Does freelance, which manages vacations on its own, have the concept of paid leave as it did when working for a company? How long can I get a break in the first place? The more you take a rest, the less your income will be. If you are worried, please read it. Introducing a meaningful way to take a vacation that can be realized only by a freelance engineer.
table of contents
- 1. What is paid leave?
- 2. Paid leave for freelancers
- 3. How to take a freelance vacation
- 4. Summary
1. What is paid leave?
First, let’s get to know the outline of paid leave in detail.
[What is paid leave]
* The official name is annual paid leave. It is also called paid leave, paid leave, annual leave, annual leave, etc. for short.
Workers who meet the following requirements will be granted annual paid leave.
・ Work of 80% or more of all working days during the above period
Workers who meet this requirement are granted annual paid leave of 10 working days, and the number of days of leave increases as the length of service increases.
The important point here is the word “worker”. The first condition for granting paid leave is to be a “worker” as stipulated by the Labor Standards Law.
Reference: From the Q & A on general labor standards administration of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare
2. Paid leave for freelancers
So, are you a freelance engineer a “worker” as defined by the Labor Standards Act? Unfortunately the answer is “NO”.
The Labor Standards Law of Japan defines “a person who works under the command and order of an employer and receives wages as compensation” as a worker, and this does not apply to freelancers who are themselves businesses.
There are many people who have a negative image of freelance, saying that there is no paid leave and the amount of paid leave is reduced and it is difficult to take time off. However, compared to when I was an employee of a company, it is easier to hear the flexibility of compensation and working hours, so depending on the method, I can get paid or more leave .
Reference: Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Q & A on Labor Standards Administration in general
Reference: Wikipedia
2.1 Freelance rewards
Looking only at the paid leave system, the above-mentioned impression is that there are merits for office workers, but when considering leave from the aspect of compensation, which is the merits?
Let’s think based on the annual income distribution of full-time job vacancies and freelance job vacancies calculated independently on this site.
Reference: May 2018 Proengineer Calculated from freelance job information
The highest annual income for freelance engineers is 6.6 million, followed by 7.8 million, with an average annual income of 6.6 to 7.8 million. The average annual salary of office workers is 5.5 million. By comparison, it can be seen that freelance annual income tends to be higher.
Below, I calculated the annual freelance income when I took a holiday equivalent to paid holidays.
EX) When a freelance engineer with an annual income of 6.6 million takes 10 days of unpaid leave
・ 6,600,000 yen-183,000 yen = 6,417,000 yen
* It is assumed that the annual income is 6,600,000 yen, the monthly income is about 550,000 yen, and the daily income is about 18,300 yen.
* The annual income set above is the annual income when the 10-day leave is not deducted. It is assumed that holidays and holidays have already been deducted.
Even if they took leave without using paid leave, the freelance engineer found that the above calculation method earned more than 6.4 million annual salaries, which is higher than the average salary of office workers.
Also, the biggest advantage of freelance is that you can choose your own job . You can also get high rewards by researching high-priced programming languages and choosing a job. Even if you take paid leave equal to or greater than paid leave , the benefits of compensation can be said to be freelance .
◆ For information on freelance compensation and unit price by language, please also see the following site.
2.2 Points for freelancers to take leave
However, it seems that there are many people who cannot take a day off because they think that taking a day off = a decrease in income.
In particular, many engineers work on PCs until midnight, and many of them carry their PCs with them when they are away from work.
It is important to work hard to earn income, but you can work and have a fulfilling life only if you have a healthy body. You don’t have to rush. Refreshing your mind and body by taking a rest will also improve your work efficiency.
Try to find the best balance between your work and vacation while incorporating the following points well.
[POINT to take a good vacation]
- Firmly manage the schedule
Adjust the schedule in advance considering the days you want to make a holiday. If you use the app, there is also a reminder function, which is convenient.
- Clarify delivery date
Client delivery is a top priority. Please check carefully in advance and pay close attention so that the delivery date will not be hindered even on holidays.
- How to contact the client
It’s a good idea to let your clients know your holidays and emergency contact information in advance and share how to handle phone calls and emails on holidays.
- Predetermine “Today is up to here”
It is also ◎ to allocate work on a weekly basis and adjust the balance of the schedule. Managing with tasks also makes it clear what to do.
- Become good at switching ON / OFF
Continuing projects are freelancers of life, but it is also important to take a break. Consciously set a period to refresh your mind and body.
◆ For effective tools that are indispensable for time management and how to concentrate engineers, please also see the following site.
3. How to take a freelance vacation
Here, I would like to introduce some meaningful and effective ways to take vacations. Please use it as a reference for your next vacation.
- If you want a holiday on weekends and holidays
It is possible to make adjustments in advance by managing the schedule so that it is easy to take holidays on weekends and receiving orders for work from companies that are closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Corporate resident freelancers are also more likely to take weekends off to suit their resident companies.
- If you want a full day off
If you inform the client and cooperating staff of the holiday in advance, you can make a full day holiday. If you respond only to emergencies by phone or email, and tell us how to respond when the actual work will be done the next day or later ◎.
- If you want more space in your daily life
For those who want more space in their daily lives, it is a good idea to set a large number of working days, 6 to 7 days a week, and work leisurely for that amount. If you decide in advance the start time, break time, and end time ◎. If you put an announcement at the end of the email or on the answering machine so that the client can understand it, you will be able to take a break without worrying about it.
- If you want a cohesive vacation
By setting a certain amount of target income and working all at once until you clear it, you will be able to take a good vacation for the next few days. However, be aware that working all night every day tends to hurt your physical condition.
- When you tend to worry about when you are on holiday
Make sure you have regular holidays by creating a rule that puts a vacation between deals. Even for resident projects via agents, it is recommended because you can take time off by consulting in advance. Long vacations are possible if there are days before the next project. You can enjoy traveling at low cost if you avoid busy times such as Golden Week and holidays.
It’s because I’m freelance that I can adjust my vacation according to my schedule and lifestyle. The appeal of freelance vacations is that you can take meaningful vacations, such as taking vacations according to family events or planning long vacations for overseas travel .
4. Summary
Freelance engineers do not have paid leave, but I found that they could take leave freely without worrying about their income depending on the adjustment.
The important thing is the balance between vacation and work. Let’s manage the schedule well in advance so that you can take a planned vacation while securing the desired income.
And don’t forget to report to the client in advance. I think that it is only when we have a relationship of trust with our clients that we can take long vacations and vacations that suit our work style.
Make sure to give your emergency contact information and how to respond, and try to trust them in your work.
May your vacation be meaningful!
