Some of you may have previously attended Prospect or Aspect’s ‘Thinking of Going Independent Course’, and we are now able to offer a similar course: ‘Setting up as a sole trader.’ This is recommended for members who have, or are planning to, set up as a consultant, or who would benefit from some training in the basics of self-employment.
We are also able to offer an expanded range of training on self-employment to Education and Children’s Services members detailed below. These courses are provided to BECTU sector freelancers and you therefore may sign up for these courses at the cheapest rate BECTU rate.
(Click on each course title for more information and to book a place.)
Beyond redundancy: Setting up as a sole trader
Tuesday 16 October
If you've been employed, are going through redundancy and want to set up as self- employed, this is the course you can't afford to miss. Setting up on your own is daunting if you've not done it before. So we go through ways to organise yourself, how to get to grips with the big changes coming up in taxation, and plenty of short cuts so that you can hit the ground running.
Finance for freelancers
Monday 19 November
Creating a secure financial footing for your freelance career, particularly in difficult economic times, will leave you free to concentrate on being brilliant! This one day workshop shows you how to keep within the regulations and not waste time, while making the most of your finances. We'll take a look at the tax system, work out what National Insurance is for and take the terror out of cash flow planning, record-keeping and VAT.
Maximising your online presence
Monday 26 November
This one day workshop provides a great opportunity for those who are just starting out with their online promotions and want to know more, and also for those who already have an online presence but are not seeing results. It covers how to manage your online reputation; get to grips with social media, mobile and location based services; and looks at your conversations and communications online and how they connect with the offline (real) world.
Build a website in a day
Wednesday 14 November and Thursday 13 December
In the space of one day, you can go from having a business to having an online business, allowing you to put your services in front of customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week!
We will show you how to create and promote a website at no cost with Wordpress.com. Once your website is up and running, we’ll show you how to make sure people are looking at it. You will leave with a functioning website which you can continue to develop for your business.
If you have any questions about these courses, or any other aspect of self-employment, please contact [email protected]. If you attend a course, please let him know about your experience.