How to become a freelancer in your spare time

Got a burning passion outside of your day job? Moving in a new career direction? Want to earn some extra money? Then entering the world of freelancing could provide the answer. Regardless of why you want to do freelance work in your spare time, there are many ways in which you can achieve this whilst not neglecting your day job.

Before we get stuck into this guide, it is important to remember you need to have time to carry out this work and be disciplined to ensure you are not disappointing clients. Also, it’s worth checking there are no conflicts with your employer surrounding taking on freelance work.

Freelance sites

People Per Hour

The number one freelance community in the UK is People Per Hour. Through this online platform, you will set up a profile in order to showcase your skills, including employment history and an optional video. After your profile has been approved, you’re free to send proposals across a wide range of disciplines from marketing to admin, web development to creative arts. Additionally, you can manage all your activity through their WorkStream, post “Hourlies”, which is a service that you can provide for a set fee in a specific timeframe and withdraw any money you have earned.

Freelancer

An alternative to People Per Hour is Freelancer.co.uk. It works in a similar way with jobs being posted, which you can then subsequently bid on with your proposal that details how much you will charge, how long it will take and what you can deliver.

Source a consultancy contract

Alternatively, you could try and source work or a consultancy contract independently through your own network of contacts. However, this could take longer in terms of finding a project but you may have more success in securing the work as you already have an existing relationship with the client. Once again it is important to check with your employer first as it is more likely to get back to them through this route.

Get stuck in

Now you have all the information and have checked with your employer, it is important to clarify the tax implications of taking on extra work. Once that is all cleared up, you’re all set to get started as a freelance worker.