The road to freedom

Who wouldn’t be tempted to choose the freelance option when the current workloads for most average staffers are full to bursting? Instead of the slog and drudgery of the fully-employed route why not follow the example of freelancer Peter Kaptur, who earns a healthy living working on a good variety of jobs as well as “coming and going” as he pleases, and enjoying six weeks off a year (see pages 13-14). Barring the pain that is filing your own tax return, surely switching to freelancing is a no-brainer?

The decision is clearly a little more complicated than that. One needs pretty wide experience and grounding, as well as a good set of contacts, before taking the plunge as a freelancer. Then there is your career path to consider. A CV littered with short monthly stints on particular schemes or at a variety of firms may show versatility but could well raise significant question marks for a potential employer. Can this QS or project manager stick to a task, or does he or she have broader management or communication skills required? are two that immediately spring to mind. While careers are now increasingly less traditional in structure – the job for life is a thing of the past – there still remains the need to gain a decent footing and display a definite progression as far as your career goes.

That debate aside, freelancing appears to have become a more established and less feared option among consultants and contractors. Some bosses appear to find them more productive and effective than full-time staffers. And recruitment firm Hays, who compiled figures on average wages for freelancers for us, has seen a 10% increase in freelancers on its books in the last two years. In a working environment that has become increasingly flexible and a market where skills remain very much at a premium expect this trend to continue.