MY STORY
The Long Route Into Freelance Writing
CHAPTER ONE
Before Writing
I studied criminology and sociology at university, mostly because I was a huge fan of Dexter and CSI. In retrospect, that probably wasn’t the most sensible way to choose a degree, but it does show how much thought I’d given to what came next.
Looking back, it was a difficult period of my life because I didn’t know what my next step would be. After graduating, I took on jobs that simply helped me pay the bills. I was at a crossroads, still unsure what I wanted to do for a living.
That uncertainty eventually led me to get a TEFL certificate and take a job teaching English in Spain. It was a great lifestyle, though not knowing what I really wanted to do with my life in the long term was always nagging at me.
Spain → Brazil → Vietnam
I spent time teaching English in Spain, Brazil and Vietnam. For someone in their early twenties, it was a brilliant lifestyle to have. I could live comfortably on my teaching salary and spend years in places I might otherwise only have visited. My year in Vietnam, in particular, is one I’ll remember for a long time.
I would do it all again, but if I’m honest, I was living in the moment. What I earned went a long way locally, yet it wasn’t helping me put much aside for a future in the UK. The same income that suited me at 24 looked very different when I started thinking about buying a house.
I loved teaching, but it just wasn’t going to set me up financially for the sort of life I was starting to want, and I couldn’t ignore that indefinitely. I wanted work that could pay better without tying me to one place. Becoming a freelance writer appealed because I could build my experience with remote clients and raise my rates as I improved. Plus, moving country wouldn’t have to mean finding another job.
CHAPTER TWO
Teaching Abroad
CHAPTER THREE · 2018 ONWARDS
Freelance Writing
I started freelance writing in 2018, when some of my early agency work paid just $10 per 1,000 words. I didn’t know what clients were prepared to pay, and I accepted rates I would consider borderline exploitative now (a subject for another day).
I gradually moved into iGaming and ended up specialising in it, writing casino and sportsbook content. As my portfolio grew, I found clients through LinkedIn and cold pitching, then raised my rates as I gained more experience.
Since then, I’ve written for brands including Betsson, DraftKings, Caesars and LeoVegas. I’ve built long-term relationships with clients and, as the workload grew, brought other writers in.
TODAY
Where I am now
Writing has given me the means to build a life in the UK while keeping the option of living abroad.
I’m now married with a beautiful daughter and feel very lucky to be living the life I wanted to build. Being able to take my work with me means we can spend time in Brazil with my wife’s family without leaving my clients behind.
FROM MY DESK
There’s more on the blog.
Notes on writing and working from abroad, drawn from my own experience.