Being self employed is great as many of you will agree…but having a good quality of life is even better, don’t you think? I do.
Where in the country offers the best work/life balance for self employed contractors and freelancers you might be wondering? Good question, and luckily a new survey gives us the answer.
Southampton to be exact, is the place to be for our nations self employed, as the survey found it to come out on top for factors such as working hours, life satisfaction, earnings, amount of holidays, self employed loans…and more.
The people behind the survey decided to ask 5000 self employed workers for their information and opinions, and from all of this data they came up with Southampton as being number 1 in the country.
This has led to some pundits to give say the words…go to Southampton, not London.
However, London didn’t fair badly in the survey, where it earned its place within the top 3, only narrowly coming in behind Southampton at the number 2 spot.
So that is a silver medal for London, but who took the bronze you might be wondering? That award goes North of the border to Edinburgh where many self employed workers there really do enjoy a good quality of life.
The survey gave us statistics such as the fact that in Southampton the average self employed income is £39,024, which is significantly higher than the national average of £32,624.
Also, people in Southampton enjoy putting their feet up it appears, because the survey went on to find out they work, on average, 2 hours less than other self employed workers around the country.
In London the average self employed income is £35,779, which is necessary if you ask me when you consider the expensive costs associated with the city. Edinburgh is not very far behind London when it comes to income, with a figure of £35,285 being reported.
If you are a self employed contractor, freelancer, gig worker, or business owner, then you might just want to consider a move to one of these cities.
Up North to Edinburgh maybe, where there is always plenty to do and the city has many affordable accommodation and housing options.
Or down South to Southampton, where you can enjoy better weather and being near to the beach, with many cheap offices to rent and self employed mortgages to be found.
You could also move to London of course, although be prepared for a more expensive experience. That isn’t to say the city doesn’t have its merits, especially in certain industries and professions where going to London is probably essential for networking and finding clients.
Southampton, London, or Edinburgh? The choice is yours.
