Freelancing has become a popular path for many in their careers, enabling them to be more flexible with their work and personal life, whereas many see the world of freelancing as the great unknown and a scary place to be. But just how profitable are some of the freelance careers we see these days, and just how desirable do people find them?
With the number of freelancers on the up from 3.3million in 2001 to 4.8 million in 2017, according to the ONS, it’s clear to see the perception of job insecurity in freelancing has faded away, with more people finding the idea of the flexibility it brings more appealing. As well as this, there has been significant press around the ‘gig economy’, with it being revealed that currently, 2.8 million people in the UK are selling their labour through apps according to the Online Labour Index.
With this in mind, Protectivity Insurance has analysed just how profitable some of these freelance careers are, and furthermore, how desirable they are to the everyday person.
Whilst it may not come as a surprise that the likes of a freelance career as a Lawyer, Investment Consultant and an Architect, with an average salary between £57,000 and £42,000 per annum, came out in the top five most profitable, there were also some less obvious results that interesting came within the top ten; a music teacher, yoga instructor and interior designer all made their way in, earning between £37,000 to £40,000 per annum.
The top ten most profitable freelance careers are:
| Rank | Career | Average annual salary per annum (£) |
| 1 | Lawyer | 57,293 |
| 2 | Investment Consultant | 50,000 |
| 3 | Software Developer | 42,500 |
| 4 | Architect | 42,500 |
| 5 | Music Teacher | 40,860 |
| 6 | Business Consultant | 38,256 |
| 7 | Yoga Instructor | 37,546 |
| 8 | Accountant | 37,500 |
| 9 | Interior Design | 37,500 |
| 10 | Web Designer | 37,500 |
When it comes to the desirability of the careers, 68% consider a photographer to be a desirable career with a Musician closely behind on 64%. Interestingly, in a generation and time that is so focussed on social media and digital platforms, the careers that came out at the bottom were Bloggers and Social Media Marketer’s with only 38% believing these to be desirable. Similarly, although becoming a Yoga Instructor proved itself to be a profitable career to embark upon, many did not believe this path to be a desirable one with only a 41% vote.
The top ten most desirable freelance careers are:
| Rank | Career | Desirability in % |
| 1 | Photographer | 68.43% |
| 2 | Musician | 63.74% |
| 3 | Architect | 62.54% |
| 4 | Actor | 62.44% |
| 5 | Online Researcher | 60.24% |
| 6 | Lawyer | 60.14% |
| 7 | Interior Designer | 59.74% |
| 8 | Web designer | 59.24% |
| 9 | Graphic Designer | 58.64% |
| 10 | Landscaper | 57.54% |
Sean Walsh, Marketing Manager from Protectivity Insurance comments:
“Joining the world of ‘freelancing’ can be a scary prospect at first to some, but has worrying about job security become a thing of the past, with more people getting involved with the ‘gig economy’ and taking on more freelance work than ever before?”
“There is often a negative connotation associated with freelancers when it comes to both job security and a regular income, but it’s great to see such a variation of careers making it into the most profitable and desirable. Hopefully this research shows some interesting results that prove you can get out there on your own and make the jump into the freelancing world.”
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