4 lessons after (almost) 1 Year of Freelance instructing

A brief background, before I started freelancing I was working at a climbing wall and working a season at an outdoor center in The New Forrest. I decided after a few months that the season wasn’t for me and I needed a new challenge. I had met some incredible freelancers from walls and in the activity centers and I wanted to give it a go.

I took the risk to leave my outdoor job and only going back to the wall for 2 days a week to see if I could make it work. I had a CWI, PSI, and Archery under my belt so, for now, it would be enough to get a few jobs. I was very grateful that the old center I worked at had me back for part of that season as a freelancer. And I started building from there…

Lesson 1 - Network

Every day you are working can be a networking day. Just be nice to people you might get contact information. I asked questions to people who were more experienced than me and ended up learning books worth from some people. Little tricks of the trade, where people would recommend contacting and how they invoice/organise their books can be really helpful if you haven’t done it before… Facebook groups for freelance instructors are in abundance and usually divided by area, so you can join the ones that are most suited to you and your work.

Lesson 2- Coping with imposter syndrome

Every time I visit a center that I have never been to before, I fill with dread. My stomach is tied in Knotts and I can feel my palms getting progressively more sweaty on the drive-in. The feeling does get easier the more I put myself in new environments, but it is still there. It is a good thing that it is present. It means you aren’t getting too big for your boots and affirms that you are stretching yourself. Keeping it under control so it doesn’t stop you from taking opportunities is key. In the beginning, I put off contacting new Walls and centers and even put off some climbing work that was offered to me. Some of those places are now my favorites to go back to.

Lesson 3- Take any opportunity for feedback

As soon as I wasn’t in a center permanently I was missing the feedback to develop- I then got this from any CPD courses I would attend. I began self-reflecting more after sessions so I could check myself. Some centers put freelancers through a signing-off period to give you the ‘OK’ against their own standard operating procedures- you’re almost treated like a member of their own team so feedback comes more freely. Take these opportunities by the horns!

Lesson 4- Keep your finances up to date!!

This is a big one! If you get overwhelmed by numbers (Like me!) there are some great online spreadsheets you can download and use. Use one that suits your brain and keep it up to date. I update my finance tracking sheet weekly. Keep on top of your invoices that is how you get paid so it’s only helping yourself out. I colour-code my spreadsheet so I can easily see what invoices have been sent and paid this helped me a lot. My invoices and spreadsheets have evolved over the year and are unrecognisable from their conception so adapt as new things come up and change your workflow when it’s needed.

Those are the four biggest lessons I have learned this year- I have made some mistakes: getting dates mixed up, turning up hours earlier than needed, and Losing receipts to name a few but, all in all, my first year has been great fun. It has been exciting to be working in 9 different locations, every day looks different and I have met so many new people that I wouldn’t have crossed paths with this year. I am proud of myself that I’ve built my little freelancing business, the next few months of the season are looking to be busy so I am excited for what’s next!