Guest post by SA Mathieson You can edit with a typewriter or a calculator, but not both, legendary Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter apparently used to tell his underlings.* This may be true if you work for a large organisation, but if you are a creative freelancer it helps if you can use the modern
READ MORE >Posted on 20 March 2026
Who is it aimed at? You are new to freelance work and no longer have an IT department to choose software and help you do things. You have some experience as a freelancer but would like to brush up your knowledge of using IT for business purposes. What technology knowledge do I need? Basic knowledge
READ MORE >Posted on 27 February 2026
Figures below were correct as of 8 March 2024 More changes to National Insurance (NI) were announced by the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt on Wednesday (6 March 2024). As it happens, I was training at Channel 4 that day, so we were able to look at how NI was at the beginning of the day, and
READ MORE >Posted on 08 March 2024
When I ask people on my courses what they think ‘freelance’ means there’s often some wag who shouts ‘unemployed’. It’s usually someone who’s just left employment and is getting their head around the freelance lifestyle. It’s also meant as a joke, but with a frisson of ‘it’s funny because it’s true’. The word ‘unemployed’ implies
READ MORE >Posted on 01 August 2023
If you use an iPhone you may be aware of Apple’s latest operating system, iOS 15. Apparently it’s full of “amazing” new features. Apple are going big on new memojis, and clever things that FaceTime can now do. As a trainer in freelance business skills the new feature which caught my eye is called ‘Focus’.
READ MORE >Posted on 29 September 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
READ MORE >Posted on 01 April 2021
Many people enjoy what a freelance life can offer. Choice and flexibility. But with these comes the need to be organised and on top of your finances. Already working in a rapidly changing media environment, with no guarantee of ‘a job’ in the industry, now more than ever freelance journalists find themselves in a precarious
READ MORE >Posted on 20 January 2021
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
READ MORE >Posted on 24 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
READ MORE >Posted on 01 September 2020
A side effect of lockdown has been a growing familiarity with online socialising, whether it’s a Zoom pub quiz, a family gathering by WhatsApp video, or a jazz night live from Eastbourne via FaceBook Live. As a trainer, I’ve also spent many hours running courses online using Zoom and ClickMeeting. And we’ve all been getting
READ MORE >Posted on 03 May 2020
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