In the outdoor industry there are basically 3 options for making a living, the first is to build your own business and work for yourself, the second is to freelance for other companies or providers, and the third is a combination of the first two options. Freelancing has the advantage that it gives you the freedom to pick your own working patterns and time, but it can certainly have its own challenges as well. The following tips will hopefully help you to overcome some of these challenges.
Don’t quit your job - Over the years I have heard one or two people who had recently passed their leadership qualification, whether it be Mountain Leader, Hill and Moorland Leader, or Lowland Leader; thinking that because they now have a new qualification, that this will allow them to quit their current job and make a fortune in the outdoor industry. Stop - Don’t do it. Freelancing work can be a bit fickle, as was evident during the Covid Lockdowns. During these lockdowns there were dozens of outdoor freelancers that left the industry to find other careers. A guaranteed income is essential until you are well established, with a good reputation and regular guaranteed work. So keep that guaranteed income from your current job coming in, and start building up your working relationships with various companies or providers. Freelancing on weekends and holidays could take you a few years to get to where you want to be, then once you are happy with your income from freelancing, then and only then should you consider quitting your current job. A daily rate for a qualified Mountain Leader can vary from £140 a day up to £250 depending on your qualifications and experience.
Keep on top of your paperwork - By this I mean, ensure that your CV is up to date and that it is ready available to send to any potential employers at a moments notice. I generally try and add something new to my CV each year, so it looks current and doesn’t look like something that I drafted up 10 years ago. Also ensure that you have some sort of third party liability insurance, and that you read the small print which can include some potential pitfalls. One of these pitfalls, may be the number of instructor to clients ratio, which is normally 1:12, or for D of E training and expeditions it is a ratio of 1:14. Please don’t take these ratio numbers as standard, these are ratios from my own current insurance policy and your own insurance policy may be slightly different depending on your experience. These ratios can change from one insurance company to another, but you will need to check this and make a note somewhere to remind yourself. Another potential pitfall that I have seen on one of my previous insurance policies, is that you must be familiar with, or have recced a route. Being familiar with a route allows you to concentrate on your group and not walking out in front with your head in a map. Follow this link for Insurance as recommended by Mountain Training and Mountain Training Association. Insurance (mountain-training.org). An up to date outdoor First Aid certificate is essential. These are valid for 3 years, so get it into your calendar as soon as possible and book a refresher before it expires. Keep your DLOG (Digital Log Book) up to date, potential employers can look on Tahdah to see if you’re current with your logs. Have an up to date safeguarding Policy which you’ll need to review once a year. If you are taking bookings with peoples personal details, you’ll also need an annual Information Commissioners Office (ICO) certificate and ensure that these personal details are secured with passwords etc
Join the Mountain Training Association - The MTA is basically a community of trainee, qualified leaders, coaches and instructors in the UK and Ireland. The MTA provides support and development opportunities, workshops and events to help those working towards their qualification and keep skills and knowledge current for those already qualified. Having just returned from the MTA Winter conference at Glenmore Lodge I cannot recommend it highly enough, and I attend as many CPD (Continuous Personal Development) workshops as possible. Not only are these a great way of networking with other leaders, and preventing skill fade, but it’s a great way of keeping up to date with current policies and procedures. I have even secured some Mountain Leader work on some of these workshops. Mountain Training Association (mountain-training.org)
Join the Freelance Outdoor Facebook Group - An unofficial Facebook group that offers lots of job opportunities and some excellent tips for freelancers. Be careful here though as there are one or two providers on this group that seem to take advantage of newly qualified leaders to work for free or at a reduced rate.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket - In an ideal world operating as a freelancer, you really want lots of regular guaranteed work. There is always the danger that the one provider giving you all your work suddenly goes bust, goes into receivership or liquidation, then you would be left hanging out to dry. Try and split the work over several different providers. Different skills will also ensure that your work is spread out, whether its guided walks, navigation courses, Mountain Training skills courses, Duke of Edinburgh training and assessing, welfare walks, nature walks, photography workshops, etc.
Build and maintain a good reputation - If you say yes to some work, then honour that commitment. Don’t let the provider down, as you will unlikely to get any more work from them again. Also don’t be tempted to cancel with one provider because another provider is offering a better daily rate. Letting the original provider down could lose you future work and you’ll get a reputation as unreliable. It may be that you need to have a conversation with the original provider to discuss daily rates.
Don’t steal clients - Whilst freelancing for various providers I have regularly been asked for details of my own services that I provide, whether it be a navigation course or bespoke guided walks. Your immediate response should be to direct them to the provider that is employing you. At the end of the day the provider has put all the hard work into getting these customers, and it is only fair and right that they get any repeat business. If the provider doesn’t provide the service that the customer wants, at least highlight it to the provider, and it shows the provider that you are trustworthy.
Be prepared to turn work down - A few years ago I agreed to do a guided walk for a well know company. As the day got closer I received the joining instructions only to find that I was the only instructor and that I had 34 clients. I rang the company to clarify a few things, and as expected, I was to be covered on the walk under my own insurance policy. I highlighted that my insurance policy only covered me for 12 clients. After a bit of a pause at the other end of the phone, the company in question stated that I wasn't actually acting in the role as a guide, and that I was simply acting as a safety sweep walking behind the group. I checked their website and it clearly showed that it was a guided walk. I refused to do any more work for this company. As previously mentioned above on one of the previous tips, you may see regular social media adverts looking for freelancers to work at a reduced rate or free to get some experience. Don’t be tempted, it is likely that you have spent thousands of pounds on training, kit, travel and accommodation to attain your qualification. By taking these reduced or free rates, you are undermining the qualification and therefore preventing someone with a leader qualification from being correctly paid.
Stay within your remit - For each leader qualification there is a candidate handbook available on the Mountain Training website Mountain Training (mountain-training.org). Ideally you need to know the content of the candidate handbook which includes the syllabus for your leader award in detail. This is your bible; print it out, have it easily available somewhere around the house, read through it regularly and know it inside out. For example as a summer Mountain Leader a guided mountain walk in winter conditions is out of the scope of your qualification. A mountainous route that involves the planned use of a rope is out of the remit of a summer ML. The syllabus is also a good reminder of your responsibilities to groups to INSPIRE 1. Inspire and motivate your followers with a united vision. 2. Nurture an environment of team-focused goals. 3. Set the example you want to see in your followers. 4. Praise, and give constructive feedback to your help followers develop. 5. Insist on setting high standards, relative to each individual. 6. Recognise and respond to teach individual’s need. 7. Encourage followers to create and implement their own solutions.
Purchase the Mountain Leader book by Mike Raine - A must have book for any Mountain Leader, written by the very experienced and highly respected Mike Raine. The book is broken into two parts, the first part looks at ‘Becoming a Mountain Leader’, but for anyone with a qualification the second part on ‘Being a Mountain Leader’ is some essential reading. There are hundreds of top tips from some very experienced Mountain Leaders on how to be an effective qualified leader. If you’re looking to purchase this book then I would recommend that you buy it directly from Mike so that Mike gets any profits and not Amazon or Waterstones. SHOP | Mike Raine
Here at Boot Routes I do a combination of running my own events with some freelancing work thrown in to fill in any gaps in my calendar. Through years of hard work and by adhering to the above tips, I have now found myself in a nice position where I can pick and choose what freelancing work I want to undertake. Years of being reliable, professional, punctual and turning up with the right kit has made me very employable for several companies/providers. To this end it is now equally important that I maintain this reputation, keeping my skills up to date, and ensuring that I do not become complacent or take my foot of the gas. If any of these tips have helped you in any way at all, or you can think of something else that needs to be included in the list, or you disagree with anything on here, then please get in touch. Thank you for reading.
