Advertising for a freelance "employee"

Guesses

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

There are strict guidelines around apprenticeships. If you can't guarantee work throughout the year, at times which allow the apprentice to attend college, it won't fly.

Perhaps apprenticeship was the wrong word to use.

Essentially, how can I help a young person who wants to work in the TV industry get work without then inadvertently being held responsible for them?

Brynsam

General_Grant wrote: »

That doesn't mean you can't employ people. Zero hour contracts may not be liked by some but they are legal.

Sure - but the moment you employ someone you are on the hook for all sorts of employer liabilities such as registering for PAYE, taking out the necessary insurances, issuing contracts of employment...

Marcon

Guesses wrote: »

Would you explain the legalities?

What is illegal about me offering someone work but not employing them directly? I don't directly employ the camera assistants I currently use, but I believe this is all ok?

How would that be different to me offering training to someone from a college and giving them the skills to become a camera assistant themselves?

You need to do your own research rather than expecting to be spoonfed. Far too much for any one person to explain here, and pointless to do so when getting yourself a decent and up to date book on the subject, or researching online (e.g. https://www.gov.uk/browse/employing-people or ACAS's website) has plenty of information.

Savvy_Sue

You could also talk to the college and see if there's a need for placements. There might or might not be a match between when you need help and when they need the placements, but it's somewhere to start.

However ... I may be stating something VERY obvious here, but sometimes an extra pair of hands is more of a liability than a help, at least initially. It takes time to explain what it is you're doing, how you're doing it, and why you're doing it that way. And you may need to explain it more than once. So the time to do it is not when you're rushed off your feet ...

(Dreadful memories of several situations where I have had to explain the same things over and over and OVER again to people who were apparently incapable of retaining anything I said, or retrieving anything they wrote down in their notebook. Even saying "you need to type this and hit return", it would take at least a minute to start typing ... and in one case there would be a gasp of shock when ANYTHING on the screen changed IN ANY WAY, even though it was supposed to do so.)

Andy_L

You could offer them a zero hour contract as a trainee. But that's not a particularly attractive offer

Potbellypig

Guesses wrote: »

Would you explain the legalities?

What is illegal about me offering someone work but not employing them directly? I don't directly employ the camera assistants I currently use, but I believe this is all ok?

How would that be different to me offering training to someone from a college and giving them the skills to become a camera assistant themselves?

As someone has stated, there's a lot to answer in all these questions you're asking. You're not going to find the definitive answer on this thread. But going around offering ''free training'' to people, no matter how well your intentions are, is fraught with danger. If you are going to go down this route, I'd make sure all your bases are fully covered from laws on working regulations, to insurances, to tax implications. Good luck.

Guesses

Thanks for the replies. It's something I've been pondering for a while because, when I was in my twenties, there were plenty of companies (BBC, ITV regions etc.) who would employ people as trainees and give the necessary training to become a camera operator - college and university will never be able to offer the correct training to actually work in television/film.

These days, the main broadcasters don't really have technical staff and most programmes are now made by independent companies, who just employ freelancers on short-term contracts for the days they're actually shooting a programme.

I'm no businessman and have no interest in employing someone and taking-on the various legalities so it sounds like it's a non-starter, but it's a shame as I have no idea how young people will get into the industry these days. There's a lot of well-paid TV work out there for someone to have, but it seems I can't help anyone get there.

Malthusian

Guesses wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. It's something I've been pondering for a while because, when I was in my twenties, there were plenty of companies (BBC, ITV regions etc.) who would employ people as trainees and give the necessary training to become a camera operator - college and university will never be able to offer the correct training to actually work in television/film.

There probably shouldn't be so many people doing film studies courses after being conned into thinking they're training to be the next Tarantino, in that case. But the university racket is what it is.

I'm no businessman and have no interest in employing someone and taking-on the various legalities so it sounds like it's a non-starter, but it's a shame as I have no idea how young people will get into the industry these days.

As freelancers on short-term contracts, from the sound of it. Plus filming their own projects.

Making a living in a creative industry is never easy. Most of the output is, without being judgmental, worthless, and compensated accordingly. This is not the case if your output is flipping burgers.

If you can employ somebody as a trainee, and train them up while simultaneously they add value to your business by taking work off your hands and allowing you to take on jobs that you couldn't handle by yourself, there's nothing stopping you.

If they can't make you money, then if they want you to train them up they should pay you. For the same reason they would pay a driving instructor for lessons or pay the CII for a qualification in insurance. If you're interested in this area then perhaps you should consider offering training courses for aspiring filmmakers.

Guesses

Malthusian wrote: »

There probably shouldn't be so many people doing film studies courses after being conned into thinking they're training to be the next Tarantino, in that case. But the university racket is what it is.

Absolutely correct. I fell for it, spent three years at university and came out the other end with not a single skill necessary to get a job. I had to start at the very bottom as a runner and work hard/pull strings to side-step into the camera department (which I was very lucky to achieve - the camera department is notoriously hard to get into).

I'd love to give some other keen, young people some of the opportunities I was given - ideally before they go to university and spend thousands on a pointless degree. It's sad I'm unable to do so.

Guesses

Malthusian wrote: »

As freelancers on short-term contracts, from the sound of it. Plus filming their own projects.

Looking at the replies to Spersonos's first post in this thread, that's not a good idea (the suggestion was it's tax evasion?).