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Freelancing is one of the key trades in the UK. So, how do you manage it as a student?
According to data from Statista, there are around 4.29 million freelancers working in the UK. In the past 20 years, the number of freelancers has increased immensely in Great Britain. So, how can a student manage freelancing and their studies? Let’s find out!
What Is Freelancing?
Freelancing is a work arrangement in which a person works as an independent contractor, typically doing work that is contracted out on a short-term basis. It can also be contract-based or a one-off deal between both sides.
Freelancers are often self-employed and do not have to worry about the bureaucracy and expense of hiring employees. They also tend to be more skilled than an average employee because they are often more experienced in their field.
5 Key Tips About Freelancing While Studying In the UK
Freelancers need to ensure that they are taking care of various things.
In this section, we’re going to explore all of these elements and talk about a few key tips for freelancers. So, let’s dive right into it.
Find & Use The Right Channels
Freelancing is all about finding the right flow of work. However, it’s also important that you find secure workplaces. There are times when people try to scam freelancers out of their money. So, you need to ensure that you’re putting your skills in the right place.
That’s why you need to find work in trusted organizations, such as:
- Fiverr—one of the leading freelancing platforms;
- Upwork—another great option for beginners;
- Freelancing.com—a viable option for beginners.
While there are plenty of other platforms, such as LinkedIn, which allow you to find individuals who offer freelancing work, it’s important to find work on a trusted platform. That way, you will be able to find and use the right channels.
It’ll also ensure that you don’t face any delays in payments or issues with scammers. So, the first priority should always be to find the right channels to help you find work according to your trade.
Improve Your Skills
One of the key things about freelancing is that it should be used to hone your skills. Your trade could be anything, from graphic designing to writing. So, it’s important that you improve your skills by learning better tricks of the trade.
For instance, a graphic designer will do a lot of good if they know how to use PNG images from free platforms. Writers, on the other hand, will improve their skills a lot by simply reading more of what they intend to write—such as blog posts.
Therefore, it’s important to improve your craft and improve it as much as possible before you offer it to any client.
Employ Tools Where Possible
Tools are your best friend, and you should be using them at every turn possible. They allow you to ensure quality content or projects—depending on your trade or niche. So, how exactly do you use a tool? Here are some examples:
- A graphic designer should use tools like Canva or Photoshop to start off;
- A writer can use Google’s work suite to write and share their work efficiently;
- They can also use something like a summarizing tool to provide summaries of their work;
- Both parties can use platforms like Trello to manage their workload.
Once again, it depends on your trade, but using tools will allow you to be more efficient and productive.
Manage Workload
Workload management as a student is as important as anything else. If you’re unable to take your freelancing work with your studies, then there’s no point. That’s why you need to know your limits and understand how you can manage your workload. Here are a few tips:
- Use your most productive hours, such as morning, afternoon, or evening—depending on your comfort;
- Create a log and schedule your tasks accordingly;
- Give an hour or section of the day to specific tasks—i.e., freelancing work or study.
Therefore, it’s important that you create a schedule and stick to it. It’ll allow you to be more productive in both your studies and freelancing work.
Take At Least A Day Off
It’s a necessity that you avoid burnout. Burnout happens when a person rarely gets to rest or do things that they enjoy. So, you need to take a day off and ensure a few things, such as:
- No phones, emails, or messages related to work or studies;
- Do things you enjoy, such as sports, hiking, gaming, and watching movies;
- Avoid anything that might strain your brain;
- Sleep properly.
This way, you will be able to start off fresh the next day when you’re back to work and studying.
Conclusion
These are some essential tips you must follow when freelancing while studying in the UK. Therefore, make sure you follow each tip and trick properly, as it’ll allow you to become an efficient student and a much more efficient freelancer.
