7 of the Best Self-Employed Jobs

Have you ever dreamed of being your own boss? If you have, you’re not alone. According to the ONS (Office for National Statistics) at the end of 2019, five million people were registered as self-employed. 

We can see why they made this decision; you get to choose your own working hours/day, you can work on a variety of projects and there's the chance to earn more than you do as an employee. Sounds fantastic! 

Whether you’re looking to be self-employed on the side to supplement your income or if you’re ready to take the leap and become your own boss full-time, here are seven of the best self-employed jobs:

Virtual Assistant (VA)

What it involves: Virtual Assistants  offer support to businesses or entrepreneurs from a remote location. The tasks you’re responsible for can include among other things dairy management, booking travel arrangements, responding to customer inquiries, bookkeeping, marketing and arranging events. 

Skills and experience you need: To be successful as a VA, you have to be extremely organised, great at written and verbal communication and be able to multitask. You don’t need a qualification to be a VA but an interest in business or a background as a personal assistant will be helpful. 

Average salary: £29,454 per annum - Glassdoor Average Salary 

Marketing Consultant

What it involves: The role of a marketing consultant can be incredibly varied. You may be asked to organise face-to-face or online events, create a marketing strategy and plan, lead a marketing team, oversee social media marketing and create or commission content like guides, blogs, videos, infographics and whitepapers. 

Skills and experience you need: Individuals or businesses prefer to engage with a marketing consultant who has a degree in marketing or a professional qualification from a recognised body such as CIM  - Chartered Institute of Marketing. Being creative, analytical and having project management skills will also help you succeed as a marketing consultant. 

Average salary:  £32,386 per annum - Glassdoor Average Salary 

Related [How To Find Gigs That Will Boost Your Income] 

Tutor

What it involves: Tutors support students in all age groups starting from three or four years old up to adults, and either choose to teach in groups or on a one-to-one basis. Your responsibilities may involve helping students improve their study skills, showing them how to make proper study notes and help prepare them for exams. You may also set work for them to complete during a tutoring session, mark papers and assist them with school assignments. 

Skills and experience you need:  You don’t need to be a qualified teacher to be a tutor, but parents or people coming to you need to know you have a level of knowledge or experience to support them properly. Many tutors have a degree or have worked in a teaching environment like a school or college. You’ll also need to be able to communicate with a variety of people, be patient and organised.  

Average salary: £24,817 per annum - Glassdoor Average Salary 

Programmer

What it involves: In simple terms, a programmer writes the code that websites, systems, software and games run off. Your job may also involve testing current systems, fixing ‘bugs’ in code and working with designers to create user-friendly systems. 

Skills and experience you need: A professional qualification isn’t necessary to be a programmer, but the majority of people will hold a degree in either computer science or a related subject like mathematics. As you may be working as part of a wider team, project management experience will be advantageous along with being a quick thinker and a problem-solver. 

Average salary: £31,029 per annum - Glassdoor Average Salary 

Related [Guide: How to Get a Job as a Software Engineer] 

Electrician

What it involves: An electrician is responsible for installing electrical wiring and maintaining electrical appliances, like lights, security systems, fridges etc. Depending on the type of electrical work you want to do - domestic or commercial, you may work in people’s homes, businesses or construction sites. 

Skills and experience you need: To work as an electrician, legally you need to have passed some form of professional training. Depending on the type of electrical work you want to offer, you should look at completing a Level 3 (NVQ) Diploma in Electrotechnical Services (Electrical Maintenance), Level 3 (NVQ) Diploma in Installing Electrotechnical Systems & Equipment (Buildings, Structures and the Environment) or Level 3 Diploma in Electrical Installations (Buildings and Structures) if part of an apprenticeship. 

Average salary: £30,000 per annum - Glassdoor Average Salary 

Photographer

What it involves: If you’re looking for a job where you can be out and about, being a photographer may be a good option. You could be a generalist photographer and work across different sectors Or, you may prefer to niche in a sector such as weddings, wildlife, architecture, landscape or fashion. 

Skills and experience you need: You’ll have to be experienced with the technical aspects of photographic equipment, and you’ll also need to be able to get along with people, have a good eye for detail and be patient. You can choose to enroll in a photography course to ramp up your skills if you’re going from being a hobbyist to a professional photographer.  

Average salary: £24,298 per annum - Glassdoor Average Salary 

Related [Powerful Strategies To Help You Career Pivot in 2020] 

Accountant 

What it involves: In brief, an accountant is responsible for managing and interpreting financial data. This can involve preparing financial reports, preparing and filing tax returns, offering advice on how to reduce costs or improve cashflow and conducting forecasting and analysis. An accountant may work with individuals or businesses. 

Skills and experience you need: As a minimum, you’ll need to be AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) qualified. Following this, you can go on to get an ACA (Associate Chartered Accountant) , ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountant) or CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountant) qualification. In addition to this the skills needed to be an accountant include being proficient with numbers, comfortable communicating with people and be a problem solver. 

Average salary: £36,723 per annum - Glassdoor Average Salary 

Are you ready to be your own boss? 

Being your own boss can be amazing but you’ll have to be prepared for being ‘Chief Executive of Everything’. Even if you outsource some tasks to other people, ultimately you’re still responsible for the set-up, running and marketing of your business. 

If this sounds like a challenge you’re ready to take on, check out live self-employed vacancies being advertised on Glassdoor.