How to find assessment work is one of the questions I get asked the most so I wanted to share some advice in my first blog post with you.
This was a question that plagued me for several years when I was employed. I was assessing business grants but the role was temporary. I loved the work but didn't know how I would sustain it once my assignment finished. I distinctly remember sitting at my desk looking for assessment jobs through Google and not coming up with much. I remember thinking how would I ever make a career out of this.
Fast forward several years and that is what I've done, it hasn't always been plain sailing but I love the career I've carved out for myself and I wouldn't change my working life for anything now. Self-employment suits me down to the ground.
Finding one role you can apply for
Looking back to see what the catalyst was, I'd say it took me finding one job listing that I could apply for that gave me the impetus to leave employment and take the plunge as a freelance assessor. It was a temporary contract but enough to reassure me that there was work out there and that would pay well. Since then, I've gradually worked with more and more clients and learnt so much along the way.
It's not always easy to find freelance work because you have to go out and find the opportunities yourself. But when you know where to look and how, it becomes much easier.
Is there a market for freelance assessors?
Questions that I'm sure you're wondering are: “Is there really a market for freelance Grants Assessors?", “I’ve seen the occasional job advert, but is there actually enough work out there?”, "How and where do I find work?". These are valid questions and ones that I want to help with.
Firstly, it's worth considering that there are around 11,000 charitable grant making trusts and foundations in the UK distributing grants of circa £20bn per year. That’s a lot of grants that need assessing before they are awarded. While not all funders assess or do so in the same way, grant assessment is often a core part of the funding process.
Another aspect to consider is that being a freelance assessor offers unique advantages that make us valuable to funders. Being clear about these when we approach potential clients is a great way to raise your profile and find work:
1) External expertise - we bring external expertise from outside of the organisation, giving a fresh perspective and objective approach.
2) On demand - we can offer support as needed. Grantmakers often run funding rounds creating peaks and troughs in resourcing. As a freelancer you can offer flexibility and ease of hire without the need for lengthily recruitment processes.
3) Efficiency - because we are focused solely on assessment without other aspects to our role we can work more efficiently compared to internal staff.
4) Niche knowledge - we may have niche expertise which allows for deeper, more informed assessments on certain funding programmes.
How to find work
In terms of how to find work I think it's helpful to use a variety of methods rather than a one size fits all approach. Here are some tried and tested methods that I have used:
Be clear about your offer - think about where your expertise is and approach funders that have good fit with your skills. For example if you have experience working in mental health, build a list of grantmakers who support this theme and get in touch to offer your services. This can work very well if you time it for when they have an active funding round.
Social media - Use Linked In to raise your profile and connect with people that may be interested in your skills. Positioning yourself as a 'Grants Assessor' can work magic for helping grantmakers to find you.
Use contract search platforms such as Contracts Finder. Sometimes you have to dig deep but there are often opportunities posted on here.
Automated alerts - use Google to set up alerts for grant assessor jobs. Rather than searching regularly, this method means you get the roles emailed directly to you as often as you like. Also, don't discount employed roles. If they are part time they can be a good way of mixing work with your other freelance commitments.
Holistic approach - as well as finding individual pieces of work, it can be helpful to step back and look at the bigger picture. It's useful to consider the different types of freelance work such as short term projects or rolling contracts and build a mix of these to sustain you. You may well have other freelance work that you want to maintain too.
A woman shouting into a megaphone
How to build and sustain work in the long term
If you want to learn more about how to build and sustain work as a freelance grant assessor, including how to fit this with other freelance roles, then I have developed a unique ABC method to do so. Based on my experience building a career in this sector it has lots more methods for finding work and shows you how to develop it for the long run.
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