6 Popular Myths About Freelancing: Debunked

AD – This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As of August 2024, there were around 4.23 million self-employed people in the UK. Freelancing is a common career choice – and yet, there are still a lot of persistent, popular myths about freelance life.

From thinking freelancers are lazy to expecting freelancers to work for free, everyone has their own idea about what freelancing means – and many of these ideas are based on fiction!

Why are there so many myths about freelancing?

Well, there are lots of reasons why myths about freelancing spread around. Not everyone understands exactly what freelancing means.

Freelancing is defined as working independently for a company, rather than as a full-time employee, but there’s so much more to it than that – and that can get confusing.

You could be a freelance content writer, you might offer translation services to help clients expand their global reach, or you might be a graphic designer. The options are endless – and that can lead to myths and stories that aren’t exactly true.

When someone hears that freelancing means working for yourself, certain images pop up. You might think of someone with no responsibilities taking naps in the middle of the day and enjoying endless time off. I wish…

Everyone’s experience of freelancing is different, so I can see why these myths start. However, I’m here to debunk them – and reveal the real truth about freelancing. Let’s dive in!

6 popular myths about freelancing: debunked

In this blog post, I want to debunk a couple of the most popular myths about freelancing, including:

1. Freelancing is easy
2. Freelancers don’t have stability
3. Freelancers should work for free
4. Freelancers are hard to work with
5. Freelancers always wear pyjamas
6. Freelancing is a second choice

Let’s debunk these common freelancing myths!

1. Freelancing is easy

Let’s get one thing straight, freelancing isn’t easy. Yes, it’s more flexible than a traditional job – and there are lots of great benefits.

However, you’ll need to work hard to be successful – and there are lots (and lots and lots) of ups and downs. They call it a rollercoaster for a reason!

Freelancing incorporates a million different jobs. You need to understand how to file your taxes, how to find new freelance gigs and how to network – on top of the job you’re actually doing for clients.

That’s not to say there aren’t perks to freelancing. It can be easier for parents to manage childcare or for remote workers to maintain a healthy work/life balance, for example. But it’s certainly not an “easy” job.

2. Freelancers don’t have any stability

Freelancing is less stable than a traditional job, it’s true. However, this myth suggests that freelancers don’t know if they’ll get paid from one month to the next. But there is still some semblance of stability for freelancers.

Many freelancers work with long-term retainer clients that send regular work every month – and some freelancers use clever ways to manage their money so that they have a stable income.

If you’re a freelancer, you can always find new work. However, in a traditional job, the fear of redundancy is always there. Just because stability looks different for freelancers, it doesn’t mean it’s not there.

3. Freelancers should work for free

There seems to be a persistent popular myth that freelancers should work for free. Freelance writers get told that a job will be great for their “exposure” or a fantastic way to build their portfolio.

There are times when you might work for free – such as charity work or a mutual collaboration – but freelancers are professionals. For the most part, they shouldn’t be working for free – and asking for free work can be a big client red flag.

Would you tell Tesco that stealing their chocolate bar will be great “exposure” for their brand? No! Freelancers are business owners who deserve payment for their time and services. We need to get rid of this common freelance misconception once and for all.

4. Freelancers are hard to work with

Companies and clients may assume that it’s harder to work with a freelancer than an in-house employee. In some cases, that may be true. However, there are so many benefits to hiring a freelancer.

You can:

• Hire someone on an “as and when” basis – rather than paying for a full-time employee
• Avoid firing someone if they’re not the right fit – that’s a lot of paperwork
• Work with someone who’s an expert in their field

Freelancers use their initiative to provide flexible support to companies who need it. For the most part, freelancers want to keep their clients happy. They’ll go above and beyond to do that.

5. Freelancers always work in their pyjamas

While there’s nothing wrong with working in your pyjamas, I know a lot of freelancers who don’t (myself included).

I like to get up and get dressed for the day, as I would if I worked in a traditional job. It puts me in the right mindset. When my work day comes to an end, I can put my pyjamas on and get ready for a bit of relaxation time.

It’s so important to find ways to switch off from work and create a clear separation between your work and your personal life – especially as a freelancer. I think getting dressed and treating your work as work is one of the best ways to do that.

6. Freelancing is a second choice

For some people, freelancing is a second choice. It might be something you do between jobs or because you need part-time income to make a bit of extra money.

But for many, that’s not the case. People like me choose to freelance as a job – and it’s very much the career we want to do.

We need to get out of the mentality that freelancing is in some way “subpar” compared to other jobs. Freelancing is a legitimate career choice.

Like a traditional job, you might not do it forever – but that doesn’t mean it’s just something to do in the interim before finding a “real” job.

What’s a myth about your job you’d like to debunk? Are there any popular myths about freelancing you believe? Do you have any tips for freelancers?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments 🙂

Happy reading x