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. It wasn’t the most sensible basis for choosing a degree, admittedly, but it gives you an idea of how much thought I had given to my future.
Looking back, it was a difficult period of my life. I didn’t know what to do next and after graduating took on jobs that simply paid the bills. I had finished university, but I still hadn’t worked out what I wanted to do for a living.
I got a TEFL certificate and a job teaching English in Spain. It was a great lifestyle, but not knowing what I really wanted to do with my life in the long term was always nagging at me.
Spain → Brazil → Vietnam
I taught English in Spain, Brazil and Vietnam. For someone in their early twenties, it was a brilliant lifestyle. I could live comfortably on my teaching salary and spend years in places I might otherwise only have visited. My year in Vietnam will live long in my memory.
I would do it all again, but I also have to be 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. 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. Freelance writing appealed because I could keep building my experience, work with clients remotely and increase my rates as I improved. 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. 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 abusive now (a subject for another day).
I gradually specialised in iGaming, writing casino reviews, sportsbook pages, bonus guides and other content. I built a portfolio, found clients through LinkedIn and cold pitching, and increased my rates as my experience grew.
Since then, I’ve written for brands including Betsson, DraftKings, Caesars and LeoVegas. I’ve built long-term client relationships and brought in other writers as the workload grew.
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 daughter, and being able to take my work with me means we can spend time in Brazil with my wife’s family without me having to leave my clients behind.
Keep Reading
Follow the blog for simple notes on writing and working differently.