Category: Free Workshops

Free workshop for members

The date and time: Sept 26, 2 - 4.30pm

The venue:

Musicians’ Union
60-62 Clapham Road
London
SW9 0JJ

Tutor: Muriel McClymont

 

Apply Online by Sept 18

 

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Workshop Content

Even the most positive, go-getting people sometimes experience a dip in confidence - especially when they’ve experienced a set back or are facing a particularly daunting challenge. In this short session, we’ll look at some key tools that will help you develop and maintain confidence whatever the circumstance including:

• What confidence feels and looks like to you
• Key attributes of confident people
• How you can develop your confidence in the short and longer term.

How to Apply

To attend our confidence booster session, fill in the short application form by Sept 18. You will need to register if you have not done so already so have your union number to hand.

All events have been over-subscribed to date so successful applicants will be chosen randomly after the cut-off date of Sept 18. We will let you know if your application has been successful by Sept 19.

WHO’S AN FEU TRAINING MEMBER?

Equity, the Musicians’ Union, the National Union of Journalists 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.

Further enquiries

E: [email protected]
T: 07580348726

Free workshop for members
Getting known to the right people

The date and time: Sept 19, 10.30-4.30

The venue:

Musicians’ Union
60-62 Clapham Road
London
SW9 0JJ

Tutor: Louise Grainger

 

Apply Online by Sept 11

 

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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 11, 2013

To apply for a place on this free, one-day workshop, fill in the short application form by Sept 11. 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 11. We will let you know if your application has been successful by Sept 12.

Further enquiries
E: [email protected]
T: 07580348726

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

The date and time: Sept 13, 11.30am - 5.30pm

The venue:

Mercury Theatre
Balkerne Gardens
Colchester
CO1 1PT

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

 

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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 3, 2013

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. We will let you know if your application has been successful by Sept 5.

Further enquiries
e: [email protected]
t: 07580 348726

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

 The date and time: Sept 12, 10.30am-4.30pm

The venue

Musicians’ Union
60-62 Clapham Road
London
SW9 0JJ

The ability to produce a CV/Career Summary/Résumé in a way that makes you stand out from the crowd is crucial. 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 by Sept 3, 2013

 

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Workshop Content

This workshop aims to give you the tools to assess each opportunity and how best to construct and tailor your CV/career summary/written introduction 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 this information 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/career summary/written introduction.

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 2, 2013

To apply for a place on this free, one-day workshop, fill in the short application form by Sept 2. 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. We will let you know if your application has been successful by Sept 4.

Tutors: Sue Walker and Muriel McClymont

Further enquiries
e: [email protected]
t: 07580 348726

Free workshops for members

The date and time: Sept 5 2013, 10.30 to 4.30

The venue
Equity
Upper St Martin’s Lane
London
WC2H 9EG

Tutor: Stuart Worthington

 

Apply online by August 26th

 

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Workshop content

Managing finances correctly and efficiently is an important issue for any freelance. This workshop will help you get to grips with key financial issues and to ensure that you don’t waste your hard-earned cash through ignorance. It 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.
• 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.

Apply online by August 26th

To apply for a place on this free session, fill in the short application form by Aug 26th. 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 Aug 26th. We will let you know if your application has been successful by Aug 28th.

WHO’S AN FEU TRAINING MEMBER?

Equity, the Musicians’ Union, the National Union of Journalists 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.

It’s free to join the FEU Training website and there’s a variety of advice and information available to members. To register: go to www.feutraining.org.

Further enquiries
e: [email protected]
t: 07580 348726

Free workshop for members

The date and time: Aug 16 2013, 2.00pm to 4.30pm

The venue:
The Musicians Union
60-62 Clapham Road
London
SW9 0JJ
T: 020 7840 5506

Tutor: Muriel McClymont

When the going gets tough, the tough get going! But how do they do they keep going? This workshop on building and developing resilience, will give you tools and ideas to help you bounce back from inevitable setbacks and maintain the momentum to reach your goals.

Resilience is certainly important if you’re going to be successful in the long term but it is not something you either have or don’t have - how resilient you are is more about habits of thinking than predetermination. The good news is that resilience is a skill and can be learnt.

 

Apply online by August 8th

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Workshop Content

This workshop includes:

• Looking at what resilience is
• Strategies to take action
• Finding the upside
• Learning to consider setbacks in a larger context.

Who should attend?

Anyone who feels they would like to come along to a fun session, with their fellow freelances and pick up some new ideas and strategies to build their resilience.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the workshop, you will:

• Understand the key elements of resilience
• Have tools and ideas to help develop your resilience
• Recognise your role and choice in how you react to setbacks
• Understand how to take something positive from the ‘bad’ stuff
• Discover that you are not alone!

Apply online by August 8th

To apply for a place on this free session, fill in the short application form by Aug 8th. 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 Aug 8th. We will let you know if your application has been successful by Aug 9th.

WHO’S AN FEU TRAINING MEMBER?

Equity, the Musicians’ Union, the National Union of Journalists 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.

It’s free to join the FEU Training website and there’s a variety of advice and information available to members. To register: go to www.feutraining.org.

Further enquiries
e: [email protected]
t: 07580 348726

Free workshop for members

The date and time: Jul 25 2013, 11.30am to 5.30pm

The venue
The Crescent Theatre
Sheepcote Street
B16 8AE

Tutor: Koullis Kyriacou

While many creative people feel uncomfortable about approaching potential clients to sell/pitch their work, most realise that the ability to introduce themselves, grab their attention and present their ideas clearly are key to creating work opportunities. This workshop will help you to pitch yourself/your work so that what you say hits the right note with each client.

 

Apply online by July 16th

 

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Workshop Content

Whatever your aim – perhaps you’re trying to introduce yourself to an important potential client or drum up interest for a song, script, article or idea - this workshop will help you to:

• Define your USP (unique selling proposition/s) in relation to different clients
• Identify your strengths and weaknesses
• Understand the environment you are working in
• Appreciate the difference between selling yourself and your product/service
• Look at the needs of the client
• Identify your own natural style of selling
• Prepare and practice the delivery of a pitch
• Be prepared to pitch at any time.

Who should attend?

Freelances working in the creative industries who wish to improve their sales pitch with the aim of obtaining new work.

Qualifications

No formal qualifications needed.

Learning outcomes

This workshop will help you to:

• Clarify what it is you have to sell
• Identify your natural style of selling
• Gain the necessary tools to prepare and deliver a sales pitch appropriate to the prospective client.

Apply online by July 16th

To apply for a place on this free, one-day workshop, fill in the short application form by July 16th. 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. We will let you know if your application has been successful within 48 hours of the deadline.

WHO’S AN FEU TRAINING MEMBER?

Equity, the Musicians’ Union, the National Union of Journalists 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.

Further enquiries
e: [email protected]
t: 07580 348726

Free workshop for members

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

The venue

Musicians' Union

60-62 Clapham Road
London
SW9 0JJ

You’re probably highly motivated when it comes to doing the core creative work that you love. However, you may be much less keen on the business side of freelancing, e.g., sourcing new clients and pitching ideas, which is vital in helping to create satisfying work opportunities and manage your working lives efficiently. This workshop will help you tap into and channel your creativity so that you can better tackle the essential tasks that you usually put off or avoid.

 

Apply online by July 3rd

 

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Workshop Content

You’re probably highly motivated when it comes to doing the core creative work that you love. However, you may be much less keen on the business side of freelancing, e.g., sourcing new clients and pitching ideas, which is vital in helping to create satisfying work opportunities and manage your working lives efficiently.

This workshop will help you tap into and channel your creativity so that you can better tackle the essential tasks that you usually put off or avoid.

We’ll look at time management and offer tools to help improve your productivity and efficiency.

We will demonstrate how you can change the way you see some of your business tasks and embrace them as not just essential and necessary but as fun and motivating! This workshop includes how to:

• prioritise your work
• motivate yourself to do the bits you currently don’t like
• manage your time
• use your creative talent to improve your business skills
• understand and tap into your own motivation strategies.

This workshop will be a mix of tutor input and exercises to help you achieve the balance you would like.

Who should attend?

Freelances who want to improve how they approach and complete the business tasks that support their creative work.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the workshop, you will:

• identify your own effective motivational strategies and know you can use these on your business activities
• know how to use your creativity to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the business side of your career
• re-define ‘difficult’ or ‘unappealing’ tasks so that they motivate and support you
• recognise how your creative talents and business skills are both essential, and support each other when more integrated.

Apply online by July 3rd

To apply for a place on this free, one-day workshop, fill in the short application form by July 3rd. 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 July 3rd. We will let you know if your application has been successful by July 5th.

Tutor: Muriel McClymont

Further enquiries
e: [email protected]
t: 07580 348726

Helping you create and retain work

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

The venue
Equity
Upper St Martin's Lane
London
WC2H 9EG

This workshop aims to help you ensure that you are better equipped to get work and stay in work in the long term.

 

Apply online by July 2nd

 

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Workshop Content

Working in the creative fields doing a variety of jobs and getting paid for it can be a truly exciting way to earn a living. Freelances by nature are go-getters, risk-takers, flexible and adaptable. Otherwise, we would all have settled for an office job!

But working successfully in this way means being able to manage and maximise the ‘cycle of freelancing’ - that continuous round of having to look for work, confirm work and keep an eye out for new work in the future. This course covers how to:

• effectively identify appropriate clients/markets
• maximise your marketing activities and fully promote your skills/experience
• stay on top of the business side of freelancing
• recognise what new skills you might need to acquire
• plan for the future.

Who should attend?

Anyone who wants to increase their chances of finding work and creating work continuity. No specific qualifications are required.

Expected Learning outcomes

You should expect to leave this workshop understanding how better to keep your freelance career on the move through:

• greater ability to identify clients
• better awareness-raising activities
• greater ability to manage your freelance business
• increased awareness of necessary skills development activities
• better planning.

Apply online by July 2nd

To apply for a place on this free, one-day workshop, fill in the short application form by July 2nd. 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. We will let you know if your application has been successful by July 4th.

Tutor: Sue Walker

Further enquiries
e: [email protected]
t: 07580 348726

Free workshop for members

The date and time: July 3rd, 10.30am to 4.30pm

The venue
Musicians' Union
60-62 Clapham Road
London
SW9 0JJ

Managing your stress levels and getting organised are essential if you are to make the most of the freelance lifestyle. This workshop helps you recognise the typical signs of stress and stay in control.

 

Apply online by June 24

 

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Workshop Content

This workshop will help you to spot the difference between ‘good stress’ and ‘bad stress’ with the aim of helping you to use stress positively while managing and controlling negative stress.

We’ll also look at tips and techniques to avoid the kind of stress traps that lie in wait for the unprepared freelance. Topics will include:

• What stress is
• Sign and symptoms (physical and emotional)
• The power of thought
• Getting organised
• Monitoring well-being
• Further resources.

Who should attend?

Freelances who want to have a better understanding of pitfalls and solutions to dealing with stress on a daily basis.

Learning outcomes

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

• understand how stress works and feel more comfortable discussing its effects
• identify early signs and symptoms, thereby aiding recovery
• develop strategies for monitoring stress and alleviating its effects
• become more organised to reduce stress
• know where to find further information and help.

Apply online by June 24

To apply for a place on this free, one-day workshop, fill in the short application form by June 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. We will let you know if your application has been successful by June 26.

Tutors: David Thomas

Further enquiries
e: [email protected]
t: 07710 240585