Becoming A Freelancer

Becoming A Freelancer is made up of six comprehensive modules. Each focuses on a different step in the process of starting a freelance business, from choosing your niche and designing your branding all the way through to finding your first client and setting your pricing.

The written content is interspersed with examples, images, and videos to help you understand the factors and processes involved. As well as these engaging lessons, the course comes with an 80-page freelance toolkit. In the toolkit, you’ll find useful prompts, exercises, and business-building tools – templates, checklists, scripts, and more – to accompany every module. By completing the toolkit as you work through the course, you will be actively taking steps to set up your own business.

You can progress through the course at your own pace and use the completed modules as an ongoing resource that you can return to whenever you like.

By the end of the course, you won’t just have learned what it takes to become a freelancer – you’ll have actually started working toward making it happen!

This course is for all types of people who want to benefit from being self-employed. If you have existing skills and want to move away from being employed by someone else, or if you are learning something new that you want to do freelance, this course is for you.

And if you are already freelancing and want to expand your reach or formalize your processes, the course will take you through the steps of setting up an official business.

Whether you want to work full-time or part-time and whether you’re starting a new career or adding a side hustle to your portfolio, Becoming A Freelancer contains everything you need to set up and launch your freelance enterprise.

You don’t need any qualifications or previous experience to enroll in the course!

Our freelancing course is designed to help all aspiring freelancers transition into service-based freelance work (such as copywriting, editing, graphic design, or training others to do what you do so well).

You can take the course with a marketable skill already under your belt or while you’re training to offer a new service to freelance clients.

To take the course, you’ll need:

• A laptop or desktop computer
• Internet access

While you can read the lesson content on a tablet or mobile device, you’ll find that a larger screen and the ability to work across multiple internet tabs or windows will provide an easier experience when working on the toolkit.

It’s very difficult to estimate how long it takes to complete Becoming A Freelancer, as many learners dip in and out of lessons, reviewing their goals and working on the toolkit as needed. However, as a rough average, the course takes 20–30 hours to complete.

You can begin as soon as you have access, or you can wait until you have free time to study. There is no time limit on completion, and you can return to the material as often as you need to.

Yes! Most of the material is relevant to those freelancing anywhere in the world.

Where the information may differ according to your location, we provide a variety of links and resources so you can find that which is relevant to where you are. For example, we cover in detail the essential freelancer admin (including registering your business and filing taxes) for the US and for UK, and we provide guidance for those in the rest of the world too.

Anyone can work freelance! You can take your existing expertise and turn it into a freelance career, whether you know a lot about corporate management, accounting, cooking, graphic design, or engine repair! While not all skills, services, and roles are suited to freelance working, there are plenty that are, and teaching your skills to others is a valid freelance enterprise as well.

We offer training courses in proofreading, editing, and writing, which are all excellent ways to make a living as a freelancer.

But no matter what freelance services you have to offer, Becoming A Freelancer will help you change the way you work with your existing knowledge and background. If you’re considering branching out into something new and want some inspiration, explore our blog article on the most in-demand freelance services.

There are a number of skills you need to succeed as a freelancer in any area. They can be split into two categories – hard skills and soft skills.

Hard skills, or technical skills, relate to your specific subject knowledge or ability to use certain tools or software. No matter your area of expertise, you’ll need to communicate clearly with potential clients, so it’s helpful to be familiar with word processing software and communications tools such as email and video call platforms. It’s also valuable to have a good grasp of written English, including understanding correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar – or at least be willing to seek out a good proofreader or editor. If you want to create your own professional-looking promotional materials, you might like to check out our Becoming A Proofreader course or Formatting In Microsoft Word.

Soft skills are more like personal traits or characteristics relating to how you manage your time and workload and how you interact with others. When working freelance, you’ll need strong self-motivation, time-management, and communication skills. If you don’t feel confident in these already, don’t worry! You can develop your soft skills with practice and patience, and there are plenty of apps and online tools that can help with the practical side of managing your projects.

The answer is…it depends! It depends on your individual circumstances, preferences, and career goals. There are lots of great benefits to freelancing, but there are some drawbacks too.

It’s up to you to weigh up the potential gains against possible pitfalls and decide what suits you best. Our blog post on the pros and cons of freelancing is a good place to start.

A 2024 study revealed that 86% of the respondents worked from home. However, many freelancers also choose to work from cafés, in coworking spaces, or while traveling. But one of the best things about freelancing is the flexibility – you can work from anywhere you like!

There are pros and cons to each option, but many people discover a lot of benefits to being able to work from home. You can read about some of these, and pick up more freelancing tips, in our blog.

It isn’t essential to take a course to learn freelancing – but it can be very helpful! There are a wealth of freelancing resources out there: blog posts, articles, podcasts, books, forums, and more. As a beginner, sifting through so many resources – and determining which are valuable – can be overwhelming. A comprehensive freelancing course (like ours!) does the work for you, putting everything you need to know to get started in one place.

When you’re first starting out, it’s essential that you have a clear idea of what you want to do. Our blog has some great suggestions for setting SMART goals, as well as a host of other freelance tips.

We’re here to help you decide whether Becoming A Freelancer is right for you. Email us at [email protected] with your questions, or ask about scheduling a chat with one of our tutors.

For general queries, visit our main FAQ page.