Christmas celebrations as a freelancer
And the podcast is back!
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Last month the FFJ team attended the IPSE Freelancer Awards in London. Although the main purpose of the night was to celebrate the achievements of freelancers it was also a good excuse for four freelancers, from three cities, to get together for a social. It was our defacto Christmas get together.
And this got us thinking. How do freelancers who mostly work alone, at home, get to have a work Christmas party? Whilst our employed colleagues are knocking back cheap event wine and sharing naff secret Santa presents, we are sat in our Oodie desperately filing copious amounts of copy so we don’t have to work over the Christmas period.
And that’s a real shame. The whole point of being freelance is that it gives you a better life work balance and you can do what you want, when you want. But at this time of year it can feel like a social disadvantage.
But rather than saying bah humbug and returning to our keyboards, we think it is important for freelancers to get creative and find alternative ways to join in the festive spirit and most importantly take some time out from work.
Here are some suggestions on how to have a freelance Christmas party. Let us know what you think and what you are planning to do this year!
Attend a networking event
This time of year there are lots of journalism networking events and parties happening so make sure you get yourself on the invite list (which is usually just an email notification). Women in Journalism had a Christmas meet up last week and the Journalists’ Charity are having carols at St Bride's Church, Fleet Street, London on Monday December 19 at 6pm.
Even if churches and carols are not your thing it’s worth popping along for mince pies and wine after the service especially since people in attendance include Thorold Barker, Editor (EMEA) Wall Street Journal (Europe), Pippa Crerar, Political editor, The Guardian, Ayesha Hazarika, Columnist and Broadcaster, Times Radio, Alison Phillips, Editor, Daily Mirror and Jon Sopel, Presenter, The News Agents Podcast.
Find out if there are any journalism, small business or freelancing events coming up near you and turn this into your Christmas party. A quick Google shows a Christmas party for small businesses and freelancers in Nottingham on December 16, Portsmouth Freelancers Meet on December 15 and a Freelance and SME Christmas party in Salford on December 15.
Make the most of social club parties
If you are the member of a running club, book group or any other kind of social club then make the most of the Christmas party and officially rename it your Xmas work do! If the club or group doesn’t do Christmas drinks or a meal then suggest that they do. This could be as simple as grabbing a few drinks following your last meet up before Christmas. And if you have kids and they are a member of a club that holds a Christmas social for parents (my son’s football club does doe example) then rather than side stepping it as usual, embrace it this year!
Make a date with family or friends
We love this idea from our research assistant Helen Quinn who takes a day off for a pre-Christmas treat.
“Ever since being a freelancer I decided to have my own ‘office’ Christmas party. I choose somewhere nice for lunch, take the day off and invite my husband. It’s a lovely treat at the end of the year to look forward to and to acknowledge another year of being my own business,” says Helen.
Taking the whole day off may be tricky at short notice (but plan it in for next year) so if this isn’t possible go for lunch with a friend or family member during the week or knock off early one day and go for festive drinks.
Host your own event
If there are no freelance events in your area then there is nothing to stop you organising your own. Find out where the freelancers and small business owners hang out online and see if there is any interest in an impromptu Christmas gathering in person. It will be a great way to meet other local freelancers and do a bit of networking at the same time. Meet up in a local cafe or bar or do a pub quiz to keep things simple. Or if this is too tricky to organise or you live somewhere remote then there is always the option of organising a virtual event. Use communities like Freelancing for Journalists Facebook group, Society of Freelance Journalists Slack group or Freelance Heroes Community to promote it.
Podcast returns for series 9
We are super excited to say the podcast is back for another series! This time we are going back to basics to help you supercharge your pitching, negotiating and work opportunities. We kick off the series today with a chat with two journalists who have recently gone freelance and talk about all the practical steps they took in order to take the leap from employed to self-employed. Listen wherever you download your podcasts.
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For anyone who wants more support with their freelancing and access to extra resources including resource lists and bonus podcast episodes, the premium version of this newsletter is just £40 a year or £3.33 a month. This also includes examples of successful pitches which are sent out each month. Honestly its a bit of a bargain and obviously is a completely tax deductible business expense. Any questions just shout at freelancingforjournalists@gmail.com
Triumph of the week
Conducting the interview that pulls together a beast of a feature and finally brings it all together
That feeling when
You are feeling smug for being on top of all of your commissions and then you get asked to squeeze in two more before Christmas
We love to hear your feedback on everything we do, so feel free to drop us an email anytime at freelancingforjournalists@gmail.com
Bye for now!
