Freelance PR

When you decide to go freelance it can be for many reasons;

A lifestyle choice, wanting a work/life balance.

You have recently left full time permanent employment and find yourself available immediately.

You want to expand on your current skill set.

You are a trouble shooter who has the skills and gravitas to step into a situation that requires an immediate solution.

Whatever the reason, you must be prepared to take risks and be flexible; one weeks employment might turn in to two months, two months may get cut to one week but this is the chance you take when deciding to become a freelance PR consultant.

But don’t be put off, being a freelance PR consultant can be hugely rewarding. You can find yourself working on big campaigns from start to finish without being distracted by other day to day components. You are fast tracked to bigger and better opportunites and you can gain a great reputation as a highly evolved PR professional with a fearless approach.

There are several ways to get paid; here is a brief guide to give you any idea;

Self employed-You are responsible for paying your own tax & N.I. This is an easy process to set up and many of our candidate’s work this way is it provides them with greater control over their finances.  Simply follow these 3 easy steps:

1. Call the tax office and inform them that you wish to register self employed, they will advise you on what to do next.
2. Invoice your client on a weekly/monthly basis, your monies will be paid straight into your bank account.
3. Retain your invoices & receipts for your yearly tax returns, it may be a good idea to have an accountant at this stage.

Pro rata salary-This usually applies to fixed term contracts like maternity cover etc.

The client will put you on their pay role and take care of your tax and N.I. Your gross salary is taxed at source and you are paid your net salary weekly or monthly as arranged.

PAYE-In some cases the client might prefer you get paid through Media Recruitment, we will be responsible for paying you directly and covering your tax & N.I. You will be paid in arears and will need to provide us with a weekly time sheet and your current bank details.

Media Recruitment has an impressive portfolio of experienced public relations freelancers and interim PR and communication professionals who know how to understand a brief in double quick time and get on immediately with the job in hand.

You may find you need freelance assistance at very short notice or have maternity cover to consider, whatever the situation, we will go through our established freelance database to find the best PR talent to suit your specific requirements. 

We will do our utmost to keep within your budgetry constraints and will ensure the candidate is available for the required period, be it days or months.

We are serious about our work and professional in our approach which is why you can be assured of the following:

- No CV is submitted to you without the candidate’s permission.

- All fee and payment details are discussed and agreed openly prior to the start of a contract.

- All negotiations are undertaken in an objective and confidential way

We will advise you on the best payment options but freelance candidates are usually broken down into a few different categories: PAYE, Umbrella Company, Limited Company and Self Employed Sole Trader. Umbrella, Limited Company and Self Employed Sole Traders are not as expensive overall as they are dealing with their own NI and Holiday Pay.

Please feel free to contact us to discuss this option in more detail.