Work/life balance attracts freelancers

The secret to a successful life/work balance is to become a contractor according to a survey by specialist freelancer accountants, SJD Accountancy.

The report looks at the attitudes of those working as contractors in long or short positions. It found that over 72 per cent of those surveyed said that contracting has had a positive effect on their work/life balance – with year on year growth seeing a 20 per cent rise.

The survey also found that this work/life balance was quoted by more than half (53 per cent) as one of the things they enjoy most about contracting – up from 40 per cent in the last survey findings.

Being your own boss

Being your own boss and in charge of your own career path was a considerable draw with 81 per cent of those surveyed saying that they find contracting more satisfying than being an employee and only 10 per cent stating they would go back to being employed if they were offered a permanent position.

Financial

The financial benefits also rank highly with contractors. Almost nine out of 10 (88 per cent) said that they enjoyed higher rates of pay being freelance or self employed, with a third earning between £500 - £700 a day – a 13 per cent increase compared to 2012.

Other advantages of working freelance quoted by those surveyed include more flexibility (63 per cent) and freedom (54 per cent) as well as not having to get involved in office politics (61 per cent) and the challenge of a variety of work (47 per cent).

Claire Johnson, Managing Director at SJD Accountancy said: "Contracting used to be seen as a way to bridge the gap between permanent positions. However in the last few years, more professionals have realised that their quality of life, rates of pay and diversity of work is improved when they work for themselves."