It's kind of ironic that this month is designated by the NUJ as Freelance Month as this month is when I cross the Rubicon from scraping by to being seriously skint. Of course, I'm far from being on my own. Which is why the NUJ is highlighting the plight of freelances.
Most journos I know are either facing redundancy, scratching their heads and wondering how on earth they are going to replace the work they have lost, or seeking alternative means of employment.
At 51, the reality is that my chances of getting a staff job ( if they still existed) on a local paper are precisely zero. My only option is to contact as many people as I can and try and pick up PR or other forms of writing work to tide me over. But I'm not particularly optimistic.
My young nephew is a hotshot on using the internet to make money and has informed me of one or two sites which pay up for reviews of books etc. This blog earns me a tiny amount of money and I'm thinking of setting up a credit crunch blog to cheer up others in the same boat by sharing tips on saving cash.
One step I have taken is to lock away what remains of my savings to ensure they do not fritter away - so that if push comes to shove I will have to take whatever work I can find. It is probably time to stop going to the pub and to invite friends round, get the pulses out of the back of the cupboard, and hope that at some point in the future things will improve.So, solidarity to all the other freelances I know who are prowling the supermarkets for red stickers, discovering the charity shops, and harking back wistfully to the days when we took all that well-paid work for granted. In the meantime, I am open to offers.........and please click the ads!
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1 comment:
Dear Susan,
I know where you're coming from. I went to university later than most folks did... I had previously worked everywhere. I have worked in shops, call centres, restaurants, etc. I have done it all. Then I thought "no more" and went to university. I have been applying for job after job after job lately... no luck.
So like you I am turning to the internet to make money. I am a skilled web-designer (as is my partner). She has a medical sciences degree and is about to qualify as a Doctor and here we both are trying to market ourselves as web-designers to make extra cash! It is absolute insanity.
As for the digging into the back of the cupboards... I have discovered a lot of lentils in mine. Yum...
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