Should freelancers ever work for free?

An interesting question and one that is adequately answered by Michelle Goodman.

Its worth noting her opening gambit

No one ever filled a gas tank or bought groceries with exposure. The 20.9 million Americans working as consultants, freelancers, small-business owners and independent contractors are not keeping a roof overhead by getting paid in exposure

Yet freelancing entering the profession may well sacrifice money for that first big break.Michelle lays down some rules on when you should take the assignment

1.You have no clients or portfolio

2.Your dream client has shallow pockets

3.You’re donating time to a worthy cause.

And when not to?

1.Credit for your work (and nothing more).

2.Job bidding sites.

3.Being paid on spec. Completing a work in the hopes that you’ll be able to sell it has its place in some creative sectors

Ht-Journalism.Co.UK

Is freelancing the answer?

One of the fall outs from new media may be that more and more journalists are going to go freelance.It is something that I have certainly thought about at the end of my degree next year.The downside for someone starting out is the experience of working in a newsroom and the limited contacts that you will have.

Charlie Beckett writes about the issue over on his blog this morning and points towards Angela Saini who is a science journalist who is leaving the BBC this week and writes

I'm one of the first generation of journalists who are multi-skilled in this way, in the long-run it is likely to be the way most of us work. And if we want to have the biggest possible impact on the world, then we need to make the most of all the different kinds of platforms, from the Internet, to emerging digital channels.
Consequently, from next week I'll be science writing and making independent films for a plethora of media outlets

Coincidentally I note that journalism.co.uk is creating a database for freelancers

Thanks to two new maps created by Journalism.co.uk, potential employers and commissioners can track down freelance journalists and photographers wherever they are in the world.
Freelancers will also be able to see who else is working in their region, giving them the chance to build new contacts and colleagues.

So is freelancing the way to start?

Tips for freelancers-get out of your pajamas

I am not sure how many people on our course will end up in a freelance writing career but if we do then it might be worth reading Anna Goldsmith's tips on how to get by(via Martin Belam)



They are

1.Create a division between work and home

2.Take off your pajamas

3.Get to work on time

4.Don’t watch TV in the middle of the day

5.But do go out to lunch.