Re: Freelancing

["Peter Ring, PRC" <prc -at- PRC -dot- DK>]

Chantel Brathwaite asked:
>
> I am just curious.  I am working as a technical writer, full time, for a
> company and I am ok with it.  I am curious though about freelancing.
> Those of you who freelance, do you find that your time is more flexible,
> and that you have more time to do the things that you would like to do
> (like maybe take a month's worth of vacation)?  Or do you find that you
> have to take jobs because you never know where the next paycheck is
> coming from?  Can you share some of the up and down sides of
> freelancing?

Freelancing certainly gives you more flexible working hours (upwards)
and more time to do the things you really love (work):

- Instead of the usual 37 hours/week (Denmark), your more flexible
hours will be changing, typically between 40 and 70 hours per week. But
of course you may work on a Sunday and then take Monday off -- if the
weather report indicates it, and your family agrees. But don't forget
your cellular phone/GSM (see below).

- Instead of the usual 5 weeks holidays (Denmark), you can maybe get
2..3 weeks. But always be ready to cancel them (your spouse and kids
will love it) if a client calls you just before you are ready to leave.
And never take more than 2 weeks at a time.

- 24 hours a day, 365.25 days a year (even on your holidays) you stay
in touch with the real World through your cellular phone/GSM. You never
know if a new customer will call you -- and in fact they often do when
you are away.

- You are more likely to be in focus of the local tax authorities. That
gives you the chance for meeting interesting people with a drive.

- If you work hard you will probably earn almost the same as in an
employed job. But if you are employed you will never have the thrill
from never knowing where the next paycheck will come from, or when. Or
if they will pay at all or go bankrupt.

- You have complete freedom -- no boss! Instead you have something
called a "customer" or "client", almost acting like a boss.

- More variation in you work: instead of just techwriting, you are also
working with sales, marketing, bookkeeping, purchasing, finances
(mainly persuating your bank to increase your credit line limit),
strategies, method development, education (find-it-yourself),
governmental bureaucracy (statistics, VAT, etc.), ever changing tax
rules (and they'll cut your head off if you by accident break just one
of them), and negotiations with subcontractors. If you have been stupid
enough to hire just a single half time employee, also: management,
salary payment, more bureaucracy (in Denmark you must fill in approx. 4
inches of papers per year + 1 inch per employee), employment protection
rules, workers unions negotiations, workers safety rules, etc. These
few extra jobs typically take you in average 10 to 30 hours per week,
something you must take into account when setting your salary.

Yeah, it's great to be freelancing ;-))

In fact, it's more than a work, it's a lifestyle and/or a calling. And
some people like it, some can live with it, and some don't/can't. I'm
fairly happy with it, but I admit there are days where I'm looking at
my employed client contact persons with envy.


Greetings from Denmark

Peter Ring
PRC (Peter Ring Consultants)
- specialists in user friendly manuals.
  prc -at- prc -dot- dk
- the "User Friendly Manuals" website with links, bibliography, list
  of prof. associations, and tips for technical writers:
  http://www.prc.dk/user-friendly-manuals/
- special software for technical writers:
  http://www.prc.dk/software/

 From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=