Features: How to be a freelance journalist

Written by Jordan Butler, Editor, Graduate Prospects, January 2013

The modern media industry is fast-paced and continuously changing, but freelance work is an emergence that looks guaranteed to stay

In fact, the largest growing area in journalism is the freelance sector, according to the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) .

This is due to a number of reasons. Full-time jobs in the sector are now less frequent and so more and more journalists are going freelance to gain as much income as possible. This also suits the employers, as they no longer have large numbers of staff on lengthy full-time contracts.

People are also successfully carving out their own freelance careers, using blogs and social media to promote their work to a wide audience.

Expert opinion

Colm Griffiths is a journalism lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) and has years of experience working as a freelancer in the industry.

He explains that although some chose the freelance route, others are forced into this career. 'Some writers are fortunate to be asked by papers to carry on the work they do on a freelance basis if redundancies take place, while others simply have to start from scratch and secure their own contracts or commissions.'

Colm's own career has gone full-circle, after gaining a postgraduate diploma in newspaper journalism also at UCLAN. He then secured a role as a reporter at a news agency in Chester before landing his first newspaper job in Salford.

After several years in this role, he branched out into other fields. Realising this wasn't for him, he set up as a freelancer in a bid to get back into journalism. 'I was lucky to have some good contacts and was able to pick up reporting shifts on a weekly paper and also a regional newspaper. This ultimately led to a full-time role but I was also able to continue some of my freelance work at the same time.'

When asked if it is common for freelancers to have supporting jobs, Colm's advice is clear. 'I think that while freelance writers are building up a client base and a contacts list they will almost certainly need to supplement their income in the best way they can. The more experience a reporter or writer has before they go freelance the easier it should be.'

Making it as a freelancer

Colm's top tips for those looking to go freelance are:

• Be prepared to work all hours;
• Be ready to travel long distances;
• Create a strong network of contacts;
• Get expert advice on sorting out accounts and finances;
• Never turn down work - you never know where a small paying job might lead.

Find out more about UCLAN Journalism .

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