Modern Work

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Freelancers / Contractors / Independent Professionals / Self-Employed

ISSUE 3 £3.95

A FRESH START

Gianni Frankis on the self-employed struggles of being an athlete

Freelancing success Meet the finalists of this year’s Freelancer of the Year Awards

Lights, camera, stream The benefits of live streaming video content for your business

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EDITOR

Jyoti Rambhai

jyoti.rambhai@ipse.co.uk MEDIA CONSULTANT Jim Cassidy

DESIGN

Martin Harling-Coward

REPORTERS

Tristan Grove Tom Hayward Kayte Jenkins Chris Piggott-McKellar Jordan Marshall

CONTRIBUTORS

Front cover

Gianni Frankis - why the world of athletics needs to support the selfemployed more?

Matthew Lynn Gemma Church Jason Ward

PHOTOGRAPHY

Holly Cant Photography Nisha Haq Photography

ADVERTISING

marketing@ipse.co.uk

PUBLISHED BY

IPSE, Heron House, 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0DX

Modern Work or IPSE does not necessarily agree with, nor guarantee the accuracy of statements made by contributors or accept any responsibility for any statements, which are expressed in the publication.

All rights reserved. This publication (and any part thereof ) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print, electronic form, or in any other format without the prior written permission of IPSE. IPSE, its directors and employees have no contractual liability to any reader in respect of goods or services provided by a third party supplier.

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Mandy Barker modern work

Contents INTERVIEW Gianni Frankis

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NATIONAL FREELANCERS DAY Freelancer of the Year Award finalists

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RESEARCH Retirement: The age old problem

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NATIONAL FREELANCERS DAY Programme

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BUSINESS AND FINANCE Brexit: Government needs to face reality

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NEWS Your monthly briefing

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INTERVIEW Luke Nicholson

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FROM THE LOBBY Government war on self-employment will backfire

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NEWS ‘Gig economy’ and the employment status debate

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LIFESTYLE Co-working space for those on the move

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NEWS BBC presenters in tax row give evidence at employment tribunal

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LIFESTYLE Gadget review

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EVENTS The self-employed are from the future

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LIFESTYLE Should freelancers be live streaming?

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NEWS New report tackles self-employment policy challenge

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LIFESTYLE Freelancer’s guide to Prague

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EVENTS Policy conference: Dragons’ Den

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BUSINESS AND FINANCE Moonlighting in your freelance career

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NATIONAL FREELANCERS DAY Finalists take stage in front of judges

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BUSINESS AND FINANCE Ask the expert

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Affordable luxury for the ‘new generation’ of freelancers. citizenM is a hotel co-working space combo, aimed at those who work while travelling

Celebrating freelancing success up and down the UK A word from the editor

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his special bumper edition of Modern Work pays homage to the UK’s booming self-employed sector.

We feature all the finalists named in this year’s IPSE Freelancer of the Year Awards, which celebrate the country’s best and brightest freelancers plus those organisations and individuals who support this way of working. The winners of each category will be announced on National Freelancers Day – 28 June.

May/June 2018

The cost of competing in major tournaments was a hot topic of discussion at the Commonwealth Games this year – particularly for many athletes who work on self-employed contracts. So we spoke to hurdler Gianni Frankis about the challenges and lifestyle of athletes.

Also in this edition, we look at a new report by think tank Demos, which reveals how policy is lagging behind when it comes to supporting the self-employed sector; and discuss why the government should prioritise single

market access in the Brexit negotiations.

Finally, if you have any questions you need one of our experts to answer, get in touch via Facebook, Twitter or email. Enjoy the read.

Jyoti Rambhai EDITOR

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Hoxby began when two curious where you want to work and how people decided there must be you want to work (we call that workstyle) - we can help make a better way of working. Hoxby that happen. The more you started to grow because those engage; the more you live and two weren’t the only ones, espouse the benefits, the more just the bravest. Now you’ve work will come your way, we started reading this because call that #GiveGet. Contributing you’re curious. We respect to the community never goes that. You were brave enough to unnoticed. The beauty of being go freelance. We respect that freelance and a Hoxby is that too. It’s exactly what we are you need never be alone looking for. And don’t worry, again (unless splendid no background is too varied isolation is your or strange for us - we’re here workstyle, then to create a new working world. we’re cool If you like what we do we’d with that). love you to apply and help us Have make the working world work better. Do you get confused by freelance agencies that define themselves by what they are not?

We do too. We collect together clever, ambitious, dextrous, curious (there’s that word again) people who have grown tired of the corporate world, tired of being geographically restricted and know there must you be a better way to get the most ever out of life without spending thought most of their life working. We you would then curate all of those talented produce your individuals into bespoke teams best work if you also who work remotely for a range had time to indulge of established and new clients. your passion, whoever or Oh, and while we’re at it, we’re whatever that may be? Have creating the future of work. We you ever thought you would really are and if that excites you produce your best work if you we really want you to join us. were particularly passionate We are here for you if becoming about that work?

We believe a freelancer didn’t make you you will.

You’ve read this far any freer. In fact, we put the because you’re even more freedom into freelance and the curious than we first hoped. So self into self-employed. Choose be curious, be brave and apply how many hours you want work, when you want to work, now at hoxbycollective.com

Work for yourself, not by yourself

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Clearing all the hurdles

Gianni Frankis on the challenges athletes face being self-employed

By Jyoti Rambhai

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n the opinion of many he was on the fast track to Olympic glory. He was one of the emerging golden generation who would one day step up to the podium reserved for the greats.

He broke the British junior track record for the 110m hurdles when he was just 17-yearsold. He broke the record again at junior level.

With the London 2012 Olympics just around the corner at the time, Gianni Frankis had something he described as “Olympic fever”.

He wanted to be an Olympic champion and had “no thoughts of it not happening”. But as he set out on the path to make the 2012 Olympics, the reality of being a full-time athlete kicked in.

Most people may not realise, but athletes work on self-employed contracts, which can often be very restricted, Gianni claims. As a result, he found he himself facing some of the challenges many independent professionals face, with the biggest one being fluctuating income.

The cost of competing in high-profile competitions and earning a living as an athlete was a highly debated topic at this year’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia. The big question raised was: ‘is it too May/June 2018

Self starter: Gianni Frankis believed he was on the track to Olympic glory

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“As you get older, you have to refine that training and often during this process, you can get injured.�

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expensive to win a gold medal?’

The New Daily, an Australian national newspaper reported at the time: “While players in Australia’s dominant codes – rugby league, rugby union and AFL – can earn six figure salaries, many athletes competing at the games are fortunate to scrape enough together just to cover their living expenses. For younger athletes wanting to reach the elite level, it can often be difficult just to get to training camps.

“Gymnast Alex Eade had to fork out travel costs to get to Canberra in the spring, where the Commonwealth Games trials were being held.”

This is a fact Gianni says he can relate to and is not something that people tell you when you start out.

So where did his passion for becoming an athlete stem from? Although Gianni has been competing in the 110m hurdles and 100m sprints on the track for over a decade now, being a runner was not something he had initially considered, he tells me.

“Football was my original passion and I did start to play at a semi-professional level,” the Arsenal fan says. “But a teacher at King John School and Sixth Form noticed that I was a particularly good runner and the hurdles was something that I took to quite naturally.

“At the point I switched, I was playing in the Isthmian League for a team called Heybridge Swifts – I was 17 then. I was also invited to train with the England schools under-18s; I was a striker but didn’t make the cut.”

The 30-year-old from Basildon, Essex goes on to add: “I made the final switch to athletics just around my nineteenth birthday and at the time, I was also the British under-18 110m hurdles record holder. I won a bronze medal at the World Youth Championships in 2005, which at the time was a British record. Back then, it had just been announced that the 2012 Olympics would be held in London, so in my mind it was just a case of working hard, keeping going and hopefully I’d make it.”

When it comes to inspiration, Gianni, who began training at Basildon Athletics Club when he was 13, says it was one of his schoolteachers who encouraged him to take up the sport. But it was Chinese hurdler and former world record holder, Liu Xiang, who really inspired him to make a career out of it.

He adds: “I used to watch him the most on videos and try to emulate his technique in training. In particular, the Athens Olympic final in 2004, where he won gold really inspired me a lot to try to make a career myself.

“The world was my oyster back then.

I continued to improve and represent Great Britain at a senior level. But at this point I started May/June 2018

to get more injuries, which is not uncommon.”

He explains: “When you are young, you can run along and sometimes you don’t need to even warm up. Your body can take a lot. But as you get older, you have to refine that training and often during this process, you can get injured.

“I basically had a long list of injuries around the hamstrings, hips and quads, which is typical for a hurdler. These injuries would keep me out for long periods and it was at this point that I was dropped off lottery funding.”

Like many athletes who have made the British team, Gianni had become dependent on lottery funding as a source of income. As a result, when he lost this, he was unable to recover properly and in the years that he did recuperate enough to compete, he could no longer continue to build and train himself year on year.

“When you are an athlete on the lottery fund, you are essentially on an unsecured, selfemployed contract, with the promise of living expenses,” Gianni, who also now works as a supply teacher, says.

“But within a year, you can be either injured or simply dropped off the funding for no reason other than someone else needs the money, and you are forced to leave that set-up completely. I think that this is exploitative.”

Like many self-employed people who sometimes take on work from clients simply to ensure they can pay the bills, Gianni also had to do the same while he was on lottery funding. He claims the funds were not enough to cover all living expenses and many athletes will do other jobs.

“Apart from when I was at university where I had a grant, I’ve had to top up my income. I’ve done many jobs from leafleting, to modelling, school inspirational visits and supply teaching.

There are very few who can actually earn enough solely from athletics,” he says.

“Most of my best performances came when I was at university, but afterwards I found it very hard to focus, maintain competing and fulfil my potential with other pressures in life. Though I continued to plug away, because I loved it.”

Gianni’s passion for the sport is unquestionable, but he does believe the culture around funding needs to change. The world of athletics should be “fair and transparent”.

“We need to improve the conditions we operate in and anything that is against our interest,” he tells me. “Many athletes run for free at events, with no expenses paid for, and the appeals selections seem to circle back to the same panel, or selections can be completely unexplained.

“This is to the point where the governing bodies have closed down events and grassroots facilities without consultation. In south London, there is now a scarcity of tracks”

So, what are some of the biggest restrictions the governing body imposes on athletes? For athletes, Gianni, who usually trains at Newham Leisure Centre but has taken time out recently to work on his career outside of athletics, says that one of the biggest obstacles they face is around sponsorship on the vest.

“It’s possible in those profitable events across the country, the governing body may not be able to pay prize money or expenses to everyone. But there’s no reason not to open up other revenue streams for us to be able to cash in on it either. At the moment, in a lot of cases it means people are not getting paid at all as they restrict personal sponsorship as an event sponsor has asked for exclusive rights.”

At major events, Gianni claims: “The runners run in their amateur club vests, which is essentially us running on a voluntary basis.

They call it the trials as you can only run for Team GB if you turn up for this – so your hands are completely tied. I would like a relaxation in these rules and regulations for our personal sponsorship use, just like in other sports. .

“And you wouldn’t expect someone who is at the bottom of a league not to get paid.

Everyone is valued. They may not be getting paid as much, but its fair.”

Fair sponsorship and finances is just one of the issues Gianni believes needs to change

“We actually want to run, the fans want us to run and they want to see a British team that is competitive.” in the sport. Others include looking into the processes around selection, appeals and whistleblowing procedures; protecting funded athletes; supporting non-funded athletes; backing masters athletes and opening up the contract terms and conditions so athletes can work as free independent agents.

And it is not just athletes, Gianni believes the governing bodies should be supporting selfemployed coaches too. He claims that coaches are often undervalued, and they should have a right to a contract.

He finishes by saying: “I’m not saying we should do anything that halts the sport; we actually want to run, the fans want us to run and they want to see a British team that is competitive. The last thing I’d want to see is an environment where athletes don’t want to run.

Something needs to change.”

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Out of touch and out of time New research reveals the self-employed could be facing a retirement crisis

By Kayte Jenkins

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ess than a third of self-employed people in the UK are currently saving into a pension, putting the uptake of saving for later life at an all-time low.

New data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that 45 per cent of the UK’s growing self-employment sector, aged between 35 and 55, do not have a private pension. This compares with just 16 per cent of employees in the same position.

On top of this, just 25 per cent of the self-employed are saving into a pension – a dramatic drop from the 40 per cent who were saving 10 years ago.

With the largest proportion of the self-employed entering retirement age in as soon as five years’ time, the clock is ticking on securing financial wellbeing for their golden years.

Despite increasing concerns developing around the growing savings crisis among the UK’s self-employed, there is relatively little evidence of the views of the self-employed themselves.

To better understand why lifetime savings among the self-employed is disproportionately low as well as the barriers they face, IPSE spoke to 1,000 people who work for themselves across the country.

The survey found that two-thirds (67%) of the self-employed have grave concerns about being financially prepared for later life.

As the number of self-employed people continues to increase, pension uptake is in reverse, which is raising concerns among policymakers about whether the UK’s burgeoning self-employment sector will be financially pre8

pared for later life.

THE PROBLEM WITH PENSIONS So why is private pension uptake among the self-employed so low?

Previous research by IPSE has shown that one of the main concerns of working for yourself is irregular income and unpredictable finances.

This recent survey showed that for most it seems that the barrier to saving through a pension comes down to these same factors, with 37 per cent of respondents stating the reason behind not saving for their future through a pension was because they could not afford to. And a further one in six (17%) said they had other financial priorities.

The research also revealed that close to a fifth (18%) consider a deficiency in pension options that cater to the unique needs of the self-employed (such as not enough pension options to suit the self-employed and pension products do not offer sufficient flexibility or options to suit their needs) as another barrier to making savings for later life.

WHAT FREELANCERS REALLY WANT The self-employed are a diverse workforce and as such the types of support and interventions they require are varied. But there is a common thread among them when it comes to saving for the future.

Freelancers value flexibility. Indeed, one of the main reasons many people get into

Illustration by Mantas Tomosa

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self-employment is for the freedom and flexibility that this way of working provides them. The irony in this, however, is that the services available to support the self-employed don’t always offer the same level of flexibility.

IPSE’s survey showed that a way in which to encourage the self-employed to make greater savings for later life is to design a flexible pension solution specifically for them (31%).

This included elements such as the flexibility to pause, stop and restart payments without incurring penalties (54% ranked in their top three most preferred options) and the option to withdraw a percentage of their pot in advance of retirement if it could be paid back in a specified amount of time (25% ranked in their top three most preferred options).

Clearer, tailored and easier to access advice were also among the main ways in which the self-employed feel they can be better supported, the survey found.

THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW The latest research suggests that the current options available to people when it comes to saving for later life are out of touch with the modern ways of working. They have not evolved to support those who make up the fastest growing sector of the UK’s workforce.

Jonathan Lima-Matthews, senior policy advisor at IPSE, said: “As the number of self-employed people in the UK edges towards five million, it’s concerning to see a trend emerging where very low numbers are saving for later life.

“Our findings are overwhelmingly clear: the self-employed need options that not only encourage lifetime savings, but also deal with the challenges they face. It’s time that the options available catch up with the realities of today’s labour market to ensure that self-employment remains an attractive and rewarding way of working that provides long-term financial wellbeing.

“That’s why IPSE has used its groundwork of research to develop a series of solutions that will encourage more self-employed people to save for later life. In a report to be released in the summer, we lay out a series of practical recommendations for government and industry on how they can work towards solutions to increase the long-term financial wellbeing of the self-employed.”

May/June 2018

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Brexit: The government needs to start facing reality New report highlights what the UK’s self-employed are concerned about

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By Jordan Marshall Political correspondent

e need to talk about Brexit.

They may be the words you were dreading to read, but fear not – this is not an account of the latest in the endless series of Brussels negotiations or parliamentary bickering. Rather it’s time we had a proper think about what the self-employed want and need out of Brexit.

For too long, the discussion around our exit from the EU has revolved around arid statistics and political in-fighting. But in this time of uncertainty, protecting the flexibility and dynamism of the UK economy is imperative.

As freelance marketing consultant, Laura Chamberlain, 39, puts it in IPSE’s new report, A Brexit Deal for the Self-Employed: “It feels like the voice of the self-employed has been lost in the Brexit discussion. What really matters to me is whether industries stay in the UK and freelancing opportunities still exist.”

I couldn’t agree more. It is time we heard the voice of the UK’s 4.8 million self-employed loud and clear.

BREXIT IS WEIGHING ON THE MINDS OF THE SELF-EMPLOYED One thing IPSE’s report highlighted is how Brexit is undoubtedly an increasing worry for the self-employed. In the Freelancer Confidence Index survey, conducted by the May/June 2018

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‘69% of freelancers want to see association at the end of 2017, 61 per cent of people said the result of the referendum was the main factor that was negatively influencing their business performance – overtaking government policy for the first time.

Given the ongoing disaster that is IR35, this is a significant and concerning finding.

Gary Sharp, an IPSE director and financial services programme manager from Glasgow, summed up the uneasy mood. He said: “Brexit has created a lot of uncertainty in the banking sector. It’s not clear whether projects will be based in the UK in the coming years.”

But as we all know, the self-employed are a diverse bunch. Simon Nicholson, an aerospace consultant from Bristol, gives a far more upbeat assessment. He told me: “Brexit seems to have created more interest in my availability for overseas contracts.”

BALANCING MIGRATION CONCERNS POST-BREXIT One thing we can say with some confidence is that the self-employed want to be able to move and work freely in the EU and further afield. Given the unique expertise they are able to offer, it should be no surprise that their skills are in great demand across the world. This was another key topic addressed in IPSE’s report: how can the post-Brexit migration system support Britain’s flexible labour market?

Given the public clamour for a more restrictive approach towards immigration, this is a difficult circle to square. If Theresa May is hell-bent on appearing to curb immigration, creating a system that allows independent professionals to move around as and when they are needed, is going to be a challenge.

According to the report, much public hostility towards high levels of immigration revolves around relatively unskilled immigration and the impact this is perceived to have on wages, housing and public services.

There is therefore a strong case to be made for the government to prioritise the free movement of skilled professionals, while still addressing concerns around immigration levels. This will of course have to be a reciprocal arrangement in which independent professionals from the UK can travel and work 12

relatively freely in the EU and vice versa.

A reciprocal model like this should help UK-based freelancers too. This is because many industries in which freelancers work (such as the creative sectors and IT) are bolstered by large numbers of talented Europeans coming to the UK to ply their trade. If a more restrictive immigration system was implemented postBrexit, there are valid concerns that many businesses in these sectors would choose to relocate to the EU in order to maintain access to the right talent.

The Freelancers Confidence Index survey revealed that the majority (69%) of the selfemployed also want to see access to the single market prioritised in Brexit negotiations. Taken together with the need to work freely overseas, it is fair to say they want to see a Brexit that causes minimal disruption – what some would term a ‘soft Brexit’.

BUILDING A FAIR AND FLEXIBLE IMMIGRATION SYSTEM There is a plethora of options for how the UK could deliver such a freelancer-friendly system post-Brexit; and some make more sense than others.

Models of employer sponsorship won’t work, because much selfemployment is short-term in nature, and points-based systems are heavily bureaucratic. Businesseschoose to engagefreelancers because of their agility and flexibility.

By increasing the cost, time and administrative burden of hiring independent professionals, employer sponsorship would erode these benefits.

Entrepreneurship visas are also not a good option – they typically have very high investment thresholds and aren’t a realistic option for most freelancers. modern work

access to the single market’ The UK needs to “ rethink how it treats

its self-employed. We need a fair, modern tax system, not a punitive one.

”

Ironically enough, it is probably towards our European neighbours that we could look for inspiration. For example, the Self-Employment Visa system in the Netherlands offers permits for freelance work when it is deemed beneficial to the Netherlands (e.g. applicants must have at least one commission and demonstrable experience in their field).

Where there are clear skills shortages, we should explore the viability of occupational or sector-specific visas. The UK also needs to consider whether short-term visas to fill seasonal shortages such as agriculture and construction should be brought in.

What we really need though is to have a serious discussion about what reciprocal migration model would best support flexible working post-Brexit. We shouldn’t limit our horizons to the EU; trade deals with farflung nations could also open up plenty of opportunities for UK-based freelancers.

MAKING BRITAIN A COUNTRY THAT WORKS FOR FREELANCERS The UK government must also think more strategically about what it does in its own stomping ground. The fact is that the selfemployed will play a central role in taking us through this turbulent period and the government must recognise this. As Kelly Gilmour-Grassam, a 25-year-old copywriter from Manchester, said: “Rather than spending all its energy on Brexit, the government should focus on how to help businesses start and flourish at home.”

Kelly has hit the nail on the head there. If we want the UK to continue to punch its weight as a leading economic power, we need to rethink how it treats the self-employed. We need a fair, modern tax system, not a punitive one, as well as better ways to help the self-employed upskill and save for later life.

The government’s Brexit strategy needs to start facing reality. Above all, it needs a way to maintain and protect the UK’s key competitive advantage, it’s flexible labour market. That means not only getting a Brexit deal that works for the self-employed, but also adopting policies at home that boost rather than bash our enterprising class.

May/June 2018

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s s e l h c e e p s e Th

: h c a o c h c e spe one year on Catching up with Freelancer of the Year 2017, Luke Nicholson

By Tristan Grove

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“

remember being on stage with 15 other people, all of them with really interesting, brilliant businesses. I didn’t think I stood a chance. Then my name was called, and I was in shock. I felt my legs carry me to the front of the stage, and my brain was just thinking ‘what on earth is going on?’ I was overwhelmed – somehow, I’d won! I was completely speechless…”

The irony is not missed by speech and accent coach Luke Nicholson, who won the 2017 Freelancer of the Year Award. Now one year on, I caught up with him to find out what May/June 2018

he’s been up to since then.

“Winning the award has brought me an enormous amount of recognition over the last year – not just from people in the media, but from clients too.

“It’s been really nice to get a new student who I’ve never met before coming in and congratulating me on the award. Maybe because they’ve seen it on my website or maybe in an email or some other publicity.”

Being Freelancer of the Year has also given Luke’s business, Improve your Accent, a serious boost “from an awareness point of view”.

He tells me: “It put me on the map, letting people know that a speech and accent coach actually exists.”

Speech and accent coaching is not the type of job you get a brochure for on careers day at college or university. So why don’t we go back to the beginning: how did Luke get into this niche area?

WHERE IT ALL STARTED Luke has always had a passion for languages and the spoken word. While studying German and Italian at the University of Birming15

ham, he also cultivated his passion for acting, leading the university drama society.

Then when he graduated, the theatre bug took him to East 15 Acting School. While he was there, a new path started to open up.

“A Belgian friend of mine at drama school was struggling with her English accent,” he explains. “She knew I was reasonably good at accents and asked me if I could help her.

“So I started coaching her, and it was then that I realised I wasn’t just good at it: I really enjoyed it too. I then had an idea that perhaps I could turn it into a proper business.

“After drama school I started buying lots of books on phonetics and teaching English.

I’d also got a qualification to teach English as a second language before drama school, and that helped a lot too. I advertised online and started getting clients in pretty quickly.”

After that, things started to snowball, he adds.

“It soon became clear there were lots of people who had studied English at an advanced level but just weren’t being understood when they spoke. Their grammar and vocabulary were perfect, but they were still using their native lan16

“Suddenly you’re not seen as just somebody trying to run a business - you’re seen on a different level.”

guage sound system to speak English.

“So in lessons, I taught them how mouth muscles work, how sounds work in a student’s native language, and how to move towards what English sounds like.”

From there, Luke’s business blossomed.

He taught students from all around the world, soon building up a regular enough stream of clients to rent out some very impressive offices in central London. Then in 2017, he felt he was in a strong enough position to apply for the Freelancer of the Year Awards and the rest, as they say, is history…

TOP OF THE TREE For the last year then, Luke has been not just at the top of his industry, but the leading figure in freelancing: the Freelancer of the Year 2017. It’s an accolade that he says has brought his business on in leaps and bounds.

“It’s massively increased my recognition in my industry and beyond. I’ve had interviews in the Evening Standard and on BBC Radio, my YouTube channel has picked up enormously, and my profits have doubled… which is great! modern work

Luke with James Collings (left) and Ellie Taylor (right) at the awards ceremony

it was giving people the means to study by themselves, away from one-to-one teaching. But it was also a way to address a problem I think a lot of freelancers have: fluctuating income.

“Sometimes you have lots of work coming in, and sometimes you have a lot less, which can make regular expenses quite difficult. So for me, it was also a way of addressing that and ensuring I had regular income each month. And I’m really pleased to say the online platform has seen a massive increase in popularity this year.”

TONGUE TWISTER TUBE STOPS

“I think the thing is that suddenly you’re not seen as just somebody trying to run a business – you’re suddenly seen on a different level. It really fast-tracked me to a position that I wouldn’t have otherwise been at this stage of my career. Not to mention giving me the confidence boost I needed to keep going!”

The £5,000 prize money wasn’t, I’m told, too bad either…

“It allowed me to invest in different areas of the business. And because the money was basically risk-free, it allowed me to push areas I couldn’t have otherwise,” he says.

One big project Luke developed through the prize money was his online learning platform.

“It’s really for anyone who wants to communicate more easily in English. If they can speak English but are struggling to get people to understand them, they can buy my online course, choose their native language and get a guide to what to study.

“Then there are lots of video lessons of me explaining things, practice worksheets and audio guides they can go through.”

He goes on to add: “Obviously a big part of May/June 2018

how to pronounce a particular station they live or work near. So I just put it together in my spare time, and it went live last year on my site.”

The tool was a major success for Luke and secured him high-profile interviews both in the Evening Standard and on BBC Radio.

LUKE-ING TO THE FUTURE So, what does the future hold for the Freelancer of the Year 2017?

“Well, I’ve been working with an illustrator to create lots of designs for a revamp of my website, then once I’ve done that I’m going to start redesigning my online course.”

That’s where another of the big benefits of the awards comes in actually, he tells me.

The awards are a “great networking opportunity”, and this is where Luke met Rich Daley, another finalist. Rich is a software developer, who is now helping Luke completely redesign his learning platform.

He adds: “We’re creating another project already too, which hasn’t gone live yet. It’s essentially a tool where the user can type any English sentence or phrase and get it transcribed into phonetics.”

So, from half-a-million viewer videos and a booming online platform to tube station translators and a transcription tool, it’s clear the future’s bright for the this London-based speech and accent coach.

“I basically recorded all the tube station names in London and transcribed them into phonetics and put them on my website.”

Holl-Born. Green Witch.

Lice-ester Square. We’ve all heard London tube names pronounced with far too many small insects and magical evil women. But one of Luke’s biggest successes this year was an innovative tool to help newcomers to London navigate its more tongue-twistery tube stops.

“I basically recorded all the tube station names in London and transcribed them into phonetics and put them on my website. It’s a tool that people can use for free to learn how to pronounce them properly.

“The idea came up because every so often I’d been having conversations about how to pronounce Marylebone and things like that. I also used to live near a really weirdly spelled place on the Central Line called Theydon Bois.

“And often students come to me and ask

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modern work

Global grapple for gig status Chris Piggott-McKellar investigates how platforms like Uber have reignited the debate around employment status

S

ince the UK’s employment appeal tribunal ruled in November last year that two Uber partner drivers should be treated as workers and not self-employed contractors, the debate over how to classify drivers using apps and online platforms has taken on a global dimension.

With Uber indicating their intention to appeal the decision, and the UK’s supreme court determination imminent in a major test case brought against Pimlico Plumbers, Modern Work circumnavigated the globe to see how other countries’ courts have dealt with the employment status of people engaged in the so-called platform economy.

The issue of classification is important because workers and employees attracts workplace rights, which are not afforded to the self-employed.

trasting conclusions about classification.

In a significant decision in April this year, a court in Philadelphia decided that Uber exercised insufficient control over UberBlack drivers to make them employees.

In California, a court found in February this year that GrubHub correctly classified a delivery driver as an independent contractor, while in May a group of document deliverers hired by Dynamex Operations West were successful in having the court confirm employment status.

Meanwhile last year in Texas and Alaska, to stop costly court cases over misclassification, legislatures passed a law clarifying that ride-sharing drivers will almost invariably be independent contractors.

THE UNITED STATES

Whether ride-sharing drivers are employees or self-employed under EU law has not been fully tested in the courts. Some country’s courts

In the US, both federal and state laws apply to employment. This has led to often con-

EUROPE

have looked at this issue, like France, where earlier this year an employment tribunal held that a contract between a driver and Uber did not stipulate a status of employment.

AUSTRALIA The Australian workplace tribunal – the Fair Work Commission – in January this year held that Uber drivers lacked a “work-wages bargain” fundamental to employment, and were therefore independent contractors.

Commenting on the situation in the UK, Simon McVicker, IPSE’s director of policy and public affairs, said the reliance on courts to determine employment status was causing anxiety.

He said: “It is totally unacceptable that policymakers are relying on the courts to define self-employment. We want a positive definition so unscrupulous companies cannot exploit confusion and push people into false self-employment.”

BBC presenters facing huge tax bill put on an ‘elegant’ zero hours contract, court told BBC PRESENTERS appealing against almost a million pounds in tax bills have claimed they were put on an “elegant form of zero hours contract,” a high court tribunal heard.

HMRC is claiming newsreaders Joanna Gosling, David Eades and Tim Wilcox owe them £920,000. The presenters are just three of more than 100 BBC identities who are reported to be facing similar tax bills.

According to The Telegraph, Jonathan Peacock QC, representing the presenters, told the court the BBC “pushed” the broadcasters into setting up limited companies.

May/June 2018

HMRC is arguing that in reality the three presenters were employees and not self-employed and therefore should have paid more tax.

The three presenters were contracted by the BBC for a minimum number of days per year and the broadcasting corporation had “first call” on their services. But they were able to work on other jobs.

The BBC suspended Gosling’s contract when she became pregnant and made it clear to her that the corporation would “decide if and when it would have her back”. Meanwhile, despite presenting from disaster zones,

the BBC did not provide Willcox with any insurance.

This is the latest in a number of cases regarding the controversial IR35 legislation to appear before the employment tribunal this year.

Earlier this year, the tribunal found that former BBC Look North presenter Christa Ackroyd should have been classified as an employee, and that her company who had contracted with the BBC owed HMRC £420,000.

The case against the three BBC presenters was heard in May with a judgement expected in the coming months.

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The self-employed are ‘time travellers from the future’ Chris Piggott-McKellar takes a look at the highlights from IPSE’s policy conference, Modern Working: The age of self-employment Guy Levin, from Uber discusses future of work

Cathy Newman interviews Liz Truss at IPSE’s Policy Conference

I

t’s both an acronym for the Europe’s largest freelancer trade association and the Latin word for ‘self’ or ‘by oneself’ - a reference to the chosen way of working of a staggering 4.8 million people in the UK. So it was no surprise that ‘IPSE’ was trending on Twitter in April, when ministers and MPs, industry leaders and freelance champions gathered for the organisation’s flagship biennial policy conference.

The lustre of the star-studded line-up, including host Cathy Newman, chief secretary to the treasury Liz Truss MP, and leading light of the city of London and gender equality, Dame Helena Morrissey, was consistent with the increasing importance of self-employment to the UK economy.

It will come as little surprise then that a lot was said about how self-employment propels 20

people to reach for the stars.

Liz Truss MP who in her “wilder moments dreams of being a free radical”, declared in her opening speech that the self-employed were “time travellers from the future”.

And when the conference got down to business, with Demos’s Alan Lockey launching his landmark ‘Free Radicals’ report, the analogy proved entirely apt. For too long, Lockey argued, self-employment has been marginalised: confined to the footnotes of the political agenda. Now, at 4.8 million, it is a sector simply too big to ignore.

Just like another famous time traveller, the TARDIS machine of ‘Dr Who’ fame, the UK’s self-employed population is dimensionally transcendental – meaning it is bigger than it appears from the outside.

Reminiscent of the Doctor trying to explain the nitty gritty of time travel, next up members of parliament Sir Vince Cable and Iain Duncan Smith, guided by former No 10 speechwriter Philip Collins, admirably sought to untangle the wibbly wobbly, timely wimely ball of Brexit.

Not that the audience were swayed – only four per cent of attendees said the discussion changed their view on whether Brexit would be positive or negative for the UK economy.

A panel discussion on pensions brought the conference swiftly back down to earth – only 16 per cent of self-employed are saving for later life.

Speeches from Dame Helena Morrissey and charismatic American academic and recruitment industry veteran Carl Camden (“A ‘job’ is an outdated concept which will disapmodern work

Q&A with Cathy Newman

Carl Camden and Dame Helena Morrissey (right) were keynote speakers at the conference

Iain Duncan Smith, Philip Collins and Vince Cable debate Brexit pear, ‘work’ however is going to increase”) were the light sources which bent the arc of attention back towards optimism.

And the audience was optimistic during a panel discussion, featuring Uber and Google representatives, on the future of work; 92 per cent of attendees did not fear their jobs would be taken by robots.

While the robots, aren’t coming quite yet, the small business commissioner, Paul Uppal, is, and he wants greater powers to fine companies who habitually make late payments. Hear hear!

All that was left was for Enterprise Nations’ Emma Jones to introduce four real stars of the future, who pitched their next great idea for the self-employed in the Dragons’ Den. The IPSE/Demos Policy Conference took place on 25 April 2018 and was sponsored by Uber and Travers Smith.

May/June 2018

Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation

CHANNEL 4 news presenter Cathy Newman hosted IPSE and Demos’s policy conference this year and Modern Work spoke to Cathy after the event, to get her thoughts on the day.

Why do you think it is important to have a conference on self-employment and modern work now?

This is a great chance for people to get together to talk about the policy challenges for the self-employed and to talk about the future. And we have been hearing about the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how that is going to affect people in the UK. What do you think the impact a conference like this will have on public policy for the self-employed?

I think it is great that we have heard from lots of ministers today, like Liz Truss and Alok Sharma. We’ve heard from people who are well connected to the government and I think now, you hope, they would go back to their officials and think about some of the issues that have been raised here and hopefully change policy accordingly.

One of the other topics that has been discussed today is women in work, particularly in self-employment and gender inequality. What are your thoughts on this?

I think the dynamic in work is changing. We’ve had a lot of discussions in the last few weeks around the gender pay gap and employers are now taking that on. I think with the self-employed sector, it is an opportunity for many women who want to balance their work with their family, but I also think that is an opportunity for men as well.

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modern work

Policy, pensions and the future of the self-employed

By Tristan Grove

Left to right: Alan Lockey, Ed Mills, Debbie Abrahams, Kwasi Kwarteng, Nita Clarke and Nigel Meager

A

new Conservative government surging ahead in the polls. A new chancellor champing at the bit to prove his mettle. And one clumsy self-employment policy that undermined it all.

When Philip Hammond tried to raise National Insurance contributions for the self-employed back in Spring 2017, his humiliating climbdown was said to be one of the first – and worst – major budget u-turns of modern times.

It is also the starting point for a landmark new report commissioned by IPSE and written by leading think tank Demos called Free Radicals: Why self-employment has risen in Britain and how we should support it.

May/June 2018

Describing the “political firestorm” ignited by the u-turn, the report’s author Alan Lockey explains how “that infamous episode revealed much more than the growing political muscle of [the self-employed]. For what Hammond perhaps underestimated is that providing for the newly enlarged self-employed workforce is also a public policy challenge of substantial urgency.” The report addresses precisely this challenge.

TOO BIG TO IGNORE So, where has this pressing policy challenge come from? Well, as IPSE and Demos’s report shows in unarguable detail, the self-em-

ployed sector has grown enormously in recent years. From copywriters and construction workers to delivery riders and doctors, there are now almost 4.8 million self-employed people in the UK – approximately 15 per cent of the entire workforce.

In fact, today there are almost as many self-employed people as those that work in the whole of the public sector. Lockey even goes so far as to say that the rise of self-employment is “arguably the most significant labour market trend of the past two decades”.

The self-employed sector is, essentially, too big to ignore. The problem is, however, that is precisely what the majority of policymakers 23

and industry leaders are trying to do. Or worse, as with the budget debacle, instead of supporting the growing number of self-employed, they have tried to raid them for tax.

The fact is, as Free Radicals finds: “The worrying truth is that policy has not kept up with self-employment’s move to the mainstream of the British labour market.”

While remote working technology, a desire for freedom and flexibility and a shift in demand have pushed self-employment into the mainstream – the surging slipstream of the labour market – most policymakers still seem to see it as little more than an insubstantial eddy.

And one of the main reasons is that they view “self-employment as an ‘irregular’ or even ‘abnormal’ employment arrangement.”

Burdened by this delusion, they have simply failed to bring the UK’s employment, tax and benefits systems up-to-date. So, as the self-employed sector grows, it pushes more and more at the seams of a creaking, failing system.

NOT SUCH A BAD GIG The self-employed sector is booming, and although the UK’s tax, employment and benefit systems haven’t kept pace with it, Free Radicals actually finds that at the moment, most people are happy with self-employment.

It’s a sharp contradiction of the prevailing narrative about self-employment: the idea that its rise is being driven by vulnerable workers struggling at the rougher end of the so-called gig economy.

But, as Lockey points out: “Though the two debates – rising self-employment and the emergence of the platform economy – are regularly elided, there is almost no evidence that connects the two trends.”

As IPSE has been saying for some time, the rise in self-employment is actually driven above all by the growth in the number of skilled freelancers.

And, far from struggling in vulnerable work, Free Radicals finds that 80 per cent of the sector “are happy and actively choose to be self-employed.”

What’s more, it’s clear that the idea that most are gig workers forced into self-employment for want of a full-time job is wrong, because 70 per cent of respondents said they are “content to stay in self-employment for the foreseeable future.”

Overall then, self-employment seems to be not such a bad gig after all.

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FACING THE FUTURE Although most self-employed people are happy with their way of working at the moment, things may not stay so rosy – especially if nothing is done to improve support for the sector.

That’s where the real policy challenge arises.

As well as the positive points about how the self-employed see their sector, Free Radicals also uncovered some serious concerns about the future. Researching self-employed attitudes to their sector, Lockey found that many have significant concerns about future financial security. In fact, 46 per cent of self-employed respondents said they were seriously worried about their lack of retirement savings.

It isn’t just pensions either: the report highlighted deep concerns about a whole range of issues, including an ineffective and punitive tax system, over-restrictive government legislation and a general lack of support.

While self-employment has been growing significantly in recent years, then – producing modern work

major rewards for the treasury and the economy – Free Radicals also makes clear that there are dark clouds on the horizon.

Unless something is done to bring the UK’s creaking systems up to date for the self-employed, there is a serious risk the sector could slow – that the economy could lose its productivity dynamo just when it needs it most. As the report argues, the self-employed urgently need a new deal.

A NEW DEAL FOR THE SELF-EMPLOYED Free Radicals includes a range of recommendations to shape what this new deal should look like. One of the most pressing is its call for a halt to the disastrous changes the government has made to IR35 tax law.

The changes in the public sector have already led to a mass exodus of contractors and freelancers, exacerbating staffing shortages in the NHS and causing major delays to TfL projects and other work right across the public sector.

May/June 2018

Free Radicals rightly argues against the extension of these hugely damaging changes.

It also recommends a new ‘engagers’ tax’ for businesses using self-employed services. The idea basically addresses concerns about the discrepancy between employee and self-employed taxes (which led to the disastrous attempt to raise National Insurance contributions for the self-employed in the budget last year). It’s an innovative new way of bringing the UK’s creaking tax system up-to-date with the rise of the self-employed, and definitely deserves further consideration.

Another key recommendation – and something IPSE has been calling for – is writing a statutory definition of self-employment into law.

Although the rise in self-employment is certainly not being driven by exploited workers in the platform economy, that’s not to say worker exploitation isn’t a problem.

The fact is that a small number of unscrupulous companies are using self-employment to deny workers rights. Defining self-employment in law would allow the government to root out this false self-employment and it would also protect the flexibility and freedom of the legitimately self-employed.

The report also includes several recommendations to address concerns about the lack of support for the self-employed. Perhaps the most significant is the call for far-reaching reform of Universal Credit to make it actually work for self-employed people.

One of the key things here would be extending the Minimum Income Floor exemption from one year to three to account for the length of time it often takes freelancers and the self-employed to get their businesses off the ground.

To address the crucial issue of saving for later life, the report recommends exploring several different ways of improving pension uptake among the self-employed. Perhaps the report’s most radical recommendation is extending pension auto-enrolment to the self-employed. However, a survey by IPSE has found that many self-employed people do not want such a rigid system.

The report also suggests the government should explore the so called ‘sidecar’ model currently being tested by NEST. This model allows people to draw on a ‘rainy day fund’ part of their pension at any time and would give the self-employed the flexibility they need.

Andy Chamberlain, deputy director of policy and public affairs at IPSE, said: “The Free Radicals report is a major step forward for both IPSE and the entire self-employed sector. Radical in its findings and radical in its recommendations, it not only tackles the great policy challenge facing the labour market in 2018; it also goes a long way to founding a new deal and better deal for the self-employed.”

“There is a serious risk that the economy could lose its productivity dynamo just when it needs it most.”

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modern work

Dragons’ Den It had all the spectacle of the real show, minus fire-breathing judges.

And that didn’t dampen the spirits of the four up-and-coming independent professionals who fronted a distinguished Dragons’ Den panel at the IPSE policy conference. The four participants, all self-employed professionals aged from 19 to 35, were given four minutes to pitch their next product, service or idea to help improve self-employment.

The Dragons’ Choice – winner of £500

Money Inbox is an app that helps freelancers to be more proactive by planning and tracking their income goals. The app is purposely designed to help self-employed people meet financial targets by setting definite, likely and possible projections each month.

There’s no need to set up complex spreadsheet formulas, and it works offline too. The Dragons praised Katy for her thorough research, sharp presentation skills and the app’s general usefulness for freelancers. Search for ‘Money Inbox’ on Facebook.

Absolute Fitness Apparel is a fitness clothing brand founded in south-west London in 2017. The business’s mission statement is to: “Create high quality, affordable and innovative active wear to athletes which in turn will promote a healthy wellbeing.”

What sets Absolute Fitness apart is its model of community

and client engagement, which places at the centre of its business the promotion of healthy well-being. Anthony was able to convince the audience that it was a viable model for other self-employed professionals, and it earned him the people’s choice award.

Visit: absolutefitnessapparel.co.uk

Jem Collins, founder of Journo Resources

Jem didn’t create the online support community Journo Resources just to help her in her freelance career – she did it to improve the freelance industry as a whole.

Journo Resources provides a toolkit for budding freelance journal-

ists to empower them to get a better deal in the media. It also seeks to dispel the secrecy around the industry with a range of common sense tools, which are regularly updated and free to access online.

Visit: journoresources.org.uk

Nina Dee Rattenbury, founder and director of Nina Dee

Nina has been freelancing as a creative consultant for the best part of a decade. After much trial and error and success, she now wants to help other creatives, freelancers and start-ups reach their full potential through a creative leadership programme. Current-

ly in the early development and research stages, the programme seeks to harness and distill creative practices, and pass on this knowledge to help others expand their creative minds in an effective way.

Visit: ninadee.co

Katy Carlisle, founder of Money Inbox app The People’s Choice – winner of £500 Anthony Mellor, founder of Absolute Fitness Apparel

May/June 2018

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modern work

Inspiring a nation of freelancers How did the finalists fare at the Freelancer of the Year Awards 2018 judging day?

O

n a sun-kissed spring day, 16 freelancers representing the breadth and brilliance of independent working in the UK descended on The Trampery in Old Street – a trendy co-working space in central London – to stake their claim as the UK’s best freelancer.

From journalists and actresses, to mime artists and waste management consultants, the cream of the UK’s smallest businesses – selected from hundreds of applicants – were on show looking to win one of the three awards: Freelancer of the Year, Young Freelancer of the Year and New to Freelancing.

The judges were assessing each of the

May/June 2018

freelancers against a range of criteria such as the strength of their portfolio and distinctiveness of their offering, passion and commitment for freelancing, business acumen, engagement with stakeholders, future potential and plans for the prize money.

“The day was a fantastic experience,” judge and 2017 Freelancer of the Year winner Luke Nicholson told Modern Work.

“We heard from 16 inspiring freelancers who have all achieved a huge amount in vastly different fields. I think I can speak for all the judges in saying that we were really impressed by the high standard of all the candidates.

“We were looking for individuals who

were innovative, creative, and passionate about freelancing.

“Choosing the eventual winners was extremely difficult because, in reality, all 16 made extremely strong cases to be crowned the best freelancer in their field.

The winners, and indeed all the finalists, all stand out within their industry and have very bright futures ahead of them.”

The winners will be announced at IPSE’s annual National Freelancers Day (NFD) on Thursday, 28 June.

For more information and tickets for the event at Kings Place, London, visit nationalfreelancersday.com.

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Freelancer of the Year Award finalists The Freelancer of the Year Award recognises and celebrates the innovation and excellence of freelancers in the UK

JAMES MCCANNELLERINGTON, PR CONSULTANT

STEPHANIE DRAX, FREELANCE WRITER AND EDITOR

James has worked in PR for over a decade delivering results for a wide range of clients - from global organisations to start-ups. After six years working in technology at Brands2Life and a further two years at H+K leading the Adidas global football account, he left to set up as a freelance consultant in 2014. His expertise covers the following sectors; technology, property corporate, start-ups, sports sponsorship and clean technology for both B2B and B2C audiences.

Stephanie is a freelance writer and editor specialising in travel, culture and lifestyle. She has written for many of the UK’s glossy magazines and broadsheets, including Vanity Fair, Porter, Condé Nast Traveller, House & Garden, the Sunday Telegraph, the Financial Times and Canada’s Globe & Mail.

She is also the founder of travel, culture and lifestyle video content company VisionAir Films.

Its guides have been carried on 15 airlines, including British Airways, American Airlines, Aer Lingus and Singapore Airlines, and her lifestyle videos have featured on The Guardian and Telegraph websites.

30

SHABANA HUSSAIN, ACTRESS

RICHARD KNIGHT, MIME ARTIST

Shabana founded her business in London in 2015. In just two and a half years she has booked over 70 jobs ranging from TfL voiceovers to roles in feature films.

In particular, she has had roles in BBC’s Doctors and Murdered for Love and carved out her niche as a leading British-Pakistani actress.

Mentoring and coaching fellow actors is a passion of Shabana’s. Seeing her success, many actors now seek out her advice and assistance and she specialises in helping them use social media to get noticed in the industry.

Richard has been performing, directing and teaching mime for over 30 years. He has taught at the Royal College of Music, the Royal School of Art, the National Theatre and both Oxford and Cambridge universities.

He has worked with Andy Serkis on motion capture for Avengers: Age of Ultron, was the personal mime tutor for Carey Mulligan in Suffragette and was a slow-motion expert on Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd. He has also performed all over the world, including at Wembley Arena, the 2012 Olympic Games and the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

modern work

MANDY BARKER, GRAPHIC DESIGNER

ABDUL PARKER, BUSINESS CONSULTANT

FRANCES RYAN, JOURNALIST

IONA BAIN, FINANCE WRITER

Mandy Barker is the founder of branding and design studio Sail Creative. As a design collective they defy the traditional agency structure, bringing to each project not a range of individuals, but an experienced, collaborative team of experts, providing extra agility and efficiency.

Mandy offers not only creative expertise, passion and strategic vision, but also a strong moral compass. Her studio work with people making real change, helping self-initiated projects challenge the status quo and highlight real-world issues. Because design doesn’t only need to look good – it can do good too.

Abdul is an interim transformation consultant with over 15 years’ worldwide experience. He has worked across a whole host of industries including financial services, education, healthcare, telecommunications, pay TV, e-commerce, oil and gas and the public sector.

Abdul has delivered major successes for clients, not least cost savings in excess of £50 million and customer and staff satisfaction levels improved by more than 25 per cent. He is also the author of forthcoming book, Operational Excellence – Embedding a Culture of Continuous Improvement.

Frances Ryan is a journalist and broadcaster. She writes a weekly column for The Guardian and features in publications including New Statesman, i paper, and The Pool. She appears on radio and television, from BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and The World Tonight, to BBC Sunday Politics and Sky News.

She has a doctorate in political theory, with a focus on inequality in education, from The University of Nottingham. She will release her debut book on disability in Britain with Verso in 2019.

Iona Bain has established herself as the country’s go-to voice on young people’s finances. She started her award-winning Young Money Blog in 2011, and has since written a book (Spare Change), presented a Radio 4 documentary on financial education and become a regular commentator in national media.

She was recently named a governor of the Pensions Policy Institute and speaks at events throughout the year. She also runs the Young Money Agency, providing outstanding ideas, writing and consultancy to make the financial industry more youth-friendly, fair and trustworthy.

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Young Freelancer of the Year Award finalists

The Young Freelancer of the Year Award celebrates the most talented self-employed people under the age of 23. It recognises the achievements of people who made the jump into freelancing at an early age and are already making a success of it

HARVEY MORTON, IT SUPPORT

LEAH LAYZELL, DESIGNER

THOMAS LOVE, GRAPHIC DESIGNER

JOSEPHINE VERMILYE, ZERO WASTE CONSULTANT

Harvey started his IT support company in 2013, aged 15, as part of a school enterprise competition. Now it offers a whole range of services including social media management, web design, app development and media production.

He specialises in digital channel mastery and prides himself on delivering beautiful digital projects to businesses across the UK. Harvey is especially passionate about offering an open, flexible approach and tailoring his service to every client, understanding and effectively meeting all their business needs.

Leah is a designer and digital specialist who uses her company, The Virtual Studio, to help boost female and creative businesses.

She provides everything from web design and marketing to automation and strategy services to companies all around the world.

Leah started her entrepreneurial career after having her daughter when she was 20-yearsold. She now campaigns against all age and parental-related prejudices in the business world. In 2017, she was shortlisted for the Best Newcomer VA award and is a regular mentor to secondary school children.

Thomas Love is a graphic designer for film and television, specialising in graphic props. He graduated from the University of Leeds in 2016 with a degree in biochemistry but decided to leave the lab behind for graphic design.

Since then he’s created everything from tapestries and hand-painted signs to futuristic computer systems for The Miniaturist (BBC One), Peaky Blinders (BBC Two) and HUMANS (Channel 4). He’s also worked on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Maleficent 2 and upcoming period drama Gentleman Jack.

Josephine is a 21-year-old British, Swiss, American living in London. Right now, she is pursuing her passion for nature conservation through her career as a freelance plastics consultant.

She first started out through her YouTube Channel, where she makes videos on reducing waste.

Using a range of institutions, her global online community and her personal life experience of cutting out plastic, she advises organisations trying to phase out single-use plastics, helping make the process smooth, cost-effective, ecological and scandal-free.

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modern work

New to Freelancing Award finalists

This year, IPSE has launched the New to Freelancing Award for the first time, to celebrate those independent professionals that have successfully joined the world of self-employed in the past two years

JOSEPH BELL, DIGITAL PRODUCER

CHRIS PIPE, TOWN PLANNER

GEMMA MILNE, JOURNALIST/COPY WRITER

LAUREN STACY, EVENT PRODUCER

Joseph is a freelance digital producer specialising in immersive media and digital history. He has developed and produced a range of award-winning work, much of it during his seven years at the BBC. Since going freelance in January last year, he has worked with a range of brands, broadcasters and heritage and arts organisations to consult on and produce various digital projects. Notable credits include a series through The Space and the highly successful Dan Snow-fronted Passchendaele 100 and Cambrai 100 campaigns for the Royal British Legion.

Chris has a wealth of experience in the town planning industry and as former head of planning for a council and a director for a large PLC property company she knows her way through the planning system from a unique perspective.

She launched Planning House in 2016 - an independent planning consultancy based in North East England, which specialises in residential development.

The ethos behind Planning House is to provide no-nonsense, realistic support and advice for clients but with a personal service being at the core of the business.

Gemma is a Scottish creative science nerd obsessed with tech, design, Irn Bru and pi. She is a freelance journalist & podcaster, writing for The Guardian, BBC, Singularity Hub, and others covering science, tech, culture and politics.

Gemma is also co-founder of Science: Disrupt - an organisation connecting the innovators, iconoclasts and entrepreneurs intent on creating change in science. She is an international speaker and works with the World Economic Forum as one of their global shapers, and is an expert advisor for the European Commission. Gemma is on the Innovation Jury for SXSW and is a judge for the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.

After gaining experience at several notable agencies, Lauren became a freelance event producer in April 2017 and in the past 12 months has worked for clients including Cake (Havas), This is XYZ, and Momentum WW. Whilst working within the events industry for the past eight years, Lauren has produced events for a range of brands, including Shell, Paco Rabanne, Formula E, and American Express, and was part of the multi-award-winning campaign Respect the Water for the RNLI, activated by Leo Burnett Change.

May/June 2018

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Ambassador of the Year finalists

Ambassadors are the people who make the freelance community stronger. The people who provide products and services that make this group’s working lives easier. This award recognises and celebrates those membership organisations, support groups, knowledge hubs and individuals who form the backbone of the flexible labour market

THE HOXBY COLLECTIVE

VIP VA

FREELANCE HEROES

FREELANCE MUM

Founded by Lizzie Penny and Alex Hirst, The Hoxby Collective is a global community of talented individuals who work together to provide marketing, HR, finance, admin, operations and business transformation services to companies around the world. Hoxby handpicks a team of specialists from around the world specifically tailored towards an individuals brief.

Their revolutionary community model provides a uniquely flexible way of working without the need for an office. And by giving everyone the freedom to choose when and where they work, they remove structural bias and create genuine equality of opportunity.

When her son was born in 2012, Charlotte Wibberly left a long, blue chip corporate career.

Then in 2015, she launched her online business management and strategy consultancy to coach business owners and help female entrepreneurs with their online business strategy.

In 2016, Charlotte also launched VIP VA to support, nurture and champion the virtual assistant and freelance industries and create a safe space for high-performing online businesses to collaborate, share knowledge and develop. Charlotte also campaigns to improve industry standards and raise awareness about the enormous value VAs provide.

Ed Goodman has been training people in business skills for over 15 years. For the last five years, he has also been a freelance social media trainer delivering open courses, including masterclasses for the Guardian.

In 2016 he launched Freelance Heroes, a community which has now grown to over 2,800 freelancers from across the UK. The community supports, empathises with and encourages its member, as well as sharing skills and representing the network across the country. Ed has also had his first book published by Pearsons, called New Business; Next Steps.

Faye Dicker is the founder of parent-friendly business organisation Freelance Mum – born of her need to provide professional, child-friendly networking opportunities for self-employed parents.

She is also a successful voice-over artist who provides the voice of Matalan, LeapFrog and Great Western Railways.

Freelance Mum empowers parents to grow their businesses without feeling constantly guilty or held back because of childcare responsibilities. A highly driven woman, Faye is on a mission to support fellow freelance parents, and has recently been nominated as one of the Top 100 most influential women in the west.

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modern work

IPSE University Partners As part of the IPSE Freelancer Awards, the University Partners Awards identifies an institute that has gone above and beyond over the past year to support, educate and engage students considering self-employment, as well as the wider community. IPSE has been working with educational institutions across the UK who demonstrate dedication to supporting students pursuing freelance careers and entrepreneurial activities

BIRKBECK UNIVERSITY Birkbeck University runs the Enterprise Pathways Programme, which encompasses a range of events, activities and initiatives to support students interested in enterprise and entrepreneurship, including workshops, mentoring and online resources. It also runs an extra-curricular course called ‘Pioneer’ which covers a range of skills and knowledge areas around entrepreneurship, delivered by founders and experts in their field.

LONDON SOUTH BANK UNIVERSITY (LSBU) LSBU provides an extensive range of enterprise and entrepreneurship support, including oneto-one guidance, mentoring and access to office space. The university also runs activities such as free workshops and events, competitions and boot camps. LSBU’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute drives its students and graduates to be innovative, take calculated risks and boost their creativity to develop businesses, start-ups and freelance careers.

NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY – SCHOOL OF ART AND DESIGN (NTU)

MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY

NTU has a purpose-built centre for entrepreneurship and enterprise called ‘The Hive’, which helps students and graduates turn business ideas into a reality through a support network, mentoring and training programmes.

At a school-wide level, NTU’s School of Art and Design employability team runs a series of events across terms two and three, which focus on freelancing and self-employment.

Middlesex University runs an Enterprise Development Hub, which is a university-wide initiative designed to support budding entrepreneurs and those wanting to become self-employed. It runs a series of workshops, seminars and mentoring sessions. These equip those wishing to start their own venture or earn a living as a freelancer, consultant, contractor or sole trader with the knowledge, tools and confidence to take the next step.

May/June 2018

UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX

GOLDSMITHS UNIVERSITY

Apart from a broad range of modules in entrepreneurship and innovation, University of Sussex has a wholly owned subsidiary called Sussex Innovation Centre, which offers experienced support and seed funding to help deliver a strategy, build business confidence and develop skills. They also run an annual competition called Start-up Sussex, offering support worth up to £10,000 to current students or recent graduates.

Goldsmiths demonstrates strong support for students pursuing or considering their own business venture through their dedicated enterprise support, the Goldsmiths Innovation Awards, as well as degrees through their Institute of Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship. They recently spent six months developing and consulting on a university-wide employability strategy, and support for students starting their own business and becoming self-employed was a key aspect of their approach.

UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS LONDON, LONDON COLLEGE OF FASHION (LCF) LCF’s student enterprise team supports those who are interested in setting up their own business or starting out as a freelancer.

They deliver sessions to students on aspects of enterprise, including finance and intellectual property. LCF also has a section on their website called LCF Careers Live where they advertise freelance or contract work exclusively to their students and graduates.

KINGS COLLEGE LONDON (KCL) KCL has a student-led institute called The Entrepreneurship Institute, which exists to support entrepreneurial thinking, skills and experiences among King’s students, staff and alumni. It supports students to not only have careers as entrepreneurs or start up new businesses and social enterprises, but also to be innovative in their chosen career. It does this through workshops, access to resources and facilities, funding, visa sponsorship and the King’s Enterprise Award.

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National Freelancers Day

Freelancers SHOWCASE AREA

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Co-working Space of the Year Award

Freelancers are a tight-knit community. Running a solo business can be isolating, so you need the right people around you in your working life. Co-working spaces allow that to happen. They bring freelancers together to network, collaborate, support and learn from each other and this award celebrates spaces which do just that

IMPACT HUB BIRMINGHAM

CLOCKWISE GLASGOW

ASHTON OLD BATHS MANCHESTER

ZIFERBLAT MANCHESTER

The Impact Hub is heavily focused on community and its membership is based on trust. The space offers a work/trade service for those who cannot afford its service. This involves individuals giving up 5.5 hours of their time to help out with events at the hub.

There are standing desks dotted around the space along with small meeting huts, quieter studio space and general hot desks. The venue also has two event spaces upstairs, one of which is converted into a crèche facility every Thursday. And the studio space downstairs can also be used for events.

At the entrance of the building is a mug wall where every member has a coffee mug complete with their name, business and details on next to a polaroid photo of them to encourage collaboration.

Opened in May 2017, Clockwise is one of the first few co-working spaces in central Glasgow.

Within nine months of opening, the space had 250 members and was operating at 70 per cent capacity. Now they are in the process of expanding the space by two floors to accommodate the demand.

Clockwise offers a variety of spaces to work, from hot desks to dedicated desks and fully-furnished private offices with 24-hour access. Memberships are based on a flexible monthly rolling contract and come with a benefits package, which includes discounts on leisure, over-night stays, childcare, restaurants and more. They also host their own events and even have a 5,000 square foot terrace.

Ashton Old Baths is a historic space, reinvented for the small and medium-sized businesses in the digital and creative sector. Formally a Victorian public bath house, this iconic landmark has recently been rejuvenated to house a progressive community of freelancers and small businesses.

The central hub, an architectural marvel built into the original walls of this iconic building, is home to an impressive range of private workspaces designed to nurture creativity and growth.

With first class shared workspace, virtual offices and a great selection of events, Ashton Old Baths is certainly making waves in Manchester.

Nestled in the heart of Manchester’s thriving Northern Quarter is Ziferblat, a pay-per-minute co-working space. A self-styled home away from home spread across a 3,000 square foot sitting room, Ziferblat is decked out with comfortable sofas, warm lamps and thick rugs creating a relaxed, warm and laid-back atmosphere.

The venue also has studios, classrooms and meeting rooms accommodating for events, workshops and a multitude of activities.

It’s USP is certainly it’s pricing model though: visitors pay eight pence per minute – six pence for the meeting rooms – which includes unlimited access to tea, coffee, cake, snacks and Wi-Fi. There is a four-hour cap, after which guests can stay as long as they like at no extra cost.

Details: birmingham.impactthub.net

May/June 2018

Details: workclockwise.co.uk

Details: ashtonoldbaths.co.uk

Details: ziferblat.co.uk/edgestmanchester.html 37

DUKE STUDIOS LEEDS

PLATF9RM BRIGHTON

TMRW CROYDON, LONDON

AVENUE HQ LIVERPOOL

Duke Studios is an open co-working space in Leeds city centre with a motto of people first, business second. It provides a range of workspaces, imaginative services and facilities to creatives from all fields: including film makers, web developers, Architects and DJs. Founders Laura Wellington and James Abbott Donnelly created the space with two visions. First, to build an inspiring, stimulating and inclusive space for creative individuals across different sectors to work. And second, to turn this space into a creative hub to facilitate interaction, encourage networking and spark collaboration.

Duke Studios accounts for everyone from freelance hot desks, to studio space for small businesses and even has its own bar and space to host concerts and other events.

PLATF9RM is a flexible co-working space providing a creative business environment for freelancers in Brighton since 2016.

Located across two floors of Tower Point – one of two locations in the heart of one of the UK’s coolest cities – PLATF9RM is a melting pot of creativity and collaboration.

Film-makers, PR agencies, illustrators, charities, accountants, writers, cleaners, graphic designers and even mime artists occupy 24,000 square feet of community-focussed, event-happy co-working space. With relentless growth, oodles of imagination and whispers of a rooftop space hopefully opening next year, PLATF9RM has grand visions of becoming the go-to destination for freelancers on the south coast and beyond.

TMRW is a co-working space in Croydon, south London, that prides itself on having built one of the most spacious and functionally-designed shared offices in the capital. Specialising in the tech field, TMRW offers a range co-working and private office desks for start-ups and scale-ups.

With its entire management team and board having specialised in tech fields, as well as a network of specialist mentors and tech investors, there are few better platforms from which to launch into the industry. With fantastic facilities, an industry-focussed environment and its award-winning Byte Café, TMRW has set itself as the benchmark in the aptly named ‘Silicon Valley of South London’.

Avenue HQ is a stunning, glass-fronted co-working space overlooking Liverpool’s historic waterfront designed specifically around the requirements of the local community. Avenue HQ boasts a broad range of member packages from ‘Flex’ membership at £20 per month to private office space for £600.

Supported by Eagle Labs – an initiative by Barclays – Avenue HQ hosts up to 200 entrepreneurs and businesses and boasts a maker space to support rapid prototyping for all members. With a diverse calendar of events ranging from quiz nights and pie days to breakfast meet-ups and tester sessions, Avenue HQ provides a work/life balance to fulfil the needs of the city’s growing freelance workforce.

Details: duke-studios.com

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Details: platf9rm.com

Details: tmrw.co/

Details: avenue-hq.com

modern work

DoES LIVERPOOL LIVERPOOL

SIGNATURE WORKS LIVERPOOL

DESKLODGE BRISTOL

SPACE4 FINSBURY PARK, LONDON

It is quite fitting that DoES Liverpool relocated in the past few months to the city’s trendy Fabric District. The former warehouses, once the heart of Liverpool’s thriving textile and clothing trade – including The Tapestry, in which DoES is located – are being given a new lease of life as part of an urban renewal project.

DoES doubles as a traditional co-working space – offering flexible hot desk and permanent desk options at reasonable prices (tip: your first day is free if you bring a cake) – and, in a nod to Liverpool’s industrial past, a lab specialising in laser printing and technology. Like the district in which they work, DoES members – entrepreneurs and company founders, artists and makers, developers and hardware engineers, academics and students – contribute richly to the tapestry of the city.

Operating under the Signature Living brand – an established developer of luxurious hotels – Signature Works is a sleek co-working space in the centre of Liverpool. Located in the striking Bling Bling Building, Signature Works provides its members with an environment that actively promotes an expansive frame of mind.

Not only do Signature Works provide stylish office space, their incubator programme provides members with a platform to present business to a panel of high-profile business people to fast-track funding or Angel support. And with benefits and discounts across the Signature hotel, spa, bar and restaurant portfolio, Signature Works is far more than just a co-working space.

Desklodge is based in the former Evening Post base in central Bristol just a few minutes’ walk from Temple Meads station.

The venue has quirky themed meeting room spaces, telephone and meeting booths, a spacious event space and funky décor throughout. There is free flowing tea and coffee available as well as a flexible membership options, hot desking and 24/7 access.

Desklodge promotes and supports the freelancing community with a range of events aimed to connect and inform members.

Nestled in the heart of north London, Space4 isn’t your average co-working space. With a pay-whatyou-can membership model, an emphasis on co-operative businesses and a strong community engagement programme, it’s a co-working space with a distinctively ethical slant.

Space4 may have just 25 desks, but they have big plans and an equally big focus on building up their community of freelancers. As well as weekly communal lunches, they also run everything from film screenings to data mapping workshops. To cement their ethics credentials, Space4 are also working with Islington Council and partnering with the co-operative Founders and Coders to offer free coding lessons to youngsters in the area.

Details: signatureworks.co.uk

Details: desklodge.com

Details: space4.tech

Details: doesliverpool.com/co-working

May/June 2018

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NFD Programme 10:00

Exhibitor Zone

11:00

12:00

10:00 - 15:30 10:00am -

15:30pm Hoxby Connect 11.30 - 3:30 Freelancer Showcase

Freelancer Showcase 10:40 - 11:30 Welcome & presentation

Keynotes Policy

11:30 - 12:15 Digital: The future of self-employment

Digital

11:30 - 12:15 Financial: Ask the experts Experienced Freelancers

Finance

11:30 - 12:15 Health & Wellbeing: Interview

Health & Wellbeing

Winning Work

11:30 - 12:15 Winning Work: A brand called YOU

Practical workshops

11:30 - 12:15 Practical Workshop: Social Media Health Check

Exhibitor Zone

Welcome

10:00-17:00 Meet exhibitors throughout the day for one-to-one business advice and get your business profile picture taken for free with our two photographers.

10:40 -11:00 Chris Bryce, CEO, IPSE Carl Camden, former CEO Kelly Services

10:00-15:30 Co-working environments Freelancer Showcase 11:30-15:30 Dedicated freelancer showcase area - meet successful freelancers from a range of industries, view their work, take part in live workshops and even purchase if you like what you see!

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Keynote Presentation 11:00-11:30 Presentation: How mindset is always more important than skill set with Beavertown Brewery 15:30-16:15 Policy Panel 13:40-11:00

Digital workshop: The future of self-employment 11:30-12:15 With Deployed and Sherpa; digital disruptors.

10 min presentation and Q&A Digital workshop: How video can boost your business 13:15-14:00 Steve Folland, finalist of 2016 IPSE Freelancer of the Year Awards and video and audio contentproduceronhowtocreate video content and how it can help promote your business.

Digital Workshop: Cyber Attack - It couldn’t happen to me, could it? - Aon Affinity 14:30-15:15 Finance panel: Ask the experts experienced freelancers 11:30-12:15 Ask questions to some of the UK’s financial experts including Aon, CMME and Close Brothers, designed for experienced freelancers and independent professionals.

Track sponsored by Close Brothers Asset Management

Lunch: 12:15 - 13:00

10:00 - 17:00 Exhibitor Zone

Hoxby Live

Hoxby Live

13:00

Finance panel: Ask the experts - new to freelancing 13:15-14:00 Find valuable industry insights from some of the UK’s financial experts. This panel session is aimed at those freelancers and independent professionals in the early stages of setting up. With TransferWise, Optionis, Freelancer and Sherpa.Track sponsored by Close Brothers Asset Management Finance: Improving Financial Wellbeing - Close Brothers 2:30pm-3:15pm This session will be led by National Freelancers Day Financial Track sponsor Close Brothers Asset Management. modern work

13:00

14:00

15:00

16:00

17:00

15:30 - 16:15 Keynote: Beavertown Brewery 13:15 - 14:00 Policy panel 13:15 - 14:00 Digital: How video can boost your business

14:30 - 15:15 Digital: Cyber Attacks

13:15 - 14:00 Financial: Ask the experts New to freelancing

14:30 - 15:15 Financial: Improving Financial Wellbeing - Close Brothers

13:15 - 14:00 Health & Wellbeing: Mental health panel discussion

14:30 - 15:15 Health & Wellbeing: The Diversity of Freelancing

13:15 - 14:00 Winning Work: Promote yourself, knowing your worth

14:30 - 15:15 Winning Work: Winning Work Internationally

13:15 - 14:00 Practical Workshop: Content writing

14:30 - 15:15 Practical Workshop: Topic TBC

Health and wellbeing: Interview - live podcast recording 11:30-12:15 Join Steve Folland from Being Freelance interviewing two IPSE award finalists; Chichi Eruchalu, business strategist & and another TBC touching upon their highs and lows of freelancing.

Health and wellbeing: Panel discussion - Mental health 13:15-14:00 We tackle the importance of keeping your mental health in check with panelists James Routledge (founder of Sanctus), Axa Healthcare and Caitlin McEvoy, freelance graphic designer May/June 2018

Health and wellbeing: Panel The Diversity of Freelancing 14:30-15:15 This session celebrates the diverse range of careers that are available in freelancing. We will learn the personal stories from an Uber partner driver, a professional athlete and Lizzie Penny from the Hoxby Collective.

Winning work: A brand called YOU 11:30-12:15 Hela Wozniak Kay, director of Sister Snog will be joining us to share hints and tips on building your personal brand.

Winning work: Presentation Promote yourself - knowing your worth 13:15-14:00 Interactive presentation led by Carl Reader, small business columnistandcommentator,who will give an insight into how to promote yourself as a business in order to win work and build a positive reputation in your field.

Winning work internationally 14:30-3:15 Panel session all about how to successfully run your business at an international level. Speakers include TransferWise and Freelancers.

Practical Workshop: Social media health check 11:30-12:15 Join marketing consultant, Luan Wise, who will take you through a social media audit and give answers on improving your social media strategy.

Practical workshop: Content writing for your website 13:15-14:00pm Margaret Webster, copywriter leads this focused, practical workshop on how to write the services pages for your website along with tips for online writing. The style of this session is a small, very interactive group of 10 people with exercises and handouts.

Practical workshop: TBC 14:30pm-15:15pm TBC

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Your monthly briefing UNIVERSAL CREDIT PUNISHES THE SELF-EMPLOYED, REPORT REVEALS Universal Credit (UC) “fails to deliver parity of treatment between employees and the self-employed”, according to a new report released by the Commons Work and Pensions Committee.

Under the current system, the monthly income assessments used to determine UC can lead to self-employed people missing out on “important support”.

This is “not because their income is inadequate, but because it is volatile,” the report states.

To address the issue, the report has called for the Minimum Income Floor (MIF) to be extended to up to a year to help account for fluctuating self-employed incomes.

It has also recommended building into, and extending the ‘start-up period’, for new businesses in UC. The start-up period, currently set at one year, is the time a business is excluded from MIF, thus allowing themselves to get up and running. Both recommendations were initially put forward by IPSE. MAKING TAX DIGITAL DELAYED

BY BREXIT HMRC’s planned Making Tax Digital rollout has been delayed by Brexit.

Jon Thompson, chief executive of HMRC told parliament’s public accounts committee that the department “clearly prioritised Brexit, receipts and efficiency”.

“We have decided to take a longer run at the single financial account as part of Making Tax Digital for business.

“The primary drive, which is for VAT and Making Tax Digital for business, remains on the same timescale. But the ultimate goal, which is to provide a single financial account for you as a business, has been deferred.”

Making Tax Digital aimed to allow busiMay/June 2018

nesses to do all their tax returns online. It is unclear now as to when this will be, however, the date for VAT will remain at April 2019. In its manifesto, IPSE said MTD should not be made mandatory until 2025 at the earliest.

CO-WORKING IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

HIGH NUMBER OF LEGAL CHALLENGES ANTICIPATED OVER IR35 REFORMS A Freelancer Contractor Services Association (FCSA) survey revealed half of respondents claimed no IR35 compliance test had been carried out when the public sector reforms were announced.

Of the 50 per cent who said they had been assessed for IR35, 42 per cent were simply deemed inside.

The other 50 per cent who said a compliance test was used, 26 per cent claimed it was based on their role rather than their actual engagements with the client.

And the other 24 per cent who said individual tests were carried out, it was rarely ever done using the government’s Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST) tool.

FCSA chief executive, Julia Kermode, told the HR Director: “When HMRC issued its CEST tool, it was already far too late. Public sector employers had already begun re-assessing existing contracts months before the IR35 reforms came into effect.

“More than one third of respondents (36%) believe that legal challenges will now transpire as a direct consequence of role-based decisions being made and 34 per cent of respondents are expecting challenges to workers’ deemed employment status.

“These statistics should be of real concern for the government, and our survey suggests that it is in the medical, engineering and IT sectors where such challenges may come from.”

Work Meet Play is a brand-new co-working space and the first to open in Richmond, North Yorkshire.

Richmond’s thecitysecret academy (a firm which offers technology-based training to organisations across the UK) and local entrepreneur Chris Lee (founder of Serendipity 29), have teamed up to inspire and encourage local businesses to work, collaborate and socialise in a co-working community.

The space opened in May and offers the first day to freelancers and businesses free.

Thereafter it is £20 per day.

Details: thecitysecret.academy/workmeetplay ADDISON LEE LOSES APPEAL OVER CYCLE COURIER’S EMPLOYMENT STATUS Courier and taxi service Addison Lee’s appeal against a judgement regarding the employment status of one its cycle courier’s was rejected by an employment tribunal.

Last July, Christopher Gascoigne challenged the company’s classification of him as an independent contractor, with the employment tribunal ruling in his favour in August.

Addison Lee appealed the ruling. A spokesperson from the firm said in August: “Addison Lee is disappointed with the ruling as we have always had and are committed to maintaining a flexible and fair relationship with cycle couriers.”

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The government’s war on the self-employed will backfire

By Matthew Lynn Financial correspondent

V

AT has already been pushed about as high as it can go. Corporation tax is coming down to help keep the UK economy competitive after we leave the EU. Raising income tax is political suicide, at least for the Conservative Party. With a persistent budget deficit, even at what is almost certainly the peak of the economic cycle, and with public services clamouring for more money, there are not many groups left for the treasury to target.

Except, of course, the self-employed. We have already seen an assault on dividend taxes to make it harder to work through your own company. An attempt has also been made to raise self-employed workers’ national insurance contributions.

Now we are seeing an attack on what counts as self-employment or not, with a draconian tightening of the IR35 rules in the public 44

sector, and a consultation on rolling that out to private companies as well. Many people who thought they were working for themselves and were responsible for paying their own taxes will suddenly find that is no longer true.

There is a problem, however, and it is far from a minor one. It is going to backfire, and potentially very badly. Sure, the revenue will collect a bit more in tax money. But it will demoralise and demotivate hundreds of thousands of workers, fuel emigration, and worsen productivity. Overall, both the government and society more widely will end up worse off.

The self-employed have always delivered a bit less revenue for the government than salaried workers. They pay a lower rate of national insurance. And because they pay through self-assessment, the money flows to the treasury far later than it does for anyone on PAYE. But that was always seen as a fair compensation for all the things they have given up, such as pension schemes, paid holidays, paternity leave and so on. Anyone who thinks the self-employed are on Easy Street clearly doesn’t know someone who works for themselves.

Over the last five years, the government has been steadily whittling away the tax advantages of self-employment. Right now, its main focus is on the rules on whether someone is actually an employee or not. modern work

Chris Bryce

Chief executive at IPSE Of the 4.8 million people who work for themselves in Britain, a vast percentage are on contracts, going into a workplace for set days, but taking charge of the own tax affairs. There has always been a grey space on whether someone is actually an employee or not. But a tightening of the rules for the public sector has reclassified tens of thousands of people as employees.

That is not proving at all popular. Take the NHS for example, which uses vast numbers of self-employed care workers. A survey by the Independent Health Professionals’ Association found that 98 per cent of its members were unhappy with the reforms.

A further 70 per cent said they would think about shifting to private healthcare providers, while a third said they might look for work in another European country where the rules were more flexible. It is likely that the mood is similar in local government, education, social care and all the other government services.

Why would anyone expect anything else? After all, the IR35 reforms mean vast numbers of workers in the public sector have just been given a significant pay cut. They were never likely to be happy about that, especially as many of them are not terribly well paid in the first place and have had their pay virtually frozen for the last eight years as the government struggles to get the deficit under control.

The extra tax they are now being made to pay will really hurt. Even worse, many of them, especially in healthcare, come from the EU. They very easily can up sticks and move somewhere that appreciates them a bit more.

Here’s the problem. Like so many tax rises, the treasury focuses on the cash it can raise but pays very little attention to the knock-on impact of its taxes. In the NHS, the reforms have already demoralised an over-stretched, pressurised workforce, and will lead to worse services, and higher staff turnover.

Since that service alone accounts for nine per cent of GDP, it is hard to see that as a great trade-off for society – we get a little more tax, but worse healthcare. The same will be true in other public services.

If the government rolls those reforms into the private sector it will be even worse, demoralising millions of workers in IT, construction and logistics, and in other sectors where contract working is common. We will end up with lower productivity, as workers lose motivation, and probably a lower employment rate as well, as some, especially the over-65s, decide it is not worth the hassle of working any more.

It is self-defeating. The government should recognise that self-employment is one of the most vibrant sectors of the economy, creating jobs and wealth, fuelling entrepreneurship, and supporting critical public services. If we don’t collect every last penny possible in tax from them, it hardly matters – continually attacking them ends up doing more harm than good.

May/June 2018

Forget the tax grabs - it’s time for a new deal THIS April saw one of IPSE’s biggest and most successful events to-date, our policy conference – Modern Working: The Age of Self-Employment.

A spectacular day of insightful panel discussions and rousing keynote speeches, we brought in guests from Cathy Newman and Liz Truss to Vince Cable and Iain Duncan Smith.

We also commissioned a landmark report, Free Radicals: Britain’s self-employed millions urgently need a new deal, for the conference from leading think tank Demos. A wide-ranging and detailed report exploring self-employment in the twenty-first century and the policy challenges arising from it.

In every aspect of the day, from the report to our spread of panel discussions, two key messages emerged: first, self-employment has grown enormously in recent years, rising to become one of the most dynamic and productive sectors of our economy. Second, as self-employment has grown, our government and laws have simply failed to keep up. What we see today is a tax and employment system creaking at the seams, holding back the power and potential of the booming self-employed sector.

It’s for that reason that our Demos report found that there urgently needs to be a new deal for the self-employed. A new deal to give them the training and saving support they need. To stop them just being raided for tax. And to make sure the government and the country are tapping into the true potential of this thriving sector.

Now it’s time for the government to finally take heed and make this new deal happen. The first step, as our report with Demos points out, should be to turn away from any extension of the disastrous changes to IR35. Then it should pay careful attention to our report’s other recommendations – from a statutory definition of self-employment to improved savings solutions and making Universal Credit actually work.

So the government can stop smashing the self-employed – and start supporting them instead.

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Time to go-go Glasgow for new generation of freelancers The co-working space that is also a hotel

By Jyoti Rambhai

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eing a digital nomad is fast becoming a way of life for many freelancers. Earning a living while travelling the world – what’s not to love? And now there is even a hotel-come-co-working space designed specifically for those who have taken up this modern and attractive way of working.

Located just 20 minutes from the airport, in the heart of Glasgow’s city centre is citizenM – a quirky hotel, which boasts a clean and contemporary décor throughout its meeting rooms, shared office space and bedrooms.

The inspiration behind citizenM came from Robin Chadha – chief marketing officer – and his colleagues, who identified a need for a hotel to cater for a “new generation of travellers”.

Chadha told Modern Work: “citizenM set out to disrupt the traditional hotel model. We looked at ways to build in a new way; design the experience in a new way for the guest and operate in a new way.

We focused the entire experience on the new generation of travellers and on our own frustrations.

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“citizenM pioneered the concept of affordable luxury for the people, giving customers all the luxuries they need from a good hotel and taking away the unnecessary things. Amazingly designed, human hotels, full of technology at an affordable price.”

At citizenM, there is no such thing as suites or double and single rooms. Every room is the same, with prices starting from around £63 per night, depending on the day you stay.

All guests enjoy an extra-large kingsize bed, wall-to-wall windows, a TV and a power rain shower. Each room has a tablet which controls everything from the lights and the blinds, to the TV, on-demand movies and even wake-up calls. And to top it all off – mood lighting!

And it’s not just the chic red, black and white themed décor and ultra-modern artwork that makes citizenM a great place to stay. Rather than the standard hotel lobby and reception to greet your arrival, there is simply someone there to direct you to a computer.

For the technophobes, this may seem modern work

Top five things to do in Glasgow WEST END FESTIVAL

a daunting way to check-in, but it is actually quick, easy and saves you waiting around. Plus, you even get to choose what floor you want your room on and whether it faces the courtyard or looks out over Glasgow.

Then there is societyM – a shared office space where anyone is welcome. The venue offers spacious meeting rooms equipped with the latest audio-visual technology and wipe-clean walls for your notes and scribbles.

There are a variety of rooms to choose from, accommodating anywhere from six to 20 people. Prices for the meeting rooms start from around £140 for half a day and £200 for a full day, and comes with the option to include a breakfast or lunch package at an additional cost.

And for larger events, there is also the bonus of a screening room in Glasgow, which can host up to 50 people. Prices start from £200 for half a day or £320 for a full day and include an unlimited supply of tea and coffee.

The hotel also offers Apple Macs and printers for guests to use and with canteenM open 24 hours a day, giving you access to food and drink, it means you can work, socialise and sleep when it suits you.

The rise in the number of on-the-go freelancers has seen places like this hotel co-working space combo flourish since it opened in 2010. The hotel has around 70 to 100 daily guests using its workspace.

However, Glasgow was not the first citizenM. Chadha added: “We opened our first hotel in 2008 in Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam.

Since then, citizenM has opened a further 12 hotels in Europe, the USA and Asia. With a second New York hotel opening in the Bowery this summer, we are one of the fastest growing hotel brands in Europe.

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“And it’s not just the hotel – we have had a number of successful events. We regularly collaborate with arts and cultural festivals and events, such as Photo London and the London Design Festival, to create installations within the hotels. Last year saw a very successful installation created especially for the Shoreditch citizenM by designer Yinka Ilori.

“This year, citizenM Glasgow is partnering with Glasgow International (GI) – Scotland’s largest festival for contemporary art. To celebrate the partnership, citizenM Glasgow has launched an exhibition with graphic design agency Cause + Effect, which opened to the public in April, to coincide with the start of GI 2018.

“Additional programming includes a series of artist panels, workshops and installations at the hotel, which will run throughout 2018.”

So, whether you’re after somewhere to host events, work or simply stopover as you continue your travels, with sleek, comfy furniture throughout, it’s easy to relax and enjoy working at citizenM – whether that’s in your room or in the shared office space.

Overall rating Price Location Facilities Wi-Fi Coffee

A creative carnival which sees over 100 organisations, arts groups and local and international performers getting involved to celebrate the city. It features everything from traditional folk music to rock gigs, comedy shows and the Glasgow Mardi Gras.

Details: 1-24 June westendfestival.co.uk GLASGOW JAZZ FESTIVAL This annual festival is back to jazz up the city’s already vibrant music scene with a host of world class musicians and upcoming superstars. Some of the events are free to attend, while tickets will need to be purchased in advance for others.

Details: 20-24 June jazzfest.co.uk GLASGOW MELA Scotland’s biggest multicultural festival is back with a packed programme of music, dance and other performances for everyone to enjoy. Plus, food from around the world. All events are free to attend.

Details: 24 June glasgowmela.com GLASGOW COMIC CON What started as comic book convention for a few hundred people in a church is now one of the city’s biggest annual festivals at the Royal Concert Hall.

Among this year’s guests are Jen Bartel, Kris Anka, Annie Wu and Christian Ward.

Details: 30 June glasgowcomiccon.com TRNSMT FESTIVAL From the team behind T in the Park, TRNSMT heads to Glasgow Green for two big weekends of live music. This year’s line up includes Stereophonics, The Script, James Bay, Liam Gallagher, Arctic Monkeys and more.

Details: 29 June - 1 July and 6 & 8 July trnsmtfest.com

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FREELANCER WORDSEARCH FREELANCE SELF-EMPLOYED PENSION VAT AWARDS SAVING HMRC TAX CAREER

ENGAGEMENTS NETWORKING BUSINESS EDUCATION TRAINING WELLBEING CO-WORKING CLIENT ENTERPRISE

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Down 2. Vanish (9) 3. Not outer (5) 4. Crucial (9) 5. Half of six (5) 6. Vigilance (9) 7. Absurd (5) 8. Convent (7) 9. Boat (6) 15. Conference (9) 17. Pennants (9) 18. Separation (9) 19. A mild powdered seasoning (7) 21. Leave suddenly (6) 23. Melodies (5) 24. Oar (5) 26. Allegation (5)

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Down: 2. Disappear 3. Inner 4. Important 5. Three 6. Alertness 7. Inane 8.

Nunnery 9. Bateau 15. Symposium 17. Streamers 18. Isolation 19. Paprika 21. Decamp 23. Music 24. Scull 26. Claim 48

modern work

Review Spotlight Remote:

By Jyoti Rambhai Editor

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resenting has become an essential skill for the modern professional, especially so for freelancers. Whether giving a talk, pitching to a new client or simply networking, doing so in a visually engaging manner can help you out a long way.

At Modern Work, we’ve gone out to test one of the latest gadgets on the market to see if it can take your presentation to a whole new level.

Introducing Logitech’s Spotlight Presentation Remote – a device which has “reinvented presentation control”.

According to Logitech, Spotlight is unlike the traditional slide clicker or laser pointer: it is designed to “help you become a confident presenter”. It does this by giving you the option to highlight, magnify and generally interact with the content on screen.

While all these advance features sound great, how easy is it to actually use?

First up, Spotlight is marketed as a plugand-play gadget that is app-based and compat-

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Present to impress The presentation remote that gives you total control

ible with most devices. We tested this out on a laptop running Windows 10 and it was both very easy to set up and quick, taking less than five minutes.

And rather than waiting hours to charge a device when you first use it, Spotlight takes just one minute, and this gives you roughly three hours of use.

Not only can you navigate between slides, the remote also allows you to highlight and magnify what’s on the screen.

The magnify option is particularly useful if you have a lot of text on screen or you have an image and you want to draw people’s attention to a minute detail. It is easy to navigate and prior to doing the presentation, you can even choose the zoom level.

There are two ways to highlight something you have on your presentation with this device. The first is through the spotlight feature, which

essentially dims the presentation and gives you a spotlight to navigate around on screen. This feature is great for drawing your audience’s attention to an image, word or graphic.

The second way to highlight is by converting the cursor into a basic circle.

This is a much subtler way to emphasise something and I think this would work best if you wanted to just stress a particular word on screen.

Once set up, you have the option to choose whether to use just one or all three of these functions. If you choose to use multiple, it is easy to switch between them – simply double-click the top button.

Spotlight can also be used in a mouselike manner; however, this proved a little harder to master. It is a great feature to have for playing and pausing videos and opening links, but to try and do more may take a fair bit of practice.

Other functions this remote offers include volume control – although I found I could only turn the volume up; option to scroll; turn the screen black and there is even the timer.

The timer is something that can be especially useful. You can set how long you have for the presentation and this will display on your screen only. It will then vibrate in your hand when you have five minutes left and then again when your time is up.

Finally, the most important thing of all, the price. At £119.99, the Spotlight remote is rather expensive. The features it offers will certainly enhance your presentation, and if this is something you do regularly then it could be a valuable purchase.

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Live streaming: Focus on what you need to know

By Gemma Church

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whopping 80 per cent of online audiences would rather watch a live video than read your blog. And 81 per cent would rather see a live video of your business than your social media posts.

These stats, from the Livestream live video platform, highlight the increasing demand for video content in the digital space for freelancers.

A live stream is when you transmit live video or audio content over the internet.

There are many benefits to live streaming as a freelancer. It can bring your business to life, allowing you to reach a wider audience with live streaming posts, increasing your organic reach by 135 per cent

compared to a regular photo post. You can also engage with your audience directly. For example, during a live stream, viewers can ask you questions which you can respond to in real time.

You could interact either through the comments section linked to your live stream or a chat feed, depending on the service you use.

These interactions will help you to build relationships with viewers, and such positive reinforcement can help turn viewers into customers.

Also, most live streaming services are free to use.

So, what have you got to lose?

Well, you don’t want to tarnish your brand with a poor quality (or pointless) live stream. So, here are some tips to help you get started:

CHOOSE YOUR SERVICE Your first decision is which service to use. If you’re new to live streaming, you may want to try one of the Facebook Live, Twitter Live, or YouTube Live services. These are simple to use – you just hit ‘live video’ and off you go.

Facebook Live is great for exposure, and you can choose to live stream from your business page or group. The stream quality is usually pretty good, but it is difficult to repurpose your content if, for example, you wanted to upload your videos to YouTube.

On Twitter Live your video can go anywhere a tweet can go. So, it will appear on the Twitter app and website, and it can be embedded on other modern work

websites. Also, your video will be uploaded to the Twitter-owned Periscope live streaming app (more on that later). Twitter also makes it easy for your audience to interact with you and each other using your @ handles during a stream.

YouTube Live doesn’t have quite the same reach as Twitter and Facebook, but it is more suitable for repurposable and evergreen content. Your recordings are automatically saved, and notifications are sent to your subscribers when you live stream. YouTube Live also lets you monetise on your live stream through its ads.

But, if you want to further extend your reach, you could download a third-party live streaming app that integrates with your social media accounts.

Periscope is a free app for Android and iOS. Your live streams can also be replayed at any time, and there are also a load of integrated social features to boost audience participation and feedback. There’s also a nice map function to localise your streams and make them discoverable on the app’s Global Maps feature.

Livestream is a free iOS app where you can engage with viewers via the built-in chat

feature. The app also connects well with GoPro cameras so you can produce a higher quality stream compared with other apps.

So, now you’re set up with a service – what are you going to stream?

BEFORE YOU BROADCAST It’s important to do a little prep work before going live.

First, you need to come up with an engaging topic that will give real value to your viewers. You could always repurpose an old blog post to pull it into the present day, for example.

Whatever you decide, make sure you share your expertise with your audience. You may want to outline the points you’re going to raise and practise a little.

Have a clear goal in mind before your live stream. You may want, for example, to build a bigger audience or promote an event or product. Write down your CTA (Call To Action) and have it on hand when you start broadcasting.

Also, make sure you let your fans know when you’re about to live stream to boost your audience figures. You could just do this a few minutes before your stream, or give them a little more warning.

Check the camera set-up so you can see what your viewers will see. You don’t want to leave any sensitive information in the background or film at an unflattering angle, for example. And make sure your battery is charged, so you don’t cut out unexpectedly.

Last, you need to come up with a catchy headline for your live stream. Be bold in your language and try to pull viewers in by making it clear what they’ll get from watching.

DURING YOUR BROADCAST Start with a quick intro which tells your viewers what they’re going to get out of your broadcast.

You could also start by asking them to subscribe to your channel, so they don’t miss out on future content. Remember, while you don’t want to be overly promotional during a stream, you do want to build an audience.

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You may want to add some movement to your live stream. For example, you may want to take viewers on a tour of your office or live stream a specific event. The most important factor to bear in mind when live streaming is to interact with your audience. That’s the beauty of live streaming and why people choose to watch such videos. So, respond to comments and questions and be prepared to go with the flow of your live stream (while keeping that end goal in mind).

Finally, thank your viewers for watching and finish with that all-important CTA. AFTER YOUR BROADCAST Rewatch your content and make sure it has uploaded to your desired platform. Also, make sure you download the video in case you want to repurpose it in the future.

Finally, add some CTA links to the comments/chat section of your live stream and go through any questions that you didn’t have the time to answer during the stream.

After all, the cornerstone of live streaming is increased interaction with your audience. If you can perfect this, then you could be a live streaming star before you know it (and way before your competition).

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Enterprising Thinking.

Over the years, we have nurtured a confident and collaborative approach to delivering excellence in an ever-changing employment law landscape. As a result, we have carved a reputation for enterprising thinking and uncompromising quality.

Our Employment team provides advice on the full spectrum of employment and business immigration matters. We offer “brave” employment law advice. We do not sit on the fence, we give recommendations and solutions tailored to our knowledge of our client’s requirements.

For more information, please contact Ed Mills, Head of Employment: ed.mills@traverssmith.com For instant access to key employment law and business immigration facts and figures, as well as the latest legal updates, case law,and other HR-related news download the TSEmpLaw app from the App store (for iPhone/iPad) and Google Play store (for Android devices).

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Travers Smith LLP 10 Snow Hill, London EC1A 2AL T: +44 (0) 20 7295 3000 | www.traverssmith.com

modern work

Rise in selfemployment sparks increase in workers’ right debate

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ignificant growth in the “gig economy” in recent years has seen a sharp rise in businesses engaging individuals on an ad hoc basis to meet fluctuating demand. With this has come an increase in the use of self-employed, freelance and casual workers.

Technology has made these flexible working arrangements easier, with new digital platforms enabling businesses to resource jobs quickly, with less need for advance planning.

As the number of self-employed people grows, along with other alternative ways of working, so too has the debate about workers’ rights. We have seen an unprecedented focus on how workers should be classified and what rights they should have.

In 2016, the government commissioned Matthew Taylor to conduct an independent review into how employment law and practice might need to change to maintain pace with modern business models. The Taylor Review has made a number of recommendations, which the government is now considering taking forward and seeking public views on. Chief among

May/June 2018

them is the need for greater clarity around employment status and the rights of workers.

In the light of the increased focus, many businesses are taking the opportunity to review the different types of workers they engage, to ensure they have the right categorisation and their terms remain appropriate.

HOW TRAVERS SMITH CAN HELP At Travers Smith, our employment lawyers are experts across the full spectrum of employment law and business immigration issues.

We help employer clients proactively manage their workforce, advising on issues such as employment status, senior appointments, visas and immigration and employee consultation.

We also support our employer clients to protect their businesses when the need arises, defending unfair dismissal, discrimination and whistleblowing claims, and acting to prevent competitive behaviour from former employees.

What separates us out from our peers is our relationship-focussed approach and the type of advice that we provide: we enjoy getting

to know our clients and their businesses so that we can build and develop enduring partnerships with them. We achieve this by putting in place a dedicated and consistent team of lawyers for each of our clients. This, coupled with low attrition rates and our lawyers’ commercial and pragmatic approach, means that our advice is bespoke, solutions-focussed, innovative and challenging – we provide ourselves on providing “brave advice”.

OUR TSEMPLAW APP Our TSEmpLaw app provides instant access to key employment law and business immigration facts and figures, as well as the latest legal updates, case law, and other HR-related news. In addition, it is a channel for people to access our business immigration practice and international service.

The app can be downloaded for free from the App Store (for iPhone/iPad) and Google Play store (for Android devices) by searching “TSEmpLaw”.

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The freelancer’s guide to...

Prague

By Tom Hayward

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ith a skyline dominated by the ninth century Prague Castle and other relics of eras gone by, the Czech capital’s atmosphere is one of tradition and grandeur. Yet amidst the cobbled streets and Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture is a burgeoning, progressive freelance movement.

Until 1962, Prague was overlooked by the world’s largest monument of Joseph Stalin.

Now, driven by the low living and operating costs and strong business opportunities, it is one of Europe’s most attractive cities for nomadic and freelance workers.

Analysing and comparing the cost of living, income tax, access to credit, average internet speed, transport networks, free

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Wi-Fi availability, the cost of a coffee and the ease of starting a business, Expert Market – a UK-based B2B comparison site – ranked the Czech Republic as the tenth best place in the world to be self-employed.

And, whether you’re a native or not, registering as self-employed in the Czech Republic is relatively easy: all you need to do is apply for a trade licence. Also known as a business licence – or živnostenský list to the locals – this is an official document that, once granted, allows its holder to work in the Czech Republic on a self-employed basis.

For EU and non-EU citizens who wish to become self-employed, a trade licence also legitimises the reason for living in the Czech Republic and is therefore a necessary document when completing a long-term visa or residence

permit application.

To apply, you only need to be over 18 and prove that you don’t have a criminal record of a serious nature. Aside from certain fields, particularly within the construction trades, you don’t even have to prove you have any specific qualifications.

A trade licence costs 1,000 Czech Koruna (about £35) and is usually granted within 15 days. Once your trade licence has been approved and you’ve registered at the Social Security and local Tax Offices, you’re ready to go!

CO-WORKING ‘JELLIES’ With 822,000 self-employed people (over 16% of the workforce) across the Czech Republic – many of whom reside in the capital – there is certainly no shortage of co-working

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spaces or ‘jellies’ (informal and free co-working network groups) to occupy them.

So, if you’re a budding entrepreneur or a long-term experienced self-employed professional, you’ll be in good company in the ‘city of a hundred spires’.

For freelance expatriates looking to integrate themselves in the Prague freelance community, the American-owned Locus is a good place to start. Located in Prague 3, Locus hosts freelancers, entrepreneurs and digital nomads from across the world in a collaborative community. The facilities are among the quirkiest in Prague and with round-the-clock access and regular events, the €95-per-month full package is very competitive.

Offering both permanent or occasional work space, workshops, networking events and a sweeping garden, K10 is another popular space from which to operate. At €150 per month, it’s a little pricier, though this is certainly offset by its renowned chill out zone – where you can wind down from a busy day of working or networking with a yoga lesson or a relax in the sauna!

Other popular co-working spaces include Co-working Krizovatka, In-spiro, Node5

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TechSquare, Prague Start-Up Centre or Paper Hub. For those with a more flexible disposition, most cafés in Prague offer free and fast Wi-Fi. PRAGUE ‘BUCKET LIST’ Away from work, Prague is one of Europe’s most exciting capital cities; a melting pot of old and new. Equally beautiful bathed in sunshine, blanketed in snow or shrouded in mist, the Czech capital is an enchanting city of bridges, cathedrals, gold-tipped towers and church domes – all hugging the banks of the swan-filled Vltava River.

With a population of 1.3 million and a vibrant nightlife, you’ll not be left searching for things to do in Prague – whether that’s before or after sunset.

For those with a cultural disposition, Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, St Vitus Cathedral and the Old Town Square should be marked down as a ‘must-see’. Whilst, in the space vacated following the demolition of the Stalin Monument, Prague Metronome boasts some of the best views of the city.

For the night owls, Prague boasts some of the best nightlife in Europe – and the tab is far

kinder on your wallet than many of the city’s European counterparts!

Hemingway Bar, AghaRTA Jazz Centrum and Black Angel’s Bar are among the most popular for locals and tourists alike. But if you want to get off the beaten track and have a more ‘underground’ experience of the city, there are few places to rival Vzorkovna.

Getting around Prague is easy too, with a well-connected and cheap network of trams, buses and the metro. However, there are few better ways to get around and familiarise yourself with one of Europe’s most captivating cities than on foot.

If your stay in Prague is more than just a fleeting visit, you can expect to pay anywhere from €450 to €550 per month – which is considerably cheaper than most other capital cities on the continent.

So, with both the availability and volume of opportunities favourable, the cheap cost of living and the ease with which you can start and grow a business, there are few better places to attain an attractive and rewarding freelance work-life balance than Prague.

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Moonlighting in Jason Ward discusses how and when to supplement your income to ensure you can pay your bills

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freelance writer turns up in the strangest places. For example: if, at some point in the last year, you have found yourself standing in the confectionery aisle of a Dubai supermarket, holding a box of wafers and reading about the adventures of a group of magical Italian wafer gnomes, then it’s likely that you’ve read my work.

This turn of events may seem improbable to anyone familiar with my non-gnome-related writing, but such is the lot of the self-employed.

In between working as a film journalist and contributing to other non-fiction books and assorted publications, I have drafted tender documents for a catering firm, collated 2,000 questions for a trivia book, written two entire magazines for distribution in a chain of continental pâtisserie, and spent a fortnight hunched over my kitchen table, testing dozens of adult dotto-dot puzzles (each with up to 1,800 dots) to see if any of them had dots missing. They did not.

The trade-off for being able to tackle projects you’re passionate about is that sometimes you’ll have to write about sustainability commitments, hospitality launch events or Ciocolotto, the karaoke-loving gnome who’s admired by his friends as “a profound connoisseur of all types of cocoa and their use”.

Moonlighting usually refers to someone taking on work unrelated to their regular profession in order to supplement their income – an artist doing weekend shifts in a café, an editorial assistant selling home-made crafts online – but when you’re self-employed the boundaries between your ‘proper work’ and the things that spare you from destitution can become less tangible.

On some days, everything feels like moonlighting; it isn’t always clear whether you’re just doing a job for the money or not, because with-

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out a fixed salary you’re fundamentally doing dullest admin or job occasionally provides some every job for the money, even the fulfilling, ex- valuable respite from your own concerns. citing, career-advancing ones.

Particularly with creative endeavours, Moonlighting within your own profession sometimes you need to let your mind work on carries the obvious appeal that you already pos- a problem for a while without directly thinking sess the basic expertise and an understanding of about it too much and doing a relatively unstimhow to approach similar tasks. While not every ulating job can be an effective way to manage that. type of writer would be suited to copywriting, say, it’s less of a leap than attempting to learn millinery from scratch.

In recent years I’ve stumbled into an odd sideline of creating puzzles, which has led to me writing three puzzle books and occasionally testing upcoming puzzle books to ensure that their questions hold together. Trying to make a complicated logic problem evocative and funny while coherently imparting information is a different challenge from my regular writing, but one that’s not entirely foreign to me.

For anyone acquainted with the distinct tedium of data entry, let alone pulling the pinbones out of salmon with pliers or cleaning hair from the grouting in army shower tiles (all of which are jobs I’ve genuinely done), the idea of work that complements your interests and skills is enticing.

While you may get to exercise some of the same muscles, however, it can also leave you Illustration by mentally spent. Even the Dunni Mustapha

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your own job The boredom can also be a powerful motivator to make the most of the time you have to work on your own projects, where you end up getting as much done in a morning as you might have in a couple of days of dedicated but meandering effort.

Regardless of whether someone is moonlighting in a related or unrelated field to their usual work, an increased risk of burnout is exacerbated by mission creep: when you do something well, people generally want you to do more of it.

There are worse professional problems to have than being in demand and recognised as competent, but it can be difficult to turn down paying jobs, especially in the early days of your career. You may realise suddenly that your secondary gig has eclipsed the work you really care about.

The pursuit of balance remains an essential part of being a freelancer. What financial responsibilities do you have and how comfortable do you need to be? How much extracurricular work is too much?

May/June 2018

How much money is too little?

While you’re asking yourself questions, here’s an uncomfortable one: can a job ever be ‘beneath’ you? There is always dignity in work, and a gig is a gig, but only you will know whether something violates your own ideals or not.

I saw no shame in testing dot-to-dot puzzles for days on end, or even in selling wafers to the sweet-toothed shoppers of Dubai, but there are widely read national publications that I won’t ever write for – in part because I can’t stand the idea of my mother having to enter a newsagent and buy a copy in order to read my work. The instinct of one person might be diametrically opposed to my choice, and that’s fine.

Being able to work for yourself is a true privilege and a pragmatic undertaking. Unless you’re lucky, independently wealthy or irritatingly successful, sometimes work is just work. It pays the bills and allows you to do what you truly care about.

That’s no small thing in itself. You’re assisting someone to complete their goals rather than accomplishing your own. The process can necessitate putting time into ventures which aren’t to your taste, or aren’t done the way that you think is best. Rather than this being disheartening, it can be freeing.

Navigating secondary projects isn’t about lowering your standards but accurately gauging what you’re being asked to contribute, and determining how you can best accomplish that.

Just because something is not your ‘proper work’ doesn’t mean that it isn’t possible to have pride in it: those magical Italian wafer gnomes may not mean as much to me as the non-gnome-related things I’ve written about, but I gave them my very best anyway.

That’s the job.

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Ask the expert What advice would you give to ensure a person’s contract and working practices fall outside of IR35?

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Andy Chamberlain IPSE’s Deputy Director of Policy

ake sure you have an ‘IR35-friendly’ contract. This means the contract clearly sets out the business-to-business nature of the arrangement and will include specific clauses that demonstrate IR35 compliance, such as a good, strong substitution clause.

Having your contract professionally reviewed is a sensible precaution. Independent experts will closely examine the contract and point out areas where it may be weak from an IR35 point of view. You can then go back to the counter signatory and suggest the necessary amendments to make sure you stay on the right side of the rules.

If you use IPSE’s contract review service, you’ll also get a certificate once the contract has been given the all clear. If the taxman ever does come knocking, you’ll be able to demonstrate that you carefully considered IR35 and the contract has been independently verified.

Having a good, professionally reviewed IR35-friendly contract will hopefully be enough to deter HMRC from launching a full-blown investigation, but it may not be. If you are unlucky enough to find yourself at a tax tribunal, the judge will want to look beyond the written contract and establish the facts of the working practices.

How much control over your work do you have? Do you, in reality, have an unfettered right to send a substitute in your place? How integrated into the client business are you?

Ultimately you need to ensure that the working practices match the terms of the contract - business-to-business; not employee-to-employer. Guard your independence and don’t be shy of reminding the client if they begin to treat you as ‘another member of the team’.

You are there to provide clearly defined services - the more everyone keeps this in mind, the better it will be for your IR35 status.

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What advice would you offer to students and graduates who are considering going freelance about setting their rates?

Linda Marchant Employability Manager Art & Design, Nottingham Trent University

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tudents and graduates new to freelancing are often apprehensive of setting rates. Concerns around experience and securing much-needed work can often lead to the temptation to undercharge for work. Here are some tips to help you feel confident in how to go about working it all out.

Seek help and advice - There are many great workshops available to students, graduates, and the wider freelance community, and many are free to attend. Sign up! These will help you understand what your earnings need to be in order to cover overheads, your time and your skill level. Understanding why the rate you set is necessary to your earnings will help you feel more confident in charging your clients appropriately.

Understand your market - Researching rates for the market in which you are working will help you put your rates into context. There are many websites showing sample rates gathered from research with other freelancers (e.g. Production Base, National Union of Journalists, A-N.co.uk within the art and design sector). You can also use the networks on offer to you – ask that visiting lecturer or alumni from your course how they work out their rates or for any top tips.

Do the paperwork - Always make sure to get information from clients in writing. Be clear about what the client has asked for and exactly what service or product you are providing. After working out your costs in time and materials, produce an estimate, followed by an invoice (both with terms and conditions) once the work is completed.

There are many sample invoices available to look at.

Be confident - Even when starting out in your freelance career, be confident that charging appropriately for your work is essential.

You are providing goods or a service and you deserve to be paid for the work that you do.

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Aon Risk Solutions

Aon: Protecting the self-employed. Your partner for insurance solutions and risk management Proud to be headline sponsor of IPSE’s National Freelancers Day on Thursday 28th June 2018 Aon is a leading global professional services firm, arranging a broad range of commercial and personal insurance solutions.

“Cyber Attack: It couldn’t happen to me, could it?”

Aon’s Broking Manager, Chris Mallett, will be running an exclusive seminar around Cyber Risk at the event. Chris leads Aon Affinity UK’s approach to cyber insurance, and is passionate about protecting independent professionals against ever-evolving risks associated with cyber-attacks and data loss.

Visit www.nationalfreelancersday.com to find out more.

We look forward to seeing you there!

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