Category: FEU Training Blog

The last couple of decades have seen a succession of new technologies that have helped creative professionals market their services. First, there were email and websites. Then came Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and as sure as night follows day, there will be another great leap forward in the not-to-distant future.

As technology progresses, anyone who promotes the old methods is likely to be branded a Luddite. And yet, in all areas of our hi-tech lives, there is much to commend tried-and-tested approaches. Thirty years ago, for example, microwaves promised to revolutionise cooking, and yet we still love a slow-cooked meal from a traditional oven. Likewise, the arrival of TV in the 1950s did not kill radio. For that matter, nor has the e-book destroyed paperbacks.

Undoubtedly, the online world offers a host of very useful additions to the freelances’ marketing toolkit. But many people are so fixated on new approaches they forget a very simple maxim that particularly applies to the creative industries: humans buy from humans.

Some products and services are ideally suited to be bought and sold online. If you do your weekly shop via a supermarket website, for example, or click a few boxes to change your gas supplier, you are buying standard, inanimate products. But as a creative freelance, you are neither ‘standard’ nor ‘inanimate’ - you are unique and human (one would hope).

As a human being, you are defined by your personality, your life experiences, your emotions, your hopes and fears. When you try to sell your services to a client, you will form the closest links if you can find more personable ways of interacting. This means connecting like human beings have since the dawn of time: with voices and facial expressions; with handshakes and pecks on the cheeks; face-to-face, eyeball-to-eyeball, communicating openly and sharing other people’s physical space.

This is not to say, of course, that using technology is misguided. On the contrary, LinkedIn, Facebook, email, etc. have totally redefined how freelances connect with potential clients. But these should be seen as complements – rather than substitutes - for ‘old school’ approaches.

Online marketing methods have inherent limitations that are rarely, if ever, acknowledged by their supporters. Email, for example, offers a quick, convenient and free means of getting in touch with prospective clients. The problem is, of course, that every other freelance in your line of work shares this belief, and consequently, clients are bombarded with messages.

If you are unknown to the client, it’s likely your email will be ignored. At this point, you may be tempted to send another email as a ‘reminder’, but the chances are this will be ignored too. If you repeat this pattern, you might even start to question your own worth: constant rejection is a sure way to dent confidence. Alternatively, you might just give up and move onto the next prospective client. But there is a third option.

Twenty years ago, before email became widely-used, the vast majority of initial contact between freelance and client was done by telephone. There was never any guarantee of success but this medium will always be infinitely more human than the written word.

A phone conversation is far more dynamic and immediate than an email exchange. By speaking and listening, you can discuss, negotiate and respond quickly to unexpected statements. The other person’s voice tone allows you to gauge their mood and you can adjust yours accordingly. Phone calls are also far more time-efficient than emails: you can say much more in a minute than you can type, and you don’t need to wait hours – possibly days - for a reply.

In these terms, the phone is clearly more effective than emails for the initial contact, so why don’t we use it more often? One reason is that emails are too convenient: you can write one message, copy-paste it to an infinite number of recipients, click ‘send’ and convince yourself that you have done a good self-marketing job. Not many creative professionals enjoy the process of selling their services so email is often seen as a panacea. For the reasons outlined above, however, it is not.

Contrary to received wisdom, technology does not provide the answer to all our problems. This was true of the microwave and the television, and it applies equally to social media and other online technologies. It is also highly debateable if technology can ever hope to offer a truly effective and complete marketing solution for the creative professional.

This is not to say, of course, that we should dump our laptops and go back to handwritten letters. A website, for example, is an excellent way of telling the world about your skills and experience but it is unlikely that you will be offered a commission on the strength of your online presence alone. To make the most of new technology, we need to blend it with the best of the old techniques.

Whether you are a musician, actor, writer or journalist, work tends to arrive in fits and starts: such is the chaotic nature of freelancing. Only rarely will you enjoy a steady, predictable flow of jobs, and the variability of freelance work will inevitably have an impact on your cash flow.

Freelance bank accounts can lurch from hideously overdrawn, to healthily in the black, and then, before the next payment arrives, back into negative territory. And just when you have paid all your bills, the tax deadline looms and you start desperately digging between the sofa cushions for loose change. OK, maybe this is an exaggeration, but an unpredictable cash flow is a perennial issue for many freelances.

Set targets

There is no simple answer to this problem, but you can take measures, which will minimise the trauma. The first is to set yourself a financial goal for the year. This could be a radical suggestion because many freelances work on the assumption that they simply need to earn ‘as much as possible.’ But the problem with this strategy is that you are destined never to be content. With no target, there is no satisfaction.

You might also be tempted to compare yourself with others in your field and set your goal accordingly. There is nothing wrong with ambition – on the contrary, aspiring to improve keeps us motivated – but it’s important to remember that everyone has different skills, experience, contacts, and luck. Just because someone else has scooped a major contract it doesn’t mean you are a failure, nor should you feel a burning urge to beat your rival next time. Don’t let other people set your goals: you need to decide for yourself.

The starting point, therefore, is to sit down with a pen, paper and calculator and figure out how much money you need – rather than how much money you want - per month. In other words, what does it cost to put a roof over your head, heat and light your home, feed yourself (and any dependents) and have a reasonable existence? This is your ‘survival income.’ Next, add amounts for those things that make life more enjoyable – trips to the restaurant, shopping mall, a vacation, etc. – and call this your ‘happy income.’

Then, add 25% to each figure (this will be explained below.) So long as you bring in the lower amount each month, you will survive and if you hit the upper amount, you will be content. The next step is to draw on your experience and estimate how many jobs or commissions you need to achieve these income figures. Naturally, not all work is the same but you should be able to equate your ‘output’ with financial amounts. For example, a journalist might need payment for four feature articles a month to reach their ‘happy income + 25%’ but could survive if they only wrote one and did four days subediting work.

You now have a pair of targets that are specific to your own circumstances, and, by thinking about your financial objectives in terms of units of work, you can envisage how you might achieve your goals. Consequently, you have a framework against which you can build a marketing strategy. This framework does not eradicate chaos – work will still arrive sporadically – but, at least, you have accurate benchmarks that will forewarn you of difficult, or indeed lucrative, times ahead.

Get even

Next, you need to even out the undulations of cash flow. It is not unusual for freelances to earn very little – or maybe even nothing - in some months. Work can be seasonal, invoice payment can be painfully slow, and other times, the market for your services will be moribund. Conversely, you might experience a boom and effortlessly break through your ‘happy income + 25%.’ If this is the case, resist the temptation to spend the excess immediately, and pay it into a separate bank account. This is your contingency fund from which you can draw funds if your monthly income dips below ‘survival’ levels.

This strategy may appear tediously conservative but it is preferable to the alternative: debt. Short-term credit may be necessary from time-to-time but borrowing money to finance basic living expenses is expensive, stressful and highly restrictive. Debt is manageable if you have a regular, predictable income because you know that you can afford the payments. But if you have a low-income month, payments to creditors will put inordinate strain on your finances.

Quick transfer

Finally, when you receive a payment, immediately transfer a quarter of the amount to your contingency fund. This equates to the 25% you added to your ‘survival’ and ‘happy income’ figures earlier, and by stashing this away, you will be prepared for the inevitable tax bill. A quarter of your income is a conservative, rule-of-thumb estimate and, when you have subtracted your tax-free allowance and business expenses in your end of year accounts, you will find a welcome surplus, which you can finally spend on whatever you like, with a clear conscience.

The contingency account is an essential weapon in the freelance’s eternal struggle with chaos. Without one, you are exposing yourself to the whims of unpredictable and unforgiving markets. Even if your earnings are normally very modest, it is important to put something away for the inevitable slack period. It is equally vital to make sure there is money set aside for the taxman, otherwise you will need to use next year’s income to pay last year’s tax. There will be times when this approach requires an iron will, but it is far preferable to onerous interest charges, credit card bills that never seem to diminish, and the nagging clouds of debt.

One of the greatest attractions of freelancing is the variety. Potentially, every job is different: you deal with different people; maybe in different parts of the country; and every mission presents a new and exciting challenge. But there is a thin line between variety and chaos, and both are defining characteristics of working for yourself.

Although ‘chaos’ usually carries negative connotations, it is not necessarily destructive. The trick is to firstly accept that a freelance career is unpredictable, and trying to impose order on such an inherently fluid world will just add to your stress levels. So many factors are simply out of your control and worrying about, for example, client budgets, what your ‘competitors’ are doing, or the health of the global economy is pointless. You can, however, prepare yourself for inevitable chaos by understanding its nature.

First, many freelances will identify with the phrase ‘feast or famine.’ Although your domestic outgoings are predictable, your flow of work – and payments – can vary dramatically. You are either toiling 14 hours a day trying to keep four frantic clients happy (while wondering if you will ever enjoy a relaxing weekend again) or you’re staring out of the window and asking yourself why you didn’t accept that safe-but-boring 9-to-5 job you were offered a month ago.

Your workload will never be perfectly balanced but you can alleviate some of the pain by trying, if possible, to secure some regular work. This might seem obvious but often freelances either take whatever projects come their way or intuitively focus on the most lucrative. If, however, you purposefully hunt for, maybe, a guaranteed day a week, perhaps earning lower than your normal rate, you’ll have a steady stream of income as a bedrock for the chaos.

Conversely, you may have far too much work and might be intensely worried about how you’ll hit your deadlines. It’s at this point, of course, the phone rings and another client is desperate for your services. Although it contradicts the freelance’s instinct, learning when and how to say ‘no’ is an essential skill. The danger is, of course, that if you do decline, the client will go elsewhere and never return. But, if you can offer something other than an outright negative, work may not be sacrificed.

For example, a copywriter, journalist or musician could ‘sub-contract’ the work to a trusted associate but still manage the project by providing the quality control, and sending the invoice. Alternatively, you could try to negotiate the deadline, perhaps by breaking the task into more manageable segments and at least begin the work on time, which may stop the client from offering the whole job to someone else. Whatever your chosen strategy, it is essential that the phone call ends on a positive note. If all you can do is make the client feel less stressed by offering a viable alternative, you have dealt with this manifestation of chaos to the best of your abilities.

It is also wise to look for new work when you are relatively busy. Again, this is counter-intuitive because it seems logical to focus on the job in hand and then wait for a lull before chasing new opportunities. However, this seemingly rational approach can backfire horribly. If you neglect active marketing until the current job is finished, you could be faced with a very lean period. It often takes weeks, sometimes months, for a prospective client to commission you and then, of course, it could be another long wait before you receive payment.

The solution is to set aside maybe half a day a week – every week - to make some phone calls, follow up on emails, dangle new ideas in front of possible clients and update your LinkedIn profile - anything that will keep your name in people’s minds. As always, your self-promotional efforts are not guaranteed to deliver work to your door when you need it most, but waiting for the phone to ring when you are desperate for work can be very frustrating.

None of these techniques are guaranteed to regulate your work schedule but they can help smooth the rough edges of chaos. If you have discovered other ways to balance your workload, please add them below. In the next blog, I’ll share some tips on how to deal with the peaks and troughs of income that inevitably accompany the chaotic life of a freelance.

We covered what being assertive is and isn’t in the last blog, but how do we become more assertive if it doesn’t come naturally? Follow these five steps to help you take your assertiveness skills up a notch.

1. Work out what you want

There’s no point in learning to behave assertively, if you don’t actually know what it is you want; no point in arguing over a payment rate if you don’t know what is acceptable and nothing to be gained from getting your choice of restaurant agreed by a group if you don’t even know if the food is any good!

If you haven’t already done so, the first step to being assertive is to set yourself some clear goals and targets and work out how important they are to you, and what it will mean to you to achieve them. This is also where the motivation to go for what you want comes from.

Think about areas or situations in which you think you could be more assertive – times when you could have kicked yourself for not speaking or equally destructive, when you unnecessary lost your rag with someone and suffered (possibly quite rightly) as a results. Once you’ve identified some of these, make up your mind to substitute the passive/aggressive/passive-aggressive behaviour with more assertive tactics. This may take a bit of practise but keep trying until you experience better results both in what happens and how you feel about your new, self-respectful self.

2. Get into the right mind-set

It’s all very well sorting out what you want, but if you are running some programme in your head that says, going for what you want is ‘selfish’, or ‘not for the likes of you,’ this will get in the way.

Be honest with yourself and take some time to think about what the downside of getting your goals might be. Sometimes we worry we will lose our friends, or that it will change who we actually are. We may be worried this path will disappoint someone we really care about.

Only by being honest and getting our fears out in the open and admitting they are concerns, will you be able to address them rationally and emotionally, and put them to rest.

If you think getting what you want is selfish or somehow you’re undeserving, imagine being your own best friend listening to you saying that. What would your best friend say?

Understand it’s not personal, apart from when it is! Obviously everything we do is about relationship, but many of us assume that to stick up for ourselves professionally is hard to do and still be liked. I would argue that this is not true - being professionally assertive is likely to gain you respect. Respect is a fantastic foundation for being liked once you’ve got all the business negotiations out of the way.

Be confident in what you want and flexible about what may be possible. This is an incredibly powerful combination.

3. Take responsibility

Who’s driving the bus?

It’s unlikely that anyone is going to take you gently aside, tell you to grab a coffee and relax while they sort out all the problems in your life. So why do so many of us act as though this is a possibility, and stand back allowing others to take major decisions in many areas of our life.

Sticking up for yourself is not pushy, it’s simply recognising that at the end of the day you, and only you, will have to deal with the consequences of your actions and decisions.

Feel the power

None of us have control over everything that happens in our lives, but we are all in charge of how we react to it, and for the choices we make as a result.

Bad things happen to all of us at some time, we can’t make people employ us, or stop them from closing productions or publications. There are many events completely outwith our control, which happen to us all. However, we always have choices. The first choice we have to make is whether to feel like a victim and do nothing, or whether to say, OK, this has happened, what can I do right now to move myself forward?

When something bad happens, you can choose whether to make it a blip or major catastrophe. It may not be easy, but it’s possible. Basically, you’ve got that power! If you want a musical accompaniment to this sentiment, click this link and turn up the volume and enjoy a quick burst of “I’ve got the power” by Snap!

4. Behaving assertively

There are many ways we can learn to behave more assertively, we have highlighted some key ones below:

Two heads are better than one

Be clear about what you want and why and spend time understanding what others are trying to achieve. It may be that you can find common ground that will give you both enough of what you want - to make a compromise possible. Always approach things as a joint problem solver, not an adversary.

Use language that shows you are taking responsibility

Use ‘I’ language, as in, “I need…”, “I want…”, “ I feel….”.

When sentences start with “You,” you are not speaking from the position you know most about, and the other person may feel you are blaming, or shifting responsibility onto them. For example:

1. “I need to make enough money on this job to cover my living expenses.”

versus: “You need to offer me enough money for me to cover my living expenses.”

2. “I’m not sure I want to get involved in this project.”

versus: “You are trying to get me to commit to something I’m not sure about.”

3. “I’m torn because this is a great opportunity but the pay is lower than I expected.”

versus: “You know it’s a great job so you’re trying to pressurise me into accepting a low a pay rate.”

In some cases the differences can be quite subtle, but if you put yourself on the receiving end of these sentences, you will immediately feel how differently they come across.

Sticking with “I,” also makes it much harder to argue with. No-one can disagree with how you feel, or what you say you need or want, but if you tell other people what they need or want, or suggest they can control how you feel, then that can sound aggressive.

Don’t feel obliged to respond immediately

Take time out before responding to something if you feel too angry or upset to deal with it immediately. Being assertive doesn’t mean you don’t feel emotions, you just don’t allow them to drive the situation. It is always an option to say: ‘I’m not sure how I feel about this currently. I’ll get back to you later.’

5. Learn to say “no”

Being able to say no politely, especially when there is an element of obligation attached to a request, is the ‘Gold Standard’ in assertive land. Most of us have our Achilles heel, where we repeatedly end up doing things we don’t want to do, helping out when we don’t really have the time or resources to, or spending time at social events we’d rather give a miss.

Of course we all have to do things we don’t want to sometimes, but many of us really do struggle to quite reasonable say no, just because we have been asked directly to participate. Once you are a fully-fledged assertive ‘graduate’, you will be able to say no, without causing offence, or feeling bad about it.

Go on try it!

'Well, I don’t like to be pushy,” was the answer I got to a question the other day. I’ve never considered assertiveness as being ‘pushy’. I started to think about how I would describe it.

What is assertiveness?

Being assertive is the grown up place to be - it’s where you are able to stand up for yourself without trampling or bullying others. It’s about being flexible and creative in finding suitable alternatives, working with others to find compromises when what you want clashes with their needs, and being able to walk away and find new opportunities when compromise isn’t possible.

Being assertive is about being confident in who you are, seeing yourself as a willing contributor to the world and not a master or servant.

It’s also about having the confidence and choosing not to assert yourself in every situation - when you feel there is no point in doing so.

To be specific - being assertive is:

Taking responsibility for yourself and what you want to do and achieve. It’s about knowing that it’s up to you to express your needs and aspirations clearly and unambiguously. This doesn’t mean that anyone else then has to make that happen. It is still fully your responsibility to work out how you can move closer towards achieving your own goals.

Finding co-operative solutions in any situation. Assertive people don’t blame or make unreasonable demands on others. Also, they don’t put up and shut up and undertake a route they fundamentally disagree with. Instead they work with and around conflicting needs to find a suitable solution, or agree to take divergent paths, without having to give or receive personal slight or injury.

Standing up for yourself and what you want or need, while taking into consideration what other people are trying to achieve for themselves, and being prepared to negotiate and compromise where appropriate.

Managing your own reactions. While you may not have control over everything that happens in your life, you can control how you react to it, and the choices you make as a result. People may say: “They make me so angry,” but other people cannot ‘make’ you feel or do anything without your agreement or compliance. They may act in ways that you dislike and disagree with, but how you react is entirely up to you.

Respecting yourself and others, which means being confident that you and your needs matter while recognising that they might not be a priority for others.

Being aggressive:

• Is often about being right at all cost and often just for the sake of being right. Aggressive behavior is usually unbending or uncompromising. It’s about acting in such a way as to coerce or even force people to do what you want no matter how they feel about it and can easily slide into intimidation and bullying.
• is confrontational with little scope for debate or negotiation.
• can be manipulative.
• often indicates a loss of emotional control. When people are being aggressive, they often don’t moderate their emotions, losing their tempers without caring if it’s appropriate or damaging to others.

Being passive:

• Is about pleasing others – often by sacrificing one’s own wants and needs – sometimes even when you don’t agree with what you are doing.
• Is following others without expecting your needs or opinions to be considered.
• Is about lack of self-respect, and in some ways lack of respect or belief in others, thinking that they will somehow be unable to deal with or handle your opinions and preferences.

A subset of the two alternative options above is being passive aggressive, which is:

• Doing what others want but with a grudge.
• Quietly sabotaging things with a false smile.
• Using emotional blackmail and other manipulative strategies to get your own way without explicitly expressing your opinion.
• Trying to provoke feelings of guilt in others to coerce them into doing what you want.

Passive aggressive behavior can flip very easily directly into fully aggressive behavior. In fact people often seesaw between the two extremes.

Examples of responses across all these options

Imagine a situation where you are a performer and have been offered work, which you would love to do. It entails mixing with the right people and will be great to add to your portfolio. It’s going to take up 50% of your time over the Christmas period, when you are usually in demand. Still, they have asked first, and you can still manage to fit in some of the other work so you won’t have to let down most of your regulars.

Just as you are about to head off and celebrate, they mention that the rate is going to be a substantially reduced one. In fact, it is half what you expected, and only a third of what you will earn from the other work you are pretty sure you will be offered. How do you respond?

 

Aggressive option:

“You are having a laugh. I wouldn’t get out of bed for that rate. You can shove that offer where the sun doesn’t shine mate. Good luck with finding some sucker to do that for you!”

Consequences – A terminally damaged relationship between you and that client.

 

Passive option:

“Oh, that’s less than I was expecting, but I really want to work here, so OK, thanks.” (Does mental calculation that they can live on beans on toast for six weeks, and it’ll be worth it in the end.)

Consequences – You suffering potentially unnecessarily, and possible even being thought less of for not standing up for yourself.

 

Passive aggressive option:

“That’s great thanks, I’m really look forward to working with you all.” (Shakes hands while thinking to self, if something better comes along, I’ll just let them down and it’ll serve them right for being so stingy! What a bunch of con artists!).

Consequences – You are unlikely to enjoy this work if you actually do it, and will very likely damage the relationship with that client if you let them down.

 

Assertive option:

“Oh, that rate really is much less than I was expecting. This is my busy time of year, and I will very likely have to let down some of my regular bookings to do this work. I realise that it’s a great opportunity and I would love to do it, but this rate is a problem for me. We are so far apart, I wonder if we are perhaps talking about a slightly different level of commitment of work or time. I would be very happy to chat this through and see if we can find a way to agree to something that works for us both.” (If the rate cannot be budged, there may be some bartering that would be possible, if not, then it should be possible to walk away without any hard feelings on either side.)

Consequences – You will either reach an agreement that works for both of you, or you will part company, with the client understanding what your issues are, and why you are unable to agree. The relationship will be intact, respect for each other will still be there, and you have scope to work together some time in the future, when circumstances are more flexible.

So where are you?

Let’s be honest here, we all spend some time in each of these spaces in the different contexts of our life. Wouldn’t it be great to spend more and more time in assertive mode?

Just for a bit of fun, take the test in this link to see how assertive you are. You don’t need to log your details to do the test unless you want to save and record the results.

Unless you are a super assertive person, (in which case you are unlikely to be reading this) you might be wondering what do you need to do to become more assertive? Our next blog will be packed with tips for being more assertive.

I admire anyone who sets New Year resolutions and actually sticks to them. In my case, my main priority at that time of year is reaching spring without slitting my wrists!

Dramatic I know but, a sensation seeker to the core, the post festive slump combined with the 'starless and bible-black' nights can have a S.A.D. effect on my oh so creative sensibility – leading to too much navel gazing and not enough action. At least I know myself.

This is why I choose autumn to review what I’ve achieved and what I want to do next. Perhaps because of that lingering ‘back to school’ feeling, I find this is a great time to assess the old and plan the new. Advantageously, it also means that I am well into the journey by the time January is upon us and can just switch back into work mode rather than waste time cranking up the gears of possibility.

Whatever the timing, goal setting is a powerful success technique as most higher flyers will tell you.

Simplistically, if you know what you want from life, you have much more chance of getting it! Alternatively, you can let others take control, which is fine if that’s what makes you happy. However, if you’re taking a laissez faire approach to your ambitions, don’t get bitter and twisted if you end up with what others want and not what your heart desires.

If you’re about to take a shot at defining some new goals, using the S.M.A.R.T principle will help you focus on and achieve the prize.

Specific

Clearly define each of your goals so that you have specific targets to aim for. This sounds obvious but how many times have you vaguely thought you’d like to do something in your life but never got around to it? “I want to change” is not a goal – think about exactly what you want to achieve and what actions this will entail.

Measurable

Quantifying your goal ensures that you can assess your achievement levels as you go along and know when you’ve achieved that goal. For example, I want to be rich is too vague while I want to earn £100,000 by the end of year gives you a measurable target to work to.

Achievable

Goals need to be within your reach so that you are motivated enough to commit to achieving them while being challenging enough to change your life in the way that you foresee.

If you set yourself a big challenge, make sure that you also set interim goals along the way. Also, to stay motivated, your goal needs to have true meaning and value to you as opposed to being something that you think you should or could do, perhaps because society tells you so.

Realistic

While dreams can come true and you should never be discouraged from aiming high, it’s important to be realistic in both what you’re aiming for and the resources you have to achieve this.

Self-belief, confidence and persistence are all marks of successful people but so is the ability to recognise when you’re aiming for the wrong goal and to re-assess and change direction when necessary.

Timely

Setting deadlines is a great way to get and stay motivated. If you don’t achieve your goal by the set deadline, you can either extend it or re-assess the situation asking yourself why you didn’t meet the deadline and what else you will need to do so next time to ensure a more favourable result.

Remember, being motivated to achieve your goals is a consistent effort in which you will be continually evaluating and adapting what you are doing and sometimes what you want to achieve.

For more information on goal setting, go to the FEU Training digital learning centre.

Many of us are familiar with the line from George Bernard Shaw’s play Man and Superman: “He who can, does; he who cannot teaches.”

Well, I would beg to differ - some of the best teachers/trainers I have come across in my career are also highly successful industry professionals. When that blend is right, you have a powerful combination. You have someone who does the job, who knows what they’re talking about and who can effectively pass that skill and experience on.

Teaching can become a useful part of a portfolio career. But making the leap from thinking about it, to successfully doing it, means considering a few key things:

Are you sure teaching is for you?

Unless you really want to enable others, moving into teaching/training may still be possible but you may not enjoy it or be any good at it. Or, it may be that you say to yourself, ‘I won’t know until I try.’ Fair enough. So, in that case, it might be useful to explore ways of dipping your toe in to the water. For example, if you have a colleague/contact who teaches, maybe you could shadow them and help out as an assistant at a few of their classes. That way you will get a feel of what it is like to be at the front of the class, enabling and enthusing others.

What audience are you most suited to?

We are looking here at using teaching/training as an additional skill, not as a full-time job, such as a school teacher (unless you love it so much you wish to go that way!) But as a practitioner/teacher, all age groups are still open to you and it is important to know what your preferences are.

I enjoy teaching adults of all ages and feel confident with the 16-year plus age group. But I don’t teach younger children, as I think my skills are more suited to adults. This is useful information as I can concentrate on what I am at my best. So, think about your preferred age group and focus on opening up opportunities there - at least to start.

What training do I need?

The truth is that many industry practitioners who now teach have not had any training. They have learned on the job as they expand what they teach. It also depends where you want to teach. For example, as an Associate Tutor (AT) at university level, this can mean being hired for your current industry experience and your proven ability to teach (which can come from experience in other areas, for example, running workshops or courses for other organisations).

In my case, as an AT, once accepted on the staff, I was then offered ongoing CPD (continuous professional development) and training.

If you wish to teach in further education, perhaps delivering evening classes in adult and community education (a very common sphere for industry practitioners like ourselves), then doing some basic training might be essential. For example:

PTTLS – pronounced ‘petals’, this stands for 'Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector'. It is a bare minimum to have as a formal qualification. If you do put yourself through this, it will show potential clients and employers that you have shown a level of commitment to teaching and have an understanding of how to teach.

PTTLS can be done through local colleges or privately. The cost differs vastly, so be careful which one you choose. Depending on your needs, you can take the PTTLS course in an one intensive week or over a number of months.

When you start looking online for PTTLS courses and information, you will find a dizzying array of providers. Look for a good overview of the qualification and higher ones (e.g., DTLLS – the Diploma level beyond PTTLS) the Institute for Learning’s (IFL) website is very useful.

'Train the trainer' courses

Unlike PTTLS, where there is a common nationally recognised framework that must be worked to, train the trainer courses can vary vastly in content and effectiveness and industry recognition so, again, it's important to be careful to choose the right one.

When starting out, my advice would be to look at PTTLS first, then consider other training as and when you feel the need and can afford it. With teaching, experience is the key – the more you do it, the better you get at it and the richer that aspect of your career becomes.

Disclosure and barring

If you have worked in your creative field with children or vulnerable adults, you may well have been subject to a CRB – Criminal Records Bureau – check. If not, and you intend to go into teaching/training, even if it is with adults, it is likely that you will be asked to undergo checks.

Recently the government created the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), which replaces the old CRB system. Its aim is to keep information on an individual’s suitability to work with vulnerable groups. Once you have been checked and receive your certificate, you can register to keep it updated and accessible online to future clients and employers. *Note – the initial application must be made by an employer. You cannot apply to have yourself checked. So, for example, if a college requires your services, they will make the application.

Thereafter, registering to keep it updated and accessible online currently costs you £13 a year. This means that future clients and employers can check your status instantly, rather than having to apply and wait (and perhaps you losing that teaching job to someone who has an updated DBS certificate). For more information on the DBS.

Want to learn more?

FEU Training is running a number of free workshops around the country this year. If you would like to attend, look out for updates for workshops coming to your region or register your interest at [email protected] (if we have sufficient demand, we’ll come to you).

We looked at financial contingency planning in my last blog. So, what else could we consider?

Keep clients informed

In the case of my recent broken wrist, I was lucky. Any work I had to do during my ‘plaster cast period’, I have managed. But what if I couldn’t? The last thing I would want to do would be to let down a client.

If you have built up a good reputation for delivering quality work to deadline, most people would probably be sympathetic if you couldn’t work for a while. However, on a practical note, they still have to manage the working process and meet their brief with or without your contribution. If you act quickly to keep your clients in the loop, you’re much more likely to limit the damage.

If you can re-jig deadlines and work and still keep the client happy, great. In my case, I phoned and emailed everyone to let them know what had happened. Before I did this, I came up with a contingency plan that might work for each client. For example, I was scheduled to work for one client for two days that week. So, when I rang them, I assured them that I could re-schedule the two days to the next week (as I knew that the work wasn’t too time sensitive).

Arrange support

Depending on what your work is, it may also be worth thinking about making arrangements for somebody else that you trust to fill in for you for a short time period if needs be. For example, in my teaching work, I have an ‘approved by my client’ work buddy who can take my class if I can’t.

You might also want to brief somebody on contacting clients to let them know what has happened if you are unable to do so yourself.

Managing the aftermath of my accident hasn’t been too difficult as I had a good idea of what I would do in the case of emergencies. However, I am now thinking of additional contingency plans I could make. This doesn’t mean I’m wasting energy obsessing about potential calamities in the future but ensuring that, if anything does happen, I am as prepared as possible to cope. Knowing that I have plans in place means that I can stop worrying and get on with my life.

Want to learn more?

FEU Training is running a number of free workshops around the country this autumn. If you would like to attend, look out for updates for workshops coming to your region or register your interest at [email protected] (if we have sufficient demand, we’ll come to you).

Picture this: as a hardworking freelance who spends most of her time writing at her desk or standing in rooms delivering workshops or classes, I try to keep fit. Cycling is a passion of mine. It also helps me think clearly, often about work, as I coast along through beautiful countryside. Most pleasing.

Now picture this: a tricky bit of off-road. I falter. Bang! I have broken my wrist, which means a plaster cast for six weeks. My first thought within seconds of falling and knowing I had done some real damage? Will I be able to type? If I can’t, I can’t work, Disaster.

As it happened, luck had not completely abandoned me. I broke my left wrist and I am right-handed. And after an initial short period, I was able to type with both hands even though wearing a plaster cast. Basically, it could have been much worse!

However, the whole episode has got me thinking about the importance of contingency planning. Given the law of averages, at some point in our freelance careers, many of us will have a mishap – accident or illness – which could keep us out of the working loop for a considerable amount of time. What would you do? What can you do? We can’t see into the future but we can plan for such things happening.

From analysing my recent experience, talking to fellow freelances and looking at some of the advice and experiences I’ve read online, there are a few important elements to consider when putting together a contingency plan:

• Finances/cash flow
• Insurance cover
• Support from colleagues
• Client relationships

Finances – keeping afloat

Cash flow, chasing invoices, getting paid and then paying our own bills can be challenging at the best of times! But effective contingency planning is a lot about money. Will I have enough money to survive if something goes wrong and I can’t work for a while?

In an ideal world, the rule of thumb is to have at least three months’ money set aside to tide you over if you have to take a break from work. So, do a thorough and honest budget about what you spend on a monthly basis, bearing in mind that this needs to be kept under review as costs e.g., of food/groceries keep changing.

Three months sounds a lot but think about it. One month is very risky – even a relatively straightforward broken bone like mine could have put me out of work for six weeks; two months does not give that practical and psychological comfort zone while three is a decent enough time for getting better and finding or re-establishing work.

It can be hard to make ends meet let alone save but it is sensible to plan for the unexpected (it doesn’t have to be an injury, it could be that one of your major clients goes out of business so you lose a large chunk of work and need time to find more). So try to start building up a 'just in case' fund now. Even if it’s just a few quid a week siphoned off into a dedicated account - one less packet of fags, one less bottle of wine, one less takeaway, one less cinema trip a week will soon add up. In no time, you will feel very satisfied as you see your financial lifeboat increase in size and grow ever more buoyant.

It’s not a saver’s market out there but try to find the best interest return for your money without locking it away. And remember, if you save your tax money in a savings account, you can always transfer the interest to your ‘lifeboat’ account.

(Also, ask your union if they have any benevolent/hardship funds you could apply to in the event of being unable to work through accident or illness. It’s worth knowing what might be available as if you were to have a mishap, it’s unlikely that you’d feel like looking around then.

Insurance – is it worth it?

Many of us will have taken out some professional insurance: to cover equipment, public liability, professional indemnity and suchlike. Some cover can be secured through our unions and it is always useful to know what you can get through your membership. Equity, for example, offer accident and backstage accident cover as part of membership benefits.

However, in the case of accidents away from work like mine, you need to consider what cover, if any, you might want. But before any further consideration of insurance cover, comes the question: Will I be able to get insurance? The truth is (speaking as the daughter of a former insurance underwriter, so the subject is in my blood!) you can always get cover from someone. But it may not be straightforward and the cost may be exorbitant.

Let’s look at the likely cover that you might be looking for. The main policies are: personal accident/injury cover; critical illness cover and income protection cover. The latter, in particular, can be very challenging to find for the self-employed but it is worth seeing what may be available.

There are a handful of insurers who handle schemes for creative professionals and they tend to already work with some of our trades unions. So, I would always recommend talking to the person at your union who deals with insurances and ask if they know of anyone covering the three areas mentioned above. The advice from your union is free and objective.

If you don’t find what you need through this route, don’t worry. From my own and other freelances’ experience, using a recommended insurance broker could be the answer. The ‘recommended’ part is key. Start asking colleagues if they know of anyone. The right broker will be able to get you a bespoke insurance package and answer questions about eligibility, etc.

Final warning

If you do find affordable insurance, be extra vigilant that it will do what it says. Think worst-case scenarios and check that the cover will protect you in the way that you will need and expect.

In the next blog, I’ll look at other areas of contingency planning apart from finance.

Want to learn more?

FEU Training is running a number of free workshops around the country this autumn. If you would like to attend, look out for updates for workshops coming to your region or register your interest at [email protected] (if we have sufficient demand, we’ll come to you).

From the last two blogs this month, you will hopefully be well on the way to working out where you are now and where you want to be in the future. Now all you have to do is work out how to get there!

Planning is not just about reaching the destination. It’s important to have some fun/satisfaction on the way. Ever hankered after a gadget or toy, or piece of equipment, but when you got it, were disappointed? Sometimes goals can be like this too, so it’s important to enjoy the journey.

There was an interesting article in The Guardian last year on the 5 Regrets of the Dying, where a palliative care nurse pulled together common themes from dying people. These included ‘being true to yourself’, ‘not working so hard’ and ‘choosing to be happier’. When working towards goals it’s important to keep what you are doing in perspective with the overall goal of having an enjoyable life – or a life that you define as satisfying.

Create goal reminders

Once you know what your goals are, it’s a good idea to create a constant reminder of what you are trying to achieve. One good way is to make a big collage of images, words, colours and photos, which capture the essence of what you want. This is sometimes referred to as a vision board. Pin it up somewhere prominent and add to it as you find new images to include.

Maybe there is one word or phrase that resonates deeply for you, if so, make it your screensaver and pin it up on the wall. Some people prefer to have a musical reminder. Whatever works for you, make sure you expose yourself to it regularly, so you always keep your goals in mind as well as remember how it feels to achieve them.

Identify key milestones

Take each goal and figure out what five things have to happen to allow you to achieve it. Then take each of those steps and work out what five things need to happen to achieve each one of those. Keep doing this, until you start to identify individual actions you can take this week.

Organise all the steps you have just identified, and create your overall plan.  If it helps, do this on a huge sheet of paper, or even your wall, using post-it-notes. That way you can move tasks around, as you find out more about how you are going to do them.

Your action list should drop out of this. If it’s helpful for you to do so, put these actions into your diary to make sure you allocate the time you’ll need to do them.

Find the gaps

Looking at your overall plan, are there any skills or knowledge gaps that you need to address. Do you need to acquire any experience or contacts? If so what are you going to do about that? Add the answer to your action list.

Track and review

Work out a system that works for you to track your progress. That could be scoring off actions on a list or colouring in blocks on a paper or electronic plan. Just make sure you keep reviewing that you are on track.

If you have your plan on the wall with post-it-notes, you could take a photograph, then take notes down as you complete them. Then take another photo each month, and see your progress. Put new steps up in a different colour, so you can tell what is your original plan, and what has developed later.

Celebrate your progress, not just your achievements. Actually put how you are going to celebrate onto the plan, so that having that treat becomes something else you need to knock off your to-do list!

Make your plans public

Start to talk about what it is you are working towards. Tell friends and family, and trusted colleagues. You’ll not only get lots of support and encouragement, especially when you share how much thought you have put into it, you may also get useful advice and honest feedback.

It also helps because by talking about your plans, you are also making a public declaration of your intentions. This is a great way of giving your plan more substance and making you accountable.

Another benefit is that friends and family will proudly chat to others about your plans, and you never know when someone knows someone, who knows someone, who could help!

Stay flexible and open

I always think of goals as setting a direction rather than a destination, because they really just give you something to aim for. Working towards a goal, is like heading along a road. There are junctions where you have to decide if left, right or straight on is best. There are lots of side roads, lay-bys, and really interesting detours you would be mad to miss.

If you can keep your overall target in sight, and still take time to enjoy a few detours, not only will you get experiences you didn’t expected, you may be drawn onto a new path you never even knew existed. Goals should never be written in stone, there should always be some room to accommodate real life happening.

No Regrets

Or as Edith Piaf would say, “Non, je ne regretted rien.” Goals are important, but so is perspective, so make sure you watch how your goals are fitting in with all the parts of your life, family, friends, health etc., and keep your regrets to a minimum.