FREELANCING 101

Finding work and building your career

Ideas, resources and practical tools for finding opportunities and developing your freelance career

There is no single route to finding work or building a freelance career in the performing arts. People develop their careers in many different ways, often across a mixture of roles, disciplines, organisations, teaching, creative projects and other paid work.

What feels useful or possible will depend on your role, circumstances, location, access needs, experience and the kind of career you want. Not everybody needs the same materials, contacts, representation or career goals.

This page brings together ideas, practical prompts and links to recognised sources of information and support. It is not a set of instructions or a promise that a particular approach will lead to work. Use what feels relevant, adapt it to your circumstances and leave what does not.

On this page

  1. Understand what you offer
  2. Prepare your professional materials
  3. Find and assess opportunities
  4. Applications, auditions and professional relationships
  5. Develop your career without being exploited
  6. Funding your work or development
  7. Finding work: useful links and resources

HOW TO USE THIS PAGE

You do not need to work through everything in order. Start with the section that feels most useful to you now. Where specialist organisations already provide reliable guidance, we will direct you to them. Where there is a practical gap, FMTW may provide a prompt, checklist or adaptable tool to help you organise the information for yourself. Look out for these labels:

  • Things to consider – prompts and ideas that you can adapt to your circumstances.
  • Practical tool – an FMTW worksheet, template or checklist.
  • External resource – guidance or information maintained by a recognised specialist organisation.

1. Understand your offer

Freelance careers in the performing arts rarely follow one fixed route. You might work across several roles or disciplines, combine creative work with teaching or facilitation, undertake other paid work, or move between freelance and employed roles at different points.

A portfolio career can change over time. It does not have to be neatly planned, and it does not have to keep growing. The aim is simply to understand what your working life looks like now and what, if anything, you would like to develop next.

Notice the work and skills you already have

Start by looking at the full picture, including work that may sit outside your main professional title. Think about the roles you perform, the skills you use, the people or communities you work with and the different ways you currently earn an income.

Skills developed through other work, caring responsibilities, volunteering, education or lived experience may also be relevant. You decide which parts of your experience you want to bring into your professional life.

Think about what you want more or less of

Career development means different things to different people. It might mean finding more of a particular kind of work, exploring an adjacent role, earning more reliably, protecting time for your own practice, working closer to home or making your working life more sustainable and accessible.

It is equally valid to decide that you do not want to expand a particular part of your career. Your priorities may be shaped by money, health, access, location, caring responsibilities, available time or simply what you enjoy.

Choose a manageable next step

Rather than trying to plan an entire career, it can be more useful to choose one area to explore over the next few weeks or months. Focus on actions that are within your control, while recognising that access to work is also affected by wider industry structures, opportunity and circumstance.

Your plan can be changed, paused or abandoned if it stops being useful.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

You might find it useful to ask yourself:

  • What kinds of work, paid and unpaid, currently make up my working life?
  • Which parts of that work would I like more of, less of or a different balance between?
  • What skills or experience do I have that I may not currently recognise as part of my professional offer?
  • What practical factors affect the work I can or want to take on?
  • Is there one role, relationship, skill or opportunity I would like to explore next?
  • What would make the next few months feel more manageable or sustainable?

You do not need to have a five-year plan. A useful next step might simply be finding out more, speaking to somebody, updating one piece of information or deciding that something is not right for you.

Choose one or two realistic priorities for the next three months. These might include updating your professional materials, contacting existing connections, researching organisations, developing a skill or applying for a particular type of work.

2. Prepare your professional materials

There is no single way to present yourself as a freelancer. What you need will depend on your role, the work you are seeking and how people usually find or engage freelancers in your part of the performing arts.

You might use a CV, biography, list of credits, portfolio, website, showreel, profile on an industry platform or a combination of these. Some freelancers may need only a short introduction and examples of relevant work. Others may need more detailed technical, creative or performance material.

Describe what you do

It can be useful to have a short description of your work that you can adapt for different situations. This might include your role or roles, the kind of work you undertake, any relevant specialisms and where you are based or able to work.

You do not need to reduce your whole career to one fixed label. If you work across several disciplines, you might use a broad introduction and then emphasise the most relevant experience for each opportunity.

Choose material that suits your work

A performer, designer, producer, technician, stage manager, director, facilitator and musician may all need to present their experience differently. Before creating or updating something, consider who will use it, what they need to understand and what format is normally expected in your area of work.

Where a CV is useful, keep it concise and easy to scan. For many roles, one or two pages will be enough, but there is no universal length across the performing arts. Follow any instructions provided and prioritise relevant and recent information over including everything you have ever done. Clear headings, readable formatting and straightforward contact details can make your materials easier to use.

Keep your information accurate and manageable

Try to keep a master record of your work, skills, training and credits. You can then select and adapt the most relevant information rather than rebuilding it each time.

Check your materials periodically, but do not feel that everything needs to be continually redesigned or polished. A simple, accurate document or webpage may be more useful than something elaborate that is difficult to maintain.

Consider access, privacy and cost

Think about whether your materials are easy to read, navigate and access on different devices. Where possible, provide captions or transcripts for audio and video, add useful alternative text to images and avoid sharing essential information only as an image.

You can also decide how much personal information to make public. You do not normally need to publish your home address, personal phone number or information that is unrelated to the work.

If you would welcome somebody keeping your details for future opportunities or recommending you to another potential engager, you can state what you are comfortable with.

For example:

I am happy for you to keep my details for future opportunities. Please contact me before sharing this CV or my contact details with anybody else.

You can change this preference at any time. A note on your CV does not remove the recipient’s responsibility to handle personal information lawfully.

A professional website, paid platform or expensive showreel is not essential for every freelancer. Consider whether a particular investment is expected in your discipline and whether it is likely to be useful for the work you want.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

Depending on your role and the opportunity, you might want to check:

  • Is it immediately clear what I do and which parts of my experience are most relevant?
  • Am I using the type of material normally expected in my role or discipline?
  • Are my contact details accurate and easy to find?
  • Have I selected relevant examples rather than trying to include everything?
  • Are dates, credits, job titles and collaborators recorded accurately?
  • Do I have permission to share the images, recordings or other material I am using?
  • Can people access the essential information without needing specialist software or an account?
  • Have I considered captions, transcripts, alternative text and readable formatting?
  • Am I comfortable with the personal information that is publicly visible?
  • Can I update these materials without creating an unmanageable amount of work or expense?

You do not need every possible type of promotional material. Start with what is genuinely useful for your role and the opportunities you are considering.

SPECIALIST RESOURCE

Look for guidance relevant to your role

Expectations vary across the performing arts. A recognised union, professional association or industry organisation may provide more specific advice about CVs, credits, portfolios, profiles, auditions or promotional material for your kind of work. Useful starting points include:

Membership, eligibility and access to detailed advice may vary. Check each organisation’s website for its current services and guidance.

3. Find and assess opportunities

Work may come through advertised opportunities, recommendations, existing professional relationships, direct approaches, agents, public calls, repeat engagements or conversations that develop over time. Different parts of the performing arts use different routes, and many opportunities are never advertised publicly.

No single platform or search routine will show you everything. You may find it helpful to identify a small number of relevant sources and check them at a pace that feels manageable.

Decide where to look

General arts job boards can be useful, but specialist unions, professional associations, networks, venues, companies and discipline-specific organisations may share opportunities that are more relevant to your work.

You might also hear about work through newsletters, mailing lists, social media, training, events, collaborators and people you have worked with previously. You do not need to use every available channel.

Read the full opportunity

Before investing time in an application, check what the organisation is asking for and whether the essential information has been provided. This may include the nature of the work, dates, location, fee, employment or engagement status, expenses, access arrangements, eligibility and the materials required.

If important information is missing, you can decide whether to ask a question before applying. A lack of clarity does not always mean an opportunity is unsuitable, but it may affect whether you want or are able to pursue it.

Consider the whole cost

The advertised fee is only one part of an opportunity. Travel, accommodation, preparation, equipment, childcare, caring arrangements, access costs, insurance and time away from other paid work can all affect whether it is workable for you.

You may not be able to calculate everything in advance, but identifying the likely costs can help you make a more informed decision.

Check what the application requires

Some opportunities ask for a CV, biography, portfolio, showreel, supporting statement, budget, references or examples of previous work. Others may involve an interview, audition, workshop or self-tape.

Check the deadline carefully, including the time and time zone where relevant. Give yourself permission not to apply if the work required is disproportionate, the information is unclear or the opportunity does not fit your circumstances.

Keep a record that works for you

A simple record can help you keep track of deadlines, materials, questions, submissions and outcomes. It may also help you notice which sources and types of opportunity are most relevant to you.

This record is for your benefit. It does not need to become another administrative task that takes more time than it saves.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

Before applying or expressing an interest, you might want to ask:

  • What is the work, and what would I be expected to do?
  • Do I meet the essential eligibility requirements?
  • Are the dates, location and expected working hours clear?
  • Is the fee stated, and do I understand what it covers?
  • Are travel, accommodation and other expenses included or paid separately?
  • How will I be engaged, and when would I be paid?
  • What preparation, application work or unpaid time is being requested?
  • What access information or support has been provided?
  • What materials do I need to submit, and how will they be used, stored or shared?
  • Who is offering the opportunity, and can I verify the organisation or individual?
  • Is there enough information for me to decide whether applying is a useful use of my time?

You do not need to apply for every opportunity for which you may be eligible. Choosing not to apply can be a reasonable decision based on time, cost, wellbeing, access, priorities or the information available.

CHECK BEFORE SENDING PERSONAL INFORMATION OR MONEY

Most opportunities will be genuine, but misleading listings, impersonation and requests for inappropriate payments or personal information can occur.

Check that the organisation or person can be independently verified and that the contact details match its official website or recognised professional profile. Be cautious if you are pressured to respond immediately, asked to pay an unexpected fee, offered work without a credible process or asked for sensitive financial or identity information too early.

If an opportunity comes through a job board, mailing list or social platform, remember that appearing there does not necessarily mean it has been independently checked or endorsed. If you are unsure, seek advice from your union, professional association or another trusted source before proceeding.

Before you accept: twelve questions →

Red flags and scam check →

4. Applications, auditions and professional relationships

Depending on your work, an opportunity might involve a written application, informal conversation, interview, audition, self-tape, portfolio review, workshop or direct approach. There is no single process used across the performing arts, and different roles may require very different kinds of preparation.

Try to focus on understanding the opportunity and presenting the experience most relevant to it. You are not expected to include everything you have ever done or become a different version of yourself to appear professional.

Applications and expressions of interest

Read the information provided and respond to what is actually being asked. This might mean selecting relevant credits, explaining your interest, describing how you would approach the work or demonstrating that you meet particular requirements.

Where possible, use specific examples rather than broad claims. If a question or requirement is unclear, it may be reasonable to ask for clarification.

Some opportunities attract many suitable applicants. Not being selected does not necessarily mean that your application was poor or that you are unsuited to the work. Decisions may be shaped by factors you cannot see or control.

Interviews, auditions and workshops

Before attending, check what the process will involve, who will be present, how long it is expected to take and whether you need to prepare or bring anything. You may also want to confirm the location, access arrangements, expenses and whether any part of the process will be recorded.

An audition or interview is also an opportunity for you to learn more about the work. You can ask questions about the role, team, schedule, fee, working practices, access and what happens next.

Requirements should be relevant and proportionate to the opportunity. If you are asked to undertake extensive unpaid preparation or produce substantial new work, you can seek clarification about why it is needed and how it will be used.

Self-tapes and recorded submissions

Follow any instructions that are relevant and reasonable, but do not assume you need expensive equipment or a professionally produced recording unless the nature of the work genuinely requires it.

Check what material is being requested, how the recording will be shared, who will see it and how long it will be retained. Avoid including unnecessary personal information in filenames, backgrounds or accompanying documents.

If a request makes you uncomfortable, involves intimate content or appears unrelated to the opportunity, pause and seek advice from a recognised union or professional body before continuing.

Agents and representation

Representation can be useful for some freelancers and disciplines, but it is not essential or appropriate for everybody. An agent may identify or negotiate work, manage professional relationships and provide career advice, depending on the services they offer.

Before entering an agreement, understand what the agent will do, which work and territories the agreement covers, how commission is calculated, whether any additional fees apply and how either party can end the arrangement.

Be cautious about large upfront charges or promises of guaranteed work. Seek specialist advice before signing anything you do not understand.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

Depending on the process, you might want to check:

  • What am I being asked to prepare, submit or perform?
  • Is the amount of work requested proportionate to the opportunity?
  • Who will receive or attend my application, audition or interview?
  • Will any material be recorded, retained or shared?
  • Have the location, timing, access arrangements and expenses been explained?
  • Do I need any reasonable adjustments to take part?
  • Are there questions I want to ask about the work, fee, contract or working environment?
  • When and how should I expect to hear about the outcome?
  • Do I know where to seek advice if something feels unclear, unsafe or inappropriate?

Preparation can help, but selection is never entirely within your control. Casting and recruitment decisions can involve many factors, including the needs of a particular project, its existing team and circumstances that may not be shared with applicants.

Professional relationships without forced networking

Professional relationships can develop through working together, training, events, online communities, introductions, shared interests and staying in occasional contact. They do not all need to begin at formal networking events.

You do not have to become more outgoing, constantly promote yourself or treat every conversation as a potential job opportunity. Listening, being interested in other people’s work, communicating clearly and following through on commitments can all contribute to professional relationships.

If staying in touch feels useful, it can be simple. You might congratulate somebody on a project, share something genuinely relevant, let previous collaborators know about your current work or contact an organisation when you have a clear reason to do so.

People have unequal access to professional spaces, time, travel, money and established networks. A lack of connections is not a personal failure, and networking should not be presented as a solution to structural barriers within the industry.

Protect your boundaries and energy. You can choose which events, platforms and relationships feel useful, accessible and comfortable for you.

SPECIALIST RESOURCE

Specialist advice on casting, applications and representation

Requirements, rights and accepted professional practices vary between disciplines. Unions and specialist organisations can provide more detailed and current guidance.

If you are a union member, you may also be able to ask for individual advice about a casting process, agency agreement, contract or professional concern.

5. Develop your career without being exploited

Developing your career might involve training, mentoring, research, creating your own work, trying an adjacent role, taking part in a placement or gaining experience in a new setting. Some of these activities may be funded or paid, while others may involve your own time or money.

Experience and professional development can be valuable, but the promise of exposure, contacts or future work should not be used to disguise work that ought to be paid. An opportunity being described as voluntary, a placement, an internship, profit share or work experience does not determine somebody’s legal status or entitlement to pay.

Be clear about the purpose

Consider what you would actually gain from taking part. This might include structured learning, supervised experience, access to equipment, a new credit, protected research time, greater understanding of a role or an opportunity to develop your own practice.

Try to distinguish between an experience designed primarily for your learning and work that primarily benefits the organisation or project. These can overlap, but a vague promise that something will be “good experience” is not enough information on its own.

Understand what is being offered

Ask what you would do, who would support or supervise you, how long the arrangement would last and what you would receive in return. Check whether expenses, access costs, accommodation, equipment or training are provided.

If an opportunity is described as profit share, find out how income and costs will be calculated, when accounts will be shared and whether there is any guaranteed payment. Profit share means that the eventual payment may be small or there may be no payment at all.

Consider the full cost to you

An unpaid or low-paid opportunity can involve travel, food, accommodation, childcare, caring arrangements, access support, equipment and time away from other paid work. It may also involve preparation, administration or promotional activity outside the stated hours.

Only you can decide whether a particular investment of time or money is workable or worthwhile for you. Choosing not to take part does not mean that you are insufficiently committed to your career.

Protect your work and boundaries

Before contributing ideas, designs, writing, recordings or other creative material, check how they may be used and who will own the resulting work. Consider whether you will receive an appropriate credit and whether the organisation is asking for permission to use your contribution beyond the original activity.

You may also want to agree working hours, responsibilities, points of contact, access arrangements and a clear process for raising concerns or leaving the arrangement.

Invest in development that serves you

Training and professional development do not need to lead immediately to a job to be worthwhile. They may help you explore an idea, deepen your practice, build confidence, learn a skill or make your working life more sustainable.

Before paying for training, consider who is providing it, what is included, whether it is recognised or relevant to your work, and whether similar support is available through a union, professional association, engager or funder.

Online learning can be a useful and flexible way to build knowledge or awareness. Check whether the work you want to undertake also requires practical training, supervised experience, an assessment, a particular qualification or formal authorisation. Completing a general online course does not by itself establish competence for every related task.

If training is required for a particular job, also check who is responsible for arranging and paying for it.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

Before committing to an unpaid, low-paid or developmental opportunity, you might want to ask:

  • What is the purpose of this opportunity for me?
  • What work or activity would I actually undertake?
  • Who benefits from the arrangement?
  • What supervision, learning, support or access is genuinely provided?
  • How much time is required, including preparation and travel?
  • What will taking part cost me?
  • Are expenses covered, and is there any guaranteed payment?
  • If it is profit share, how will income, costs and payments be calculated?
  • Is there a clear start and end point?
  • What credit, evidence of experience or reference will I receive?
  • Who will own or be permitted to use anything I create?
  • What access arrangements and reasonable adjustments are available?
  • What paid work or other commitments might this displace?
  • What happens if I need or choose to leave?
  • Could this arrangement involve work for which I may be legally entitled to pay?

Being offered experience does not remove your right to ask clear questions. You can take time to consider an opportunity, seek advice or decide that the arrangement is not right for you.

OFFICIAL GUIDANCE

Check your employment status and entitlement to pay

Terms such as “intern”, “volunteer”, “freelancer”, “work experience” or “profit share” do not determine your legal employment status by themselves. Your status and entitlement to rights can depend on what happens in practice, including the work you undertake, the level of control involved and the agreement between you and the organisation.

Some people undertaking internships or work experience may be legally classed as workers and entitled to the National Minimum Wage. Genuine volunteering, work shadowing and certain placements connected to education may be treated differently.

FMTW cannot determine whether an individual arrangement is lawful. If you are uncertain, consult current official guidance or seek advice based on your particular circumstances.

Employment law is devolved in Northern Ireland, so freelancers working there should also consult the relevant Northern Ireland guidance. Union members may be able to obtain advice about their particular situation.

6. Funding your work or development

Grant funding may sometimes support research, training, mentoring, creative development, time to create, new projects, touring or sharing work with audiences.

Funding is normally provided for a particular purpose. It is not guaranteed income, and most programmes are competitive. Not all funds accept applications from individuals, and being self-employed or a sole trader does not automatically make you an eligible organisation.

Before investing time in an application, read the full guidance and check that the fund genuinely fits you, your activity and your timetable.

Check the fit before you apply

Ask:

• Can somebody in my role, discipline and career stage apply?
• Do I meet the geographical requirements?
• Is my proposed activity eligible?
• Can the fund support my own time and fee?
• Which project costs can and cannot be included?
• Can the activity begin before a funding decision is made?
• How long will the application and decision process take?
• What records, evidence or reporting would I need to provide?
• Is the work required for the application proportionate to the amount available?

If something important is unclear, check whether the funder offers an advice session, access support or a way to ask questions before applying.

Build a realistic budget

A project budget should reflect what the activity will genuinely cost.

Where the fund allows it, include an appropriate fee for your own time as well as fair payment for other freelancers. Remember preparation, administration, travel, accommodation, materials, equipment, insurance, access costs and other expenses connected to delivering the work.

Do not remove your own fee simply to make an application look cheaper. Check the funder’s guidance to see which costs are eligible and whether you need to show income from other sources.

FUNDING AND GRANTS FOR FREELANCERS

Explore FMTW’s UK-wide directory of public funders, specialist organisations, National Lottery programmes and local funding starting points.

Find funding and grants

Looking for financial help rather than funding for a creative project?

If you need support with living costs, illness, injury, debt or an immediate financial emergency, visit FMTW’s Financial Support pages.

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