How To Ace Self Employment ✍️
An In-Person Talk Announcement
If you think back to your time in education, how well resourced was your careers advisor?
The answer will probably be: not very. ‘The world of work’ was still very much stuck in the early nineties by the time I’d left - no information of any kind was of any help, such as when it came to applying for a reporter’s role, job interviews, grants and bursaries. My favourite memory will always be of the one teacher who said that people like me don’t work - so why bother trying?
I often think of this when it comes to the same old policies of ‘get disabled people back to work.’ An arbitrary idea formed on the economic model of disability, this U.K. government policy has been without investment, reasonable adjustments - let alone informed by lived experience or consultations of a fair, appropriate nature. (And that can even sometimes be unlawful.)
Prior to the COVID 19 pandemic, freelancers were on the rise. Self employment is also an option widely preferred by the disabled community - in making up one of the main avenues of employment - but you’d have to hunt for any kind of resource or information. The right to Work From Home has since arrived, too.
Naidex is the UK’s biggest annual disability conference - two days of talks, panels, stalls to buy mobility aids from, and so much more.
I’ll be there on day one with a half hour talk on getting started with self employment.
We will be covering:
Freelancing basics, including tax registration and self-employment rules
Support available, like Personal Independence Payment and Access to Work
Branding yourself with free tools and effective strategies
Crafting pitches, avoiding common mistakes and building a strong network
Time-saving tips to thrive as a disabled freelancer
The world of work has typically been regarded as a feminist issue - such as with the gender pay gap, maternity leave, and more. Feminism has typically left behind disabled people as a whole, in not tackling issues such as the disability pay gap, discrimination, and so much more.
While I haven’t the answers to such a big area, I do believe very much in the right to be self employed, and how this should be recognised as work. Money is money - it’s not just ‘proper work’ by working in an office, without accommodations.
And paywall subscribers - we will be re-running this talk at a later date on here, thanks to this new Substack update.
Currently I Am..
Reading: A proof of the forthcoming book, Who Wants Normal? by Frances Ryan. This book is an absolute cracker - pre-order it now.
Hankering After: New Look has released a dupe of the Birkin Bag (caps intended) for a fraction of the cost! I’m also waiting for Primark’s adaptive fashion LBD to drop. Take my money, good sir.. Oh, and stickers.
Using: Body Shop hand cream has done a lot to save my hands when anxiety strikes. If it’s got shea in it, get in.
Working On: The next issue of Disability Review Magazine is on its way - it’s going to be colourful, a dophamine-infusion for the ages.
Manifesting: Book representation!