polishing your online profile
• LinkedIn - including groups and recommendations
• Google + circles
• Tools for managing multiple social networks (without wasting time)
• Your next steps
• Participants will devise a personal action plan with practical measures to improve their online and face-to-face networking.

Tutor: David Thomas

Who should attend

Freelances who wish to find better ways to network both face-to-face and digitally. No technical knowledge will be assumed. The aim is to help people understand how networking works and hone their message. It does not require participants to be online during the training.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand how face-to-face and digital networking interact
• Draw up a plan for engaging with others face to face and on a range of social networks
• Understand how to use time-saving tools to maintain digital engagement
• Know where to get advice and help on the above.

*Coffee and tea will be supplied free but you will need to arrange your own lunch.

HOW TO APPLY (by Feb 17)

To apply for a place on this free, one-day workshop, fill in the short application form by Feb 17. You will need to register if you have not done so already.

All workshops have been over-subscribed to date. Successful applicants will be chosen randomly after the cut-off date of Feb 17. We will let you know if your application has been successful by Feb 22.

Free one-day workshop for creative freelances: LONDON

Date: December 1st

Time: 10am – 4.30am

Venue:
Frontline Club
13 Norfolk Place
London
WC 1QJ

Apply Online

Content

The end of the financial year (Jan 31, 2012) will be upon those of us who are self-employed soon.

To help you get to grips with key financial issues and to ensure that you don’t waste your hard-earned cash through ignorance, this free workshop includes:

Budgeting and money management

• Personal and business financial issues
• Short- and long-term aims and objectives
• Covering overheads
• Project direct/variable costs
• Survival budgeting
• Break-even analysis
• Practical trading and cash flow forecasting
• Profit and loss calculation
• Pricing and costing
• Agent and agency commissions, credit and debt control.

Legal Entities and Business Vehicles

• Evaluating and explaining business status such as employment, self-employment and owner-management
• Key Contract differentials for performers and stage management
• The pros and cons
• Income streams
• Trading names
• “IR35″/agency tax status issues
• Other liabilities.

Working with HMRC

• Business registration
• Tax explained, including Capital Gains Tax, Income and Corporation taxes plus VAT
• Allowable business expenses
• Personal, investment and capital allowances, tax credits, pension premiums, vehicle benefits and mileage allowances
• National Insurance Contributions: Classes (1,2,3 and 4) and main social security benefits
• Tax returns, bands, rates and dates: how to calculate, minimise and when to make payments.

Business Administration

• Books and record-keeping – what, why and for how long.

 Business and Network Development

• The 80/20 rule
• Staying in control of your business
• Maximising the potential of valuable support.

Who should attend

• Those freelances working in the creative industries who wish to get a better insight into how to manage their finances effectively.

Learning outcomes

• A clearer understanding of what financial issues you need to cover when working for yourself
• A clearer understanding of how to use management information to achieve your objectives.

HOW TO APPLY:

To apply for a place on this free, one-day workshop fill in the short application form by Nov 13. You will need to register on the site if you have not done so already so have your union membership number to hand.

All our workshops have been over-subscribed to date, so we will choose successful applicants randomly after the cut-off date and let you know if you have been successful (or not) in securing a place within a week after the cut-off date.

WHO’S AN FEU TRAINING MEMBER?

The National Union of Journalists, Equity, the Musicians’ Union and the Writers’ Guild are working together in this instance under the banner of ‘The Federation of Entertainment Unions’. This enables us to maximize resources to deliver skills development opportunities common to our multi-union members.

Our aim is to help the career progress of our freelance members through the recession and beyond by providing a range of free and low cost blended-learning opportunities.

More info:

Tel: 07914 937 243
Email: [email protected]

Free one-day workshop for creative freelances: Manchester

Date: Nov 17

Time: 10am – 4.30am

Venue:

WFA Media & Cultural Centre
9 Lucy Street
Old Trafford
Manchester
M15 4BX

Apply Online

Content

The end of the financial year (Jan 31, 2012) will be upon those of us who are self-employed soon.

To help you get to grips with key financial issues and to ensure that you don’t waste your hard-earned cash through ignorance, this free workshop includes:

Budgeting and money management

• Personal and business financial issues
• Short- and long-term aims and objectives
• Covering overheads
• Project direct/variable costs
• Survival budgeting
• Break-even analysis
• Practical trading and cash flow forecasting
• Profit and loss calculation
• Pricing and costing
• Agent and agency commissions, credit and debt control.

Legal Entities and Business Vehicles

• Evaluating and explaining business status such as employment, self-employment and owner-management
• Key Contract differentials for performers and stage management
• The pros and cons
• Income streams
• Trading names
• “IR35″/agency tax status issues
• Other liabilities.

Working with HMRC

• Business registration
• Tax explained, including Capital Gains Tax, Income and Corporation taxes plus VAT
• Allowable business expenses
• Personal, investment and capital allowances, tax credits, pension premiums, vehicle benefits and mileage allowances
• National Insurance Contributions: Classes (1,2,3 and 4) and main social security benefits
• Tax returns, bands, rates and dates: how to calculate, minimise and when to make payments.

Business Administration

• Books and record-keeping – what, why and for how long.

 Business and Network Development

• The 80/20 rule
• Staying in control of your business
• Maximising the potential of valuable support.

Who should attend

• Those freelances working in the creative industries who wish to get a better insight into how to manage their finances effectively.

Learning outcomes

• A clearer understanding of what financial issues you need to cover when working for yourself
• A clearer understanding of how to use management information to achieve your objectives.

HOW TO APPLY:

To apply for a place on this free, one-day workshop fill in the short application form by Nov 3. You will need to register on the site if you have not done so already so have your union membership number to hand.

All our workshops have been over-subscribed to date, so we will choose successful applicants randomly after the cut-off date and let you know if you have been successful (or not) in securing a place within a week after the cut-off date.

WHO’S AN FEU TRAINING MEMBER?

The National Union of Journalists, Equity, the Musicians’ Union and the Writers’ Guild are working together in this instance under the banner of ‘The Federation of Entertainment Unions’. This enables us to maximize resources to deliver skills development opportunities common to our multi-union members.

Our aim is to help the career progress of our freelance members through the recession and beyond by providing a range of free and low cost blended-learning opportunities.

More info:

Tel: 07914 937 243

Email: [email protected]