"Would I be better off financially?", "Would my work-life balance improve?", "Would I get consistent work throughout the year?"
Leaving a full-time permanent job to embark on a locum career may seem like a daunting prospect. You may have former colleagues, associates or even locum colleagues who wax lyrical about the increased flexibility, financial perks and independence gained from contract employment.
But where to start? And what do you need to know? If you're a legal professional in full-time employment and have considered entering the locum world, here are 5 must-knows:
1. Know Your Profile
Making the move to a locum career doesn't mean that your CV & social media presence should dissipate.
- Many bookings come off the strength of qualifications and experience, so having a relevant and up to date profile of recent accomplishments is more important than ever.
- An up-to-date LinkedIn profile can also lead to direct bookings from practice firms. This provides another source of bookings that is not solely reliant upon your preferred agency.
2. Know Your Clients
Many private practice locum bookings will not involve an onsite interview. The vast majority start from a "straight booking" following a CV review, virtual or a telephone interview.
- Do your background research on the prospective employer. Without an interview, the onus is either on yourself, the intermediary recruiter or your network to provide context and information on the firm.
- Questions to ask can include simple logistics such as free parking, through to specifics such as which case management system is in place, whether the start/finish hours are flexible and whether there is secretarial support available.
- A large part of this knowledge is dependent upon your agency. At LHH, we emphasise meeting our clients onsite or virtually so that we can provide these crucial finer details.
3. Know Your Worth
As a locum, you are not paid an annual salary, but on an hourly or daily basis. It is extremely important to be diligent when negotiating your pay when you are committing to a new contract:
- Agreeing to a competitive hourly/daily pay rate will ensure you are paid fairly for the time you work.
- Unless you are contracted on a PAYE basis, you will not be paid for holidays/time off – so it is worth taking this into account when negotiating your hourly/daily rate.
- At LHH we can provide professional advice about your tax status (IR35), the use of Umbrella/Limited companies and self-employed status.
4. Know Your Locations
Working 250 miles away from home may not sound like an attractive prospect daily, but would you consider it for a two-week contract?
- Research your local transport routes to establish which locations are within a commuting radius.
- Ask yourself: would you travel further for a short-term contract - and if so, what’s the limit?
- Can you stay away from home? If you’re financially motivated, divide the nightly cost by your projected daily working hours and increase your pitched hourly rate accordingly.
- Remote/hybrid working is commonplace post-Covid, so it is often worth establishing what the flexible working situation is during initial discussions.
5. Know Your Locum Career
As a locum, you're in charge of your career and the amount of work that you do. There are two main routes to go down:
- Long-term assignments are a conscious choice in many cases (such as maternity or long-term sickness/absence). These assignments involve a high level of commitment as you are agreeing to stay with a firm for a protracted period.
- Short-term contracts include covering staff absences, workforce gaps, holidays or surplus workloads. Taking various short-term assignments involves a level of planning to avoid unwanted periods out of work. The benefits are that there is greater flexibility to fit work around a desired lifestyle.
Taking the option to become a locum solicitor is one that can lead to the rejuvenation of a career and the beginning of a lifestyle where employment is more flexible, enjoyable and profitable.
There is no doubt that a large part of this success comes through careful planning and consideration when accepting and negotiating new contracts.
For guidance on how to shape and plan your future locum career; please get in touch with LHH Recruitment Solutions by completing our contact form, and one of our consultants will respond to you.