Beyond redundancy, setting up as a sole trader

As part of the Mind your business strand, we're offering training in in a range of areas related to business management & development, production finance, legal & business affairs, rights, and compliance, giving individuals the tools needed to thrive in their chosen field in unscripted TV. 

Part 1 - Thursday 27th June 10 - 12.30pm

Part 2 - Friday 28th June 10 - 12.30pm

Please only apply if you can attend both days.

Going through redundancy is often an anxious time, but with the right guidance it can lead to a very positive outcome. This interactive workshop, run across two mornings, is aimed at people moving from employment to self-employment. We cover the practicalities as well as some of the less obvious differences between having a boss and being the boss. 

The trainer will draw on his own experience of setting up a successful business after going through redundancy following more than 20 years as an employee.

Who it's for

Anyone in unscripted TV going through a redundancy process and moving from employment to self employment.

The majority of the USF online short course offering is for those at early career stage and above. As a result, we generally require applicants to have at least three credits (unless working in a traditionally uncredited role). If you strongly feel you would still benefit from the training, please email USF@screenskills.com so we can assess if an exception should be made.

We are committed to ensuring all our courses are accessible to everyone. This course is designed to be as interactive as possible. Please email the above address if you have any access requirements and we will be delighted to help, be that clarifying the form such interaction is likely to take or discussing reasonable adjustments.

What it covers

• Why self-employment is different from employment
• Why a sole trader is different from a limited company
• Separating out your personal and business finances
• What is tax and national insurance
• Paperwork you need to keep (and how to keep it without going mad)
• Getting ready for Making Tax Digital: digital record keeping and the new 'cloud accounting'
• How not to run out of cash
• Understanding your market
• Motivating yourself
• How not to work too hard 

The workshop includes plenty of discussion and interactive exercises. You will receive templates and topic help sheets as well as ongoing support by email and phone. 

If successful in applying, we’ll send you a more in-depth survey ahead of the session to give you the opportunity to inform David of what more you would like to be covered during the session.

Trainer

David Thomas has been running his training business - David Thomas Media Ltd - for nearly 20 years, helping creative freelancers all over the UK to set up on their own, get organised around their finances, and be more business-like in their thinking.

He specialises in finance and networking skills training, and loves working with people who would rather hide under the duvet than open a spreadsheet.

David has a background in broadcasting, having worked at the BBC for 22 years. He helped set up two local radio stations, produced current affairs output at the World Service and ran the BBC department producing English language teaching materials.

How to apply

This session will take place online via Zoom. Click ‘apply for ticket’ and follow the instructions to apply for your place: you must login or register before you are able to complete your application.

Places on these free online courses are limited and applications are often highly competitive. To stand the best chance of securing a place, please be sure to consider the following:

• When asked to list your three most recent credits, please include the programme title and your job role.
• When asked what you hope to gain from the course, please be concise but ensure you cover the specific elements of the topic you would like to gain knowledge of and what gaps in your skillset you believe the course may address. A rewording of the course title or a general comment on career progression does not tell us much about how this course would benefit you. 

If you are no longer able to attend, we ask you to please use the 'decline ticket' function on the right hand side of the page so that we can release your place. Our sessions are often oversubscribed, so we’d like to give other freelancers the opportunity to fill available spots. Thank you for your consideration.

This session is supported by the ScreenSkills Unscripted TV Skills Fund which invests in training for the unscripted workforce thanks to contributions from broadcasters, SVoDs and production companies.

This course would normally cost participants to attend, but thanks to this support, we are able to offer it to you for free. If you fail to attend, we reserve the right to request reimbursement of costs, unless your place can be taken by someone else.