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? Well, Protectivity has analysed over 50 freelance careers to show you the most financially secure and desirable jobs out there, you can view the piece here.
With the number of freelancers on the up from 3.3m in 2001 to 4.8m in 2017, according to the Office Of National Statistics, 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, 2.8m 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.
We calculated the average salary of the career and conducted a survey of 1001 people across the UK, asking them to rank each job title based on how desirable they perceive them to be. So, if you’re toying with the idea of going solo you can have a look at our interactive piece here, to find the best freelance career that suits you.
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.
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.
For the animal lovers among us it will also come as no surprise that both Pet Sitting and Dog Walking made it into the top 20 of the most desirable freelance careers, because who can resist looking after some love-able animals for a living!
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 |
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% |
Our research also included a breakdown of the career’s respondents were currently in and which alternative careers they found the most and least desirable, you can find the findings here:
| Sector Currently Working In | Most Desirable Career | Most Undesirable Career |
| Architecture, Engineering and Building | Online Research 46.2% | Stylist 57.7% |
| Arts & Culture | Musician 60% | Caterer 50% |
| Education | Photographer 57.1% | Recruiter 39.3% |
| Finance | Musician 53.5% | Yoga Instructor 48.8% |
| Healthcare | Journalist 48.5% | Investment Consultant 44.1% |
| HR | Programmer/Software Developer, Life Coach & Data Analyst 60% | Stylist 80% |
| It & Telecoms | Business Consultant 62.5% | Social Media Marketer 37.5% |
| Legal | Landscaper or Gardener 66.7% | Event Planner 46.7% |
| Manufacturing & Utilities | Copywriter 49.2% | Life Coach & Stylist 44.6% |
| Retail, Catering and Leisure | Interior Designer 52.1% | Blogger & Copywriter 44.8% |
| Sales, Media and Marketing | Nanny/Babysitter, Web Designer & Caterer 48.6% | Marketing Consultant and Tour Guide 45.7% |
| Travel and Transport | IT Trainer and Data Analyst 60% | Copywriter and Caterer 50% |
The most desirable and undesirable careers can also be seen below according to cities in the UK:
| City | Most Desirable Career | Most Undesirable Career |
| Belfast | Photographer (50%) | Blogger (56.7%) |
| Birmingham | Online Researcher (48.4%) | Horse Trainer (41.9%) |
| Brighton | Interpreter/Translator (52.1%) | Life Coach (42.9%) |
| Bristol | Dog Walker (50%) | Copywriter (50%) |
| Cardiff | Pet Sitter (53.8%) | Nanny/Babysitter (46.2%) |
| Edinburgh | Tour Guide (64.5) | Social Media Marketer (61.3%) |
| Glasgow | Music Teacher (45.7%) | Personal Trainer (54.2%) |
| Leeds | Data Analyst (51.1%) | Yoga Instructor (48.7) |
| Liverpool | Photographer (51.3%) | Carer or Recruiter (41%) |
| London | Architect (44.8%) | Caterer (36.75) |
| Manchester | Online Researcher (53.2%) | Stylist (51.9%) |
| Newcastle | Actor (56.5%) | Social Media Marketer (52.2%) |
| Norwich | Dancer (56.5%) | Blogger (50%) |
| Nottingham | Business Consultant (45.3%) | Social Media Marketer (50.9%) |
| Plymouth | Landscaper or Gardener (63%) | Nanny/Babysitter (44.4%) |
| Sheffield | Landscaper or Gardener (46.8%) | Housekeeper (40.4%) |
| Southampton | Tour Guide (59.2%) | Housekeeper (51%) |
From personal trainers to pet sitters and accountants, there really is something for everyone in the world of freelancing, take a further look here to see the results.
Sean Walsh, Marketing Manager from Protectivity Insurance said, “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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