Remembering ‘holidays’

LONDON FREELANCE Branch opened its August email to members thus: "Older freelance readers may remember 'holidays', in which workers used to get paid enough money to be able to take some time off."

We continued: "Some of our readers, especially those who do regular shifts for a client, or who do occasional temporary work on a PAYE contract, /may/ be entitled to holiday pay. This is on the (unenforceable) understanding that you use the money to actually take some time off. If you think you might be entitled to holiday pay for work done, including possible holiday back pay, see: www.londonfreelance.org/feesguide/GeShiTxt.html A member responds:

GOSH, that first paragraph about being paid enough to take holidays resonates with me! If only...

I find it so hard to reply to emails from nice clients or interviewees saying they hope I am getting some time off. I might manage one or two gardening days once I've met this week's deadlines but Monday will be business as usual.

I did make myself take one day this week in a deckchair reading non-work books, and have done a bit of personal admin alongside work-related events or imminent deadlines, but this morning a client finally sent me the PDFs of a redesigned magazine that have been promised for several days, with a request for me to proof and check them myself, and check the proof-reader's work, with a request to return them by Sunday.

So bang goes the only weekend of the summer that didn't have any social appointments, work-related events or imminent deadlines. It's just impossible as a freelance to say "please can I get it to you by Tuesday..." and if I did I would think about the job all weekend - so I might as well do it.

I do really love my work, by the way: but people on salaries or with well-paid freelance consultancies just have no idea what it's like working in our industry. My friends assume that because I'm working all the time I am earning a reasonable amount, but as you can imagine, working in specialist classical music press, I'm barely covering costs.

© Clare Stevens