Online media training sessions for our charity clients now focus on preparation for being interviewed from home using meeting software such as Zoom, Skype or MS Teams.
We’ve moved all our freelance business skills training online and are putting a particular focus on helping people move through redundancy into self-employment for the first time.
Here are some of the other changes we’ve made:
READ MORE >Posted on 13 March 2020
The beginning of the end of lockdown has coincided with the end of the David Thomas Media tax year.
So I’m crunching some stats from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021.
175
Number of online training sessions (Zoom fatigue, anyone?)
Posted on 01 April 2021
March/April marks a change of financial year for many, and with it the coming and going of various funds and budgets.
It’s a time when posts are closed and people move through a redundancy process into the next stage of their careers. Hence our monthly Beyond Redundancy: Setting up as a Sole Trader courses.
This year feels more poignant than most, as the effects of Brexit and Conservative policies are landing in parts of the creative industries. And that’s even before we look at the effects of the pandemic.
Posted on 01 April 2021
I always listen carefully to the changes announced in budget statements. It feels personal purely because I need to change all my training materials.
So what was announced on 3 March 2021?
This is how PAYE people get their income taxed, and it’s also how profits are taxed for sole traders.
The personal allowance – how much you are allowed to earn before you pay income tax – is up to £12,570 (from £12,500) from 6 April 2021.
READ MORE >Posted on 03 March 2021
There are three types of freelancer in the creative industries. This post looks at how announcements made by Chancellor Rishi Sunak on 3 March 2021 affect each type. It focuses on coronavirus support.
For an outline of each type of freelancer, go here >
Read about announced tax changes in my separate post >
Posted on 03 March 2021
Now that the formalities of leaving the European Union are behind us it’s time to unpick the practical effects and what it means for people who freelance in the creative industries.
READ MORE >Posted on 07 January 2021
The third coronavirus support grant for sole traders is available from today (30 November 2020) until 29 January 2021.
See full details on: gov.uk >
This grant covers three months and, like grant 1, is based on 80% of average monthly profits calculated on sole trader profits between 2016 and 2019.
Much has been made of the fact that the eligibility criteria haven’t changed. If you were helped by the first two grants you’re probably eligible for this one too. Cold comfort for all those who’ve had no support since March.
And just to state the obvious, none of the SEISS grants support single directors of limited companies. In government-speak, directors of limited companies do not fall within the definition of a ‘sole trader’.
Less well publicised has been the addition of further restrictions. These take the form of declarations and predictions that a sole trader now has to make.
READ MORE >Posted on 30 November 2020
From April 2021 the decision on whether someone is truly working for themselves – or is simply an employee in disguise – shifts from the freelancer to the end client in some circumstances.
If you run a limited company this could mean changes to the way tax is paid for some of the jobs you do.
READ MORE >Posted on 30 October 2020
This post has been updated following changes announced on 22 October 2020
The Chancellor’s statement today (Thursday 24 September) is a response to the fact that COVID-19 is not going away.
He talked about a “permanent adjustment” to the economy and a need to deal with a “new normal”.
He needed to replace existing support with something more sustainable.
So what do his new measures mean for freelancers?
READ MORE >Posted on 24 September 2020
I get a lot of questions about digital banks on my sole trader courses. Are they any good? Are they better/cheaper than high street banks?
Posted on 11 September 2020
Losing a job through no fault of your own can be hard. But redundancy isn’t the end, it’s the start of the next stage in your life.
I’ve been through redundancy (twice!) and have been training people how to set up on their own for 15 years. Below are some tips and advice.
We cover all this and more in our ‘Beyond Redundancy: Setting up as a Sole Trader’ workshops. If you’re moving from employment to self-employment – or know someone else who is – you need to click here:
https://davidthomasmedia.com/beyond-redundancy-setting-up-sole-trader/
Posted on 01 September 2020
We're now 100% online.
Check out our range of courses for freelancers and media training for charities.
