Are You Staff or Freelance?

[Bobbsy]

In another thread, somebody posted "no companies hire staff any more, everyone is freelance". Is this true?

 

Please do not answer unless you are working full time, either staff or freelance. Sorry to the students but I want a feel for people working full time.

 

I'll be honest and not vote since I'm now retired....

[mumbles]

Can I suggest another category in the poll.

 

I am employed by my own company, as such I am paid PAYE, and I deal with all employer and employee NI, tax, and student loans repayments. So by the definitions used I fall into the first category, but then I don't really. From the point of view of anyone I work for I would fall into the second category, but again I don't really. I definitely wouldn't put myself down as either of the last 3 categories, but I can't fit into either of the first 2. As far as the tax office is concerned, they reckon on it being the same as invoicing through a service company (its complicated by sales and installation work, not just production work), and as such I wouldn't really fit any of the options above.....

[Bobbsy]

I've modified option two to include sole traders who have formed their own companies for tax reasons.

[smalljoshua]

Can we have one for "Studying, but also registered Self-Employed" please?

 

I find the last one a bit patronising, I work for more than one company and client, declare my income, have my own PLI and do things by the book. I was also a 6th Form student until recently and will be a university student.

 

Cheers

 

Josh

[Adam L F]

I am in agreement with Josh here, I am also in the same catagory althoug finishing university next year.

[Bobbsy]

To the students: Do you earn enough doing this to be self sufficient? By that I mean rent or own your own home, support yourself (and family if appropriate), pay tax/NI, and generally work full time in the industry. If you can't answer "yes" to all the foregoing, then I fear you are a "dabbler".

 

If you CAN answer yes, they just tick "yes" to being a freelance.

 

However, the point of this poll is to see the ration of staff to freelance in the industry and anyone not earning an actual living doing this will distort the figures.

 

FYI, I include myself in this. I retired a few years ago but do occasional shifts freelance at a local theatre. However, my MAIN income is my pension so I would be lying if I called myself a freelancer.

[smalljoshua]

That's fair enough, however I still dislike the phrase "but call myself freelance to sound better"

 

Perhaps re-wording to say "I'm a student who "dabbles" as a way to supplement by Student Loan" or similar so as not to presume that we're doing this to "sound better"

 

Josh

[brainwave-generator]

Can I just comment that:

 

a) I don't see why everyone on this site assumes that students are idiots who sometimes get to coil cable at the weekend if they're lucky. I was up-rigging for major concert tours in Wembley Arena before I left university. Does that make me a lesser being, because I was studying at the same time?

 

b) I don't see any option that says "I do equal amounts of work for both my own company and for others"

 

and

 

c) I didn't say nobody gets employed, everyone is freelance. I said there is a decline in the number of people being directly employed and an increase in the amount freelancers are relied upon, so it is advisable for new entrants into this industry to register Self Employed.

[billy jim]

I'm in the same boat as Joshua, in the sense that I am a student, but I'm currently living exclusively off the money I'm taking from freelance work (until September when the next loan comes in of course). I voted the last, slightly demeaning option.

[Mat]

I think what Bobbsy is trying to put across is the students who are at say KS4 level and say they are the "Technical Manager" of their school's venue. Arguably you could put another option in and say "I am a student studying an industry based course and dabble in freelance work alongside this". That's my two cents.

[the kid]

I run on 2 jobs both PAYE, so I have gone for option 1.

 

However from my knowledge of my area everyone seems to employ as a casual which is under PAYE therefore is that covered as being freelance, if you are on the books and have a houred income?

[LeeStoddart]

When I do paid work in this industry it is as a casual, under a PAYE contract. So I guess that counts as the first option.

[David Lee]

Have been self employed for around 13 years but just landed a job local to me so that I can spend more time with the kids. Still do self employed work as well - with the full consent of my boss.

[kerry davies]

Interesting topic, Bobbsy, if only for the responses thus far.

My own case is that I am a sole trader, earn as much from "work" as my pension, and would still consider myself part-time. That is where I think the survey might need to be re-run as plenty of posts are coming in from those who do paid work in the industry on a part-time basis.

 

My own thoughts are that there are hundreds of students paying for degrees in an industry where large numbers of them cannot make a full-time living and we could do with discovering the ratio of part-time to full-time workers. I would not count anyone on a full-time educational course as these distort the original aim of your survey and would not show students what job prospects were truly like.

[Shaggy]

I think working on a casual basis counts as basically freelancing - without getting bogged down on your status with HMRC, to count as being "On Staff" I think you need a contracted amount of hours per week / month. I voted the second option - I work full time in this industry, most of my income comes through invoiced jobs, some of it comes through paye work, but I have no obligations towards anyone I work with beyond the last job I accepted.