Help with work outside of being in a touring band

Davelikesdrums

Hey guys, I'm after any suggestions you may have please.

I'm 21 years old and I'm in a band. Starting from September we're going to be touring what averages out at around 1 week of every month. I'm currently employed in a financial claims management company but I'm 99% sure that I'm not going to be able to keep my job for much longer due to the time off I'm going to need.

I live in a 2 bedroom house with my girlfriend where we pay £645 a month in rent + all the other standard bills.

The reason I've come here is to ask if anyone has any ideas on how I can continue to make money that gives me near a full time wage with only working 3 weeks of each month.

The band may make me a few pence every month, but I might as well consider it as a break even.

I've already looked into making a window cleaning business, but even after a detailed business plan the bank were having none of it.

I have looked into temp work but I'm unsure as to how much I'd be able to make out of it every month. If anyone has any ideas on how I could acheive this it'd be greatly appreciated! I also would more than willingly work on the road if that was possible.

If it helps, I'm quite handy with Microsoft Office (especially Excel) and I'm an average photographer that's learning new skills daily. I have a decent laptop with mobile internet.

I'm also currently teaching drums privately outside of my office job, but I'm concerned that this income may drop once I stop having the abilty to be a weekly consistent drum tutor.

I've worked my !!! off for 3 years to get the band to this position we're in now and it'd break my heart if I had to leave all because I can't pay my rent

Thank you in advance

Dave

Edit: I need to make around £900 pcm to sustain rent, bills, ect.

I'm not a fussy person, I'd willingly work on a building site, I'd flip burgers, I'd work in an office, whatever, as long as I can make ends meet!

DCFC79

Temporary work,

Mistral001

What about finding temporary work in a music-related business? That is where you will have the ready-made contacts and that is where people will understand the unsociable hours aspect of your work.

Callie22

Dave, make sure you join the PRS - you're not going to make a fortune from it but you will make something from all the gigs you play. Also, if you do make it big then it's much better to join sooner rather than later.

Hammyman

Employment agencies are good for this type of lifestyle - just don't be fussy about where and what you do.

vax2002

Get the lads/gals to learn some covers and hit the pubs + clubs on the other 3 weeks, it will make your band 100% tighter as well and provide an income, professional musicians can not pick and choose, even the Kaiser Chiefs had a covers set under a different name for years.
I toured in the 80's as a session musician with some well know names, but now I play in covers bands and played covers in-between getting tours and studio work.
A good club gig can pay £550 for a band, do 3 or 4 of them a week on the other 3 weeks off and you dont need to do anything else.

eleanor.

I'd definitely consider renting a bedroom out to a lodger.

Gleeful

Yeah, become a wedding band when you're not touring.

paulwf

Can't you do just do gigs at weekends or go on tour for a month a year (you may be able to get extra leave in one block) instead of this very odd arrangement of going on tour a week a month? There has to be a better arrangement, for example go down to a 4 day week at work and then take the band on the road for long weekends especially if there is a bank holiday coming up. You also get 5.6 weeks holiday minimum so that sorts you out for half the year.

I think you need to possibly look at the way the band works not just how you fit around it.

Evilm

Bar Work? Its possible that they may not mind having to cover for you that one week as long as you give them enough notice of your schedule.

Gleeful

Yeah, I'm not sure why you need to quit work.

What we did was gig - come home, no matter how far away. Ok, some very late nights but we all remained in work.