Think of modelling and it conjures up thoughts of exotic locations, lucrative contracts and a glamorous lifestyle. Times have changed however and the modelling industry is unrecognisable from the stereotype of even 10 years ago. In times past, models had to be represented by an agency and were a very rare breed. Now in a highly competitive market with fewer jobs, models are taking their careers into their own hands and starting to create their own freelance pathways. 

Freelancing can be a lonely business. We often work alone, there's very little support and with new clients coming and going, it's hard to build meaningful working relationships. Aside from the stability of a 9 to 5 job, we find that freelancers often miss the social aspect of working in a company. The office gossip, water cooler chat, work days out and general human interaction with others can be difficult to replace. The Christmas party really brings this home so to combat the festive blues, we thought we'd help out. 

More students than ever before are freelancing during universities and aspiring to set up on their own after university yet the statistics show a lack of support and guidance from within. Here's the stats courtesy of PolicyBee. 

Being a freelancer isn’t as easy as being self-employed. In fact, it’s quite the juggling act. Sure you’ve got incredible experience within your field, but are you prepared to manage your own finances, liaise with multiple clients or manage a potentially damaging attack on social media? These are facets that freelancers can take for granted. The good news is there are a number of courses that can teach you more about what goes into these skills. Here at Training and Courses, we have narrowed down what we think are five essential skills all freelancers should have as they venture into this self sufficient world.

Getting paid (on time) is one of the biggest frustrations our members have to deal with. Along with the freedom of being your own boss comes the hassle of staying on top of your invoices and finances in general. Many freelancers still use the basic methods of emailing an invoice made via Word or Google Docs making without any tracking process. Other freelancers use an online tool to monitor payments. However you oversee your invoices, you've undoubtedly got a story of a late payment, a non payment or a dispute with a company about money. We feel your pain. We've been there (trust us). We've also done the research to help.

Here at the Freelancer Club we get asked about freelance life, how it compares to the 9 to 5 grind and what are the drawbacks. Something that comes up a lot is the question of buying a house and getting a mortgage. To tackle the question of getting a mortgage as a freelancer, we hunted down the guys who know best. Meet Andrew Montlake, Director of Coreco, on the myths of freelance mortgages.

Your Wedding Day is a major life experience and one that you want to capture for a lifetime of memories. You most likely don’t want to take a risk on random camera phones and the uncle with a shaky hand to do that! You only get one shot at wedding pictures, so it's important to get it right. We spoke with our wedding photography professionals for advice as well as a bunch of newlyweds to bring you this quick guide to hiring a wedding photographer.

We aim to help freelancers connect with the right people, develop their skills and find ongoing paid work.   Join our creative community to get involved.