Freelance

[kiwi08]

Hi all,

 

My first post, and probably an easy one to answer, however..

 

I am a Kiwi and have worked in the Audio Visual Staging area, particularly in conference and events, for the last 5 years in Australia and New Zealand. I am moving to the UK for work in this field and would like to work as a 'Freelance Audio Visual Technician' to allow me the freedom to travel around the UK.

 

My question; how should I go about setting myself up as this. Is there a particular organisation I should be registered with, tax obligations etc. How would a freelance technician typically conduct business?

 

Thanks in advance for the advice

Regards

Brent

[gareth]

Hi, and welcome.

 

There's no organisation specific to AV techs, but you might like to look at something like the PSA.

 

Tax obligations? You have to pay it! :D You'll need to get yourself a national insurance number (every UK citizen has one), and a tax reference number. As a self-employed person, you'll have to pay tax on your earnings at the end of each financial year - you'll fill in a tax return and the Inland Revenue will tell you how much you have to pay. You'll also need to pay national insurance contributions - the easiest way is to set up a regular payment (direct debit, etc.). Another route is to set up a limited company, with yourself as an employee - Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs are getting very, very awkward these days about exactly what constitutes a self-employed person, and that's one way to help you get around this issue.

 

Please note that the above is an extremely simplistic, condensed view of the situation, just to give you an idea of what you might be up against - the reality of the situation is almost certain to be more complicated. I'm sure the people who are organising your visa will be able to advise you further, and you might do well to look for an accountant or financial adviser who has an understanding of the entertainment industry.

[dunk_1984]

Another thing to look into that is in the same kind of field as Gareths post is becoming VAT registered, to either the limited company or Self Employed.

[Pete McCrea]

I'd second all of Gareth's information above, and add that as a Self Employed freelancer in the UK you'll need to look after all your PPE and need to look into getting yourself Public Liability insurance, both of which have been talked about on the board. Run a search with the box top left and you should get some useful reading.

 

When you land, drop us a call!

All the best,

Pete.

[gareth]

VAT registration only becomes essential when your turnover reaches a certain point - currently £64,000 per annum. Below that, you can voluntarily register for VAT, which might be useful if you're working almost entirely exclusively for VAT-registered clients - but that adds a new layer of complexity to your accounting. I went down that route when I was freelancing (limited company, registered for VAT) because pretty much all my clients were registered for VAT and it helped a lot if I ever had to sub-hire equipment for a job (I could reclaim the VAT on any expenditure, rather than have to pass it on to the client which would've made my quote a lot less attractive).

[the kid]

I was sure there were more topics on freelance.

 

But regards to tax HMRC do a 4 hours course on "becoming self employed" its totally free, and they are really helpful.

 

If you call up the help line they should be able to put you through. I believe you can also book through the net.

 

TK