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How many agencies to work with to make ends meet?
Thread poster: François Sechier
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Nikki Scott-Despaigne  Identity Verified
Local time: 15:57
French to English
dependence/independence Aug 24, 2018

François Sechier wrote:

I recently stopped working for the only agency that employed me


Were you an employee of this agency or working as one of its freelancers? It can happen from time to time, that as a freelancer, you work for just one client. It can happen as that particular client is producing a lot of work over a period of time or that you are the right translator for a long-term project. I ask the question as if you were working full-time over a long period of time with one agency but for a multitude of different end-clients, the agency is on the fine-line when it comes to independence/dependence.

As a freelancer, you are an "independent worker" and if you have one client and they keep you busy full-time over a long period of time with a number of end-clients, you are dependent on the agency. The agency can decide to stop working with you from one day to the next and you find yourself in difficulty almost immediately. It's a dangerous position to be in and one that the URSSAF in France does not like much. If you are dependent on one client full-time over a long period of time (even if it is an agency), the URSSAF may consider that the dependent nature of the arrangement means that you were a de facto employee, without any of the social protection an employee has.

If this is not the situation at all, then this post might serve to alert others that it can be a problem.
It is a problem for the translator as having one client over a long period of time is unwise and risky financially.
It is also problematic for the agency, legally, as it could be considered that they are using the freelancer as an employee without having to worry about any of the obligations an employer would normally have (travail dissimulé).

Advice.
As a freelancer, you are always on the lookout for new opportunities. Even when the work is rolling in from a handful of regular clients. They can always decide to go elsewhere or run into financial difficulty. It's one of the complicated issues any self-employed individual needs to be aware of. At certain times it can be time-consuming. Agencies are not the only source of work. You can register with 30 or more and never hear from them, or only occasionally. Contact direct clients in your areas of specialisation. Don't necessarily aim for the "big names". Big companies may need documents to be translated into several languages and will take advantage of an agency's service. Why not contact smaller and local companies?

Most of the posts here show that although a large number of different clients may provide work occasionally throughout the year, many freelancers work with a handful of regular client, be they agencies of direct clients. That's the reality for many, if not most of us. Even then losing one client, or even a reduction in the amount of work can be tricky then, if you have one client, it's a catastrophe. So, keep looking, sign on all over the place, but do target agencies with your speciality and direct clients too.

[Edited at 2018-08-24 09:00 GMT]
 
John Fossey
John Fossey  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 09:57
Member (2008)
French to English
+ ...
My experience Aug 24, 2018

François Sechier wrote:

how many agencies are you working with ...


So far this year I have worked with 44 clients. But 30% of these (13) provided 80% of my revenue, which is not far from the 80/20 rule. Of these 13, 4 were direct clients, the balance agencies.

...to make ends meet?


That's another story. I am earning much more now than I did when I first started freelancing 10 years ago.

How long did it take for it to be economically viable?


About six months, with a lot of time spent early on contacting and registering with agencies.
 
François Sechier
François Sechier
France
Local time: 15:57
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you Aug 28, 2018

Dear fellow translators,

To all of you, thank you so much for these thorough answers and great advice! I really appreciate your taking the time to answer me, and I hope I can be this useful to newcomers in the future. I now have a clearer idea of how to get things rolling 😊

A great day to all!
 
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How many agencies to work with to make ends meet?







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