freelancing.pdf
freelancing.mp3
Working for yourself
Georgina
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Georgina.
Rob
And I’m Rob.
Georgina
Rob, what’s the best job you’ve ever had?
Rob
Err well, this one, of course! It’s very creative, with lots of variety.
Georgina
OK, any other reasons?
Rob
Well yes – it’s a permanent job - a staff job - with regular income and a pension.
Georgina
Yes, these things can be important, but have you ever been freelance – by that I
mean, working for yourself and selling your skills and services to different
businesses?
Rob
Well, I worked as a paperboy once – delivering newspapers. But not really – it’s a
risky way to earn an income.
Georgina
It can be Rob. But many people choose to, or have to work as a freelancer to
survive. And that’s what we’re talking about in this programme. But let’s start
with a question for you, Rob.
Rob
OK.
Georgina
This is about job titles – back in the 19th Century, what kind of job was a
drummer? Were they…
a) someone who played the drums?
b) a travelling salesman?, or,
c) a music publicist – who drums up – meaning encourages, support for a band?
Rob
Well, it’s got to be someone who plays the drums – that’s my kind of job.
Georgina
OK, Rob, we’ll find out if that’s right at the end of the programme. But let’s talk
more about work now. Long gone are the days of a job for life, where you spent
your adult life working your way up the career ladder at the same company.
Rob
Yes, that’s right. We work in many different ways now because the needs of
businesses change frequently and it needs to be agile – changing the size and
type of work force in order to meet demand.
Georgina
So, people need to adapt and some choose to work for themselves, offering their
skills to different businesses as and when they are needed. But it can also be a
lifestyle choice, as we’re about to find out.
Rob
Yes, some people have chosen to become self-employed – working for
themselves - but also, because of the recent coronavirus pandemic, some people
have been forced into this situation. Let’s hear from Carla Barker, who set up her
own business after giving up her regular job. She told BBC Radio 4’s programme
You and Yours how she felt…
Carla Barker
You know the idea of giving up a solid, permanent, full-time, paid, comfortable,
role is a bit petrifying… It is super-scary because … you then have that fear of
‘oh my goodness can we do this’? You also have things creeping in that say you
know like self-sabotage – are you good enough to do this? Are people going to
want to take me on as a business?
6 Minute English ©British Broadcasting Corporation 2021
bbclearningenglish.com Page 3 of 5
Georgina
So, Carla decided to go it alone – an informal way of saying work for herself. She
described giving up a full-time job as petrifying – so frightening you can’t speak
or move. She may have been exaggerating slightly but she also said it was ‘super[1]scary’!
Rob
I guess working for yourself must be scary as you’re solely responsible for your
own success. It’s no surprise Carla had feelings of self-sabotage – having doubts
and fears that stopped her achieving something.
Georgina
Luckily, she persisted and things went well. And many other people who have
become self-employed or freelance have overcome the fear and discovered the
benefits.
Rob
Like Fiona Thomas, who’s the author of a book called ‘Ditch the 9 to 5 and be
your Own Boss’. She also spoke to the BBC’s You and Yours programme and
explained why she gave up the 9 to 5 – the regular, full-time staff job – and how it
helped her…
Fiona Thomas, Author
A kind of combination of wanting some creative fulfilment from a job, compared
to the job that I was in before, which was very much customer based and working
face-to-face in hospitality. But I also wanted the flexibility to accommodate my
mental health because I suffer from depression and anxiety and I found working
in a rigid schedule and being in front of a lot of people all the time really
exacerbated a lot of my symptoms. And I also wanted the financial freedom to
be able to, over time, increase my income without just having to wait on being
promoted or getting a pay rise in traditional employment.
Georgina
So, working for herself gave Fiona a good feeling that she achieved something
she wanted to do – it gave her creative fulfilment. It also meant she could work
more flexibly and that helped her with her mental health because she didn’t have
to follow a fixed rota of tasks.
Rob
And it gave her financial freedom – meaning the money she earned was not
controlled by someone else, and she didn’t have to wait for someone else to give
her a pay rise. Of course, that can be risky too.
Georgina
Let’s get back to my quiz question now, Rob. Earlier I asked you if you knew what
job a drummer used to do back in the 19th Century?
Rob
And obviously, a drummer plays the drums!
Georgina
Well, you are sort of right but a drummer also used to be an informal way of
describing a travelling salesperson – because their job was to drum up business
for a company – meaning they tried to increase sales.
Rob
Ahh very interesting, although I know which drummer I would rather be – a
freelance drummer in a rock band!
Georgina
And freelance is one of the words we’ve mentioned today. To freelance means to
work for yourself, selling your skills or services to different businesses.
Rob
Becoming self-employed can be petrifying – frightening, so you can’t speak or
move. And starting out on your own can lead to self-sabotage – having doubts
and fears that stop you achieving something.
Georgina
But it can also give you fulfilment – a good feeling of achieving something for
yourself.
Rob
And having financial freedom means being able to control how you earn and use
your money.
Georgina
That’s it for this programme. We have plenty more 6 Minute English programmes
to enjoy on our website at bbclearningenglish.com. And check us out on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Bye for now.
Rob
Goodbye.
VOCABULARY
drum up
increase or encourage support or sales for something
freelance
work for yourself, selling your skills or services to different businesses
petrifying
frightening, so you can’t speak or move
self-sabotage
having doubts and fears that stop you achieving something
fulfilment
good feeling of achieving something for yourself
financial freedom
able to control how you earn and use your money
