Be your own boss?

To mark National Freelancers Day yesterday, Suzanne Bearne - a freelance journalist - lifted the lid on the reality of working for yourself. In light of my own experience, her piece for the Guardian is a pretty fair reflection of the pros and cons; though she initially dwells on the cons (the financial instability, delayed payment, the frequently long and unsociable hours, the occasional work/deadline bottlenecks, the difficulty of taking holiday, the lack of holiday and sick pay, the impossibility of completely switching off), she ultimately acknowledges that the flexibility and freedom that freelancing affords shouldn't be underestimated.

Much as I might moan about often having to work late into the evening (sometimes into the small hours) and at weekends, and about other aspects of the freelancer's lifestyle, the truth is that the opportunity to be able to maintain childcare responsibilities while still remaining within paid employment in a field I enjoy is one for which I am very grateful.