Why summer is hell for PR Grouch Freelancer

 28th August 2014    PR Guru 

I hope you are enjoying the sunny weather. No really, I do. Don’t worry about me sitting at a computer screen while the sun is blazing outside. Some poor fool has to cover your work while you’re away, and that poor fool is me.

As well as having to work while the rest of you are having fun in the sun, here are a few more reasons why I hate being freelance in the summer:

1. No summer holiday. Problem number one when you freelance is that you cannot book a summer holiday. Just in case a large job comes in that you can’t afford to miss. My boyfriend got so fed up with me cancelling holidays at the last minute, he goes off without me now. And I worry that he enjoys these holidays more!

2. I can’t switch off. Even when I do snatch a few days away (and it can never be that far away, in case a client needs me), I can’t afford to turn my phone off. Most of the time I am fielding junk calls, although I might just happen to check Facebook from time to time … all in all, I am on my phone so much, it is hard to notice the beautiful scenery. I do look up and catch the scowling face of my friends and family now and again though. They seem a bit cross with me for some reason.

3. Work gets cancelled. Aaarghh. This has to be the worst thing about being freelance in the summer. It is bad enough when a job gets cancelled at any time of year, but when you have decided to miss a holiday abroad in order to do the job, that makes it much, much worse.

4. No one is around. I find myself sitting in empty offices, trying to field work queries that I know very little about and with no one to ask for help. Plus, when you try and get clients to comment, or to do media interviews, they are on holiday too. And they aren’t stupid enough to keep their phones switched on.

5. The media is not interested in serious news. They want fun, silly stories to brighten up their agenda. Unfortunately clients aren’t always keen to portray their products in a humorous way. One client did have the idea of making “washing machine” and “cooker” sand sculptures to showcase its kitchen range, but even page 3 was not keen to run with this for some reason …

6. Accounts departments are on holiday too. This means I don’t get paid.

7. It is hot. It is cruel to make people work in this weather.