I gave up freelancing: my first month in full-time employment

If you know me, you probably know I've been a freelance content writer for around 6 years, alongside working in a pub and also in a café. I loved my freelance career, and worked with so many incredible clients across various industries - writing everything from blog posts to sales reports to social media copy. But it was time for a change...

Since I was little, I've loved writing and that's why I chose my creative writing and journalism degree; it's why I started this blog, and why I went into freelancing as a writer. When I was offered a full-time job with one of my clients, I decided it was time to take the plunge and give up the self-employed life in favour of a full-time job.

Why did I give up freelancing?

A few people have asked me why I gave up the freedom of freelancing - choosing my own hours, not having to work 5+ days a week, not answering to anybody, taking time off whenever I want and so on. And it's a good question, because I loved that side of being freelance. But the cons were starting to outweigh the pros; work wasn't steady enough, people were taking too long to pay invoices, I couldn't get myself to stick to a routine, and so on. Now that I've moved out and have bills to pay, I wanted something more reliable. 

Taking a full time position as an employee offered benefits I just couldn't access when I was freelance. A steady income which is the same every month, pension contributions, paid time off, private healthcare and also a sense of being in team. Freelancing can be really lonely, no matter how many group chats you're in with other freelancers - especially if you're the only one a company decides to hire freelancer wise!

How has this month been?

I thought I would really struggle with the transition to working full time, but honestly it's been great. I've had a few wobbles where I've felt like I'm not getting enough time to myself, but they've been very few and far between. I love my job, and not many people get to say that; I've always wanted to write, and now I get to do it full time for a good wage. And I get to still work from home, which is my favourite bonus.

There are definitely things with a full time job that I didn't experience as a freelancer - the first is the sheer number of phone calls and zoom calls in any given day. It was SO rare for me to have even one call a week as a freelancer, opting to do pretty much everything via email, so this has definitely been new to me. But also having people to bounce ideas off and work with on certain projects. When I was freelance I was a one-woman band; everything was down to me, from coming up with article ideas to creating graphics to remembering to promote my own services in case one of my clients suddenly disappeared. It's just nice to feel like you're not alone...

Do I prefer working full time?

It's hard to know the answer to this, but what I will say is that my first month has absolutely flown by. So to me that's a good sign! I also feel like a weight has been lifted; I know what I'm getting paid and when, and there's no worry that work is about to dry up or I'm going to be waiting weeks for an invoice to actually be paid. I miss doing 3 day weeks, sure, but it makes the weekends even more special and because I work from home so have no commute, I'm making the most of my mornings and evenings too. I don't regret giving up freelancing and becoming a corporate marketing girly - and I can't wait to see where this career move takes me.