Mythbusting - Debunking (or confirming) some of the common perceptions about freelancing.

Freedom to work when and how you want

This is one of the most common reasons why people go freelancing - but freedom isn't something that comes out of the box.

You'll need to make sure you're establishing your boundaries, have enough income which allows you to turn down projects which don't suit your way of working, and of course you'll have to consider that you client has working hours which you might need to align to.

However, generally most freelancers do say they feel they have more control how and when they work, and control over your work remains a leading reason for going freelance.

You'll make way more money and pay less tax.

The average UK income for the self-employed is lower than the average UK income for the employed. As a freelancer, even if you have higher income - you'll have higher costs too, as you have to pay for your own equipment, training, there's no holiday or sick pay, and no guarantee you'll find work every day.

As far as taxes are concerned, the UK government is doing everything it can to bring self-employment taxation in-line with regular employment - despite the lack of benefits we have. As a sole trader, you're still paying regular income tax, so there's no difference. As a limited company owner, you pay income tax and corporation tax.

However, you are more in control of what you charge your customers, rather than being held to when your employer decides to review your salary, and if you work hard, freelancing can be a well paid way of working.

You don't have deal with having a boss or office politics.

Unfortunately, you're about to switch from having one boss to multiple - your clients.

Whilst in employment, you might have an overbearing boss - when you're freelancing, you (hopefully) will have multiple clients who are demanding of your time and deliverables. Whilst clients can be wonderful, managing multiple different clients at once, and people who you often don't get to build a working relationship with, can be challenging.

As far as the office politics are concerned, you might not be directly involved in the gossip, but the politics will still potentially affect you and your work: poor communication, disrespect, project being cancelled or scope being changed.

However, generally, you're far more accountable to yourself than in employment - and hopefully you get to work for the best boss in the world: you!

You only work on projects you're passionate about.

Whilst you can certainly choose to turn projects down - the reality is that not every project is going to be motivating. There will be projects you're less interested in that you'll take just to pay the bills, to learn a new skill, or to start a new relationship.

Even the most busy of freelancers will sometimes need to take on projects which don't wholly align to their passions.

But that's okay - there's lots of learn when you're self-employed, and hopefully every project offers you some value - financial, development, relationships or even just a chance to do something easy.

You can work fewer hours.

Whilst you can choose to work fewer hours - on average, most full-time freelancers are working about the same or more hours than full-time employees - and it's not uncommon for freelancers to struggle to switch off from work or take time away from their business.

Technically you have as much holiday time as you want too - but you're not getting paid for any time you take off, so have to factor that into your financial planning.

However, most freelancers enjoy not having to ask permission to take a day away from their screen, or the ability to work when they want to, or even work more hours if they want!

There's no job security in freelancing, it's constant feast or famine.

Right now, it's pretty easy to say there's minimal job security in employment either - with round after round of redundancies hitting most industries. In many ways, freelancing protects you from the constant threat of your role being made redundant - as you're in control of your own business.

There's some truth to feeling of 'feast or famine', where freelancers seem to either have no work at all or too much work coming in, but with careful management of workload, most freelancers find a healthy balance.

It does take hard work to continually find new clients, customers and new projects though - so understanding that there is no guarantee of work or income is important to consider.

You'll have to do lots of free work, or charge less to win the project.

There's no reason why you should ever need to do free work - in fact, we actively encourage freelancers to never do work for free, as it makes it harder for all of us.

Charging what your worth is absolutely reasonable, and there are lots of great resource to understand market rates and what others are charging.

That said, freelancing can be competitive, especially if you're using platforms like Fiverr and Upwork, so setting your pricing at a level which is both accesible for clients and generates you a fair income, is a careful balance.

You're in competition with so many other freelancers.

It's true - there are many talented individuals who will be offering similar and competitive services to you - but the number of organisations using freelancers is equally high and growing.

Focus on building your own relationships with customers who will choose your unique approach and offering - and see fellow freelancers as a support network rather than competition.

Freelancing is isolating.

You're in absolute control over this - and it's in your interest to make connections, invest in building a support network and commmunity around you, and find fellow freelancers and collaborators who are part of your team.

Whilst it's easy to imagine that freelancers sit at home all day, every day, never talking to anyone else - there's a huge community of freelancers out there who are welcoming to others, and plenty of opportunities to sit and work in spaces and places with other people - coworking, coffee shops and office shares.

Whilst it can be true that some freelancers can feel isolated, and that they feel like they have to work everything out themselves, it doesn't have to be that way, and the extended community has never been stronger - and many freelancers we talk to say that they feel well supported and connected to their fellow freelancers.

Check out our list of freelancing communities to see just a few of the amazing spaces which welcome freelancers.

You'll always get paid late, if at all.

Unfortunately, around 50% of SME invoices are paid late - and on average, the self-employed in the UK, have over £1,000 of overdue money at any one time. Dealing with late payments will be a "when" not "if".

The good news is that this risk can be mitigated by sensible practises, and we're protected in law to have our invoices paid, and charge penalities to those who pay late. And there are routes to claiming your money even to those businesses who refuse to pay.

So there's some truth to this myth, but with a good approach and knowing your rights, you can minimise the issue, and there's plenty of wonderful clients out there who pay on time too!

There's no career progression when you're freelancer.

Your career progression is very much in your own hands when you're freelancing - there will be no training programme or manager who is encouraging you to go on a course, but you can invest in your own development, and explore new skills and grow a resiliant portfolio of skills.

There is a risk that your career can slow-down or level off if you're not constantly investing in new skills, or pushing yourself to the next level - you aren't going to have to wait for a promotion to make that happen - give yourself a new job title, get learning, try out new things, and push yourself further.

Most excitingly, many freelancers develop their offering into surprising and new spaces to diversify their revenue and income, and learn many practical skills around running a business, which are beyond their core capabilities.

Freelancers chose this way of working.

Not all freelancers chose to be self-employed, many found themselves freelancing due to their role being made redundant, not able to take on permenant employment because of disability, caring duties or other reasons, or simply were not able to find a role which worked for them.

The number of freelancers who didn't chose self-employment in recent years has grown, with turmoil across many sectors.

So it's unfair to assume that everyone is self-employed out of choice - there are many reasons why people find themselves freelancing.

However, the majority of people have actively chosen self-employment as a way of working which they want to follow and feel it suits them better - not as a side hustle or hobby, but a fully committed way of working.

Freelancing is a stop-gap, and most freelancers are looking for a real job

Whilst it's certainly true that some people freelance between roles, or freelance on the side - the majority of people in self-employment have actively chose this method of their way of working. It is not a stop-gap nor something they do until they find a 'real job'.

Self-employment is just as valid as being employed by someone else - and in many ways, it is far more of an accomplishment to be a successful freelancer, as you're not just doing the work but also building and running a business.

Whilst some freelancers are open to moving between perm and freelancing, many freelancers are 100% committed to working for themselves, indeed, some even find the idea of returning to traditional employment highly unattractive.

If a freelancer does return to perm work, however, they tend to make fantastic employees - as they bring with them experience of running a business, proactivity, shrewd commercial sense, and a desire to get engaged in the culture of your organisation.

Freelancers are less engaged and less reliable.

On general, freelancers are more engaged, more motivated and more productive than employees - because they have to deliver great quality work to be paid. Employees can take the foot off the pedal and coast. Freelancers are always deadline and output driven, and under-delivering can lead to damage to their income, reputation and career.

Whilst employees are at risk of quiet quitting or taking on too much, freelancers are generally pointed towards specific tasks and goals, and bring deep specialism and skills to a task, manage their own workload, and are invested in doing a good job.

Clients will return again and again to trusted freelancers because they know they rely upon them as a partner in their business.

Freelancers are guns-for-hire, and are just in it for the cash.

Whilst the origins of the word "freelance" might come from mercenaries with no allegiance to a specific household, the modern reality is far from similar.

Most freelancers are passionate about their craft, and chose to be self-employed to focus on doing their best work for brilliant clients.

Many freelancers will go over and above, putting in time to understand a client's organisation, going the extra mile to make the work the best it can be, despite fixed hours or fees, and can bring impartial expertise and freshness to a project.

There's unfortunately still too much of an attitude that freelancers are only in it for the money - and the reality could not be further from the truth.

Freelancers don't need support.

Most freelancers are adept at hitting the ground running without a good briefing - because so many organisations fail to set-up their freelancers to do a good job, we have to make the very best of what we have, to work well.

This can lead to it feeling like we don't need support, but a little support goes a long way, and can make us far more productive.

Equally, some organisations fear they cannot support their freelancers in case they're seen to be an employee - but supporting freelancers wellbeing and productivity is absolutely allowable within IR35.

Even if clients aren't offering support, freelancers can access support from fellow freelancers via communties.