Through many months of research, interviews with industry leaders, personal experience and listening to thousands of you whom we’ve supported over the years, we are proud to announce the official Freelancer Club campaign that says NO TO FREE WORK.
Since starting this journey, we have felt the backlash from a number of our peers. We've even lost business as a direct result of our questioning. In the past we ourselves posted unpaid work for all the reasons why it has become an acceptable part of our industry and through hearing your stories and talking with employers it is clear that very few people have a clear understanding of the situation.
The common perception is that unpaid work benefits the employer's balance sheet and gives freelancers needed exposure or experience. This arrangement has become an acceptable part of our industry however the long term effects of these beliefs are causing the creative freelance industry to suffer with potentially fatal consequences.
To make a difference, we must all make a stand and act. New freelancers must be educated on the matter and established freelancers must resist the temptation to keep the wheels turning.
OUR COMMITMENT
To show our commitment, we will continue to only post paid work and collaborative opportunities (test shoots) on our JOBS BOARD. We will offer an unbiased opinion from the perspective of freelancers and employers on the matter. We will continue to spread the message of no free work to aspiring freelancers through the lectures we deliver at courses, schools, colleges and universities.
YOUR COMMITMENT
To join the campaign, we are asking all freelancers to say no to unpaid work and for employers to stop posting unpaid roles. We ask that freelancers and employers sign our petition to commit to this simple request. Click here to pledge your support:
Unpaid work takes many forms. To learn more about what unpaid work actually means and how it is affecting our industry we will be releasing a number of articles on the various aspects of unpaid work in the freelance industry. We urge you to share the article and spread the word to support our awareness campaign.
MORE ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC INCLUDE:
