Freelancing sounds like an exciting alternative to full-time employment.
Whilst "freelancing" doesn't define any one way of working, it often conjures up an idea of a person working with multiple clients at once, on projects they're a deep specialist in, often on a schedule which they define, and no shortage of posts on LinkedIn suggest that working for yourself is a road to fewer hours, bigger paychecks and projects you're passionate about. There are also lots of doomsayers about freelancing - that there's no security, its isolating, its competitive, and you'll endlessly be chasing invoices.
In this series of articles, we're going to try and bust some of the myths around freelancing, so you're better prepared for what the reality is actually like.
Check back each week as we'll be busting (or confirming) a new myth regularly.
You're in control over how you work.
You'll make way more money and pay less tax.
You don't have deal with having a boss or office politics.
You only work on projects you're passionate about.
You can work much fewer hours.
There's no job security in freelancing, it's constant feast or famine.
You'll have to do lots of free work or charge less to win the project.
You're in competition with so many other freelancers.
Freelancing is isolating.
You'll always get paid late, if at all.
There's no career progression when you're freelancer.
Freelancers chose this way of working.
Freelancers are guns-for-hire, and are just in it for the cash.
Freelancers are less reliable.
Freelancers don't need support.
