The High And The Low Times Of Academic Writing
Freelance writing jobs seem erratic, particularly if you write papers for high school and college students. However, there is a system to the academic writing market. And if you understand it, you will never be out of money. Today we will cover the frequent questions freelance writers face when they join the academic research market.
Why Are Academic Writing Jobs Seasonal?
Whether you work in the office or freelance, you should always remember who pays for your services. When you work as a freelance academic writer, your clients are mostly students from English-speaking countries. Therefore, your work depends on their yearly academic cycles. Most colleges and universities in the USA and the UK have students studying from September through December with a short winter break and from January through May with a long summer break two or three months long.
Which Times Are Low And High?
Freelance academic writers see the influx of new orders in November, December, April, and May. Other months are mediocre regarding the number of new clients, while January, July, and August are often considered “dead” months among academic researchers. During these months you can expect the orders from students who are attending summer classes or are working on their Masters or Ph.D. theses. Another category of youngsters who are ordering papers all year long are the students who are taking online courses and are not constricted by the traditional study calendar.
How To Get Ready For The Low Times?
The low seasons in academic research writing are inevitable. However, they do not mean you won’t have any orders. You will just have to work on the papers you do not usually write. If you want to keep a steady income during the summer months, you should be flexible. Be ready to take on dissertations, that will take you weeks to complete, and short pieces one or two pages long that you usually prefer to avoid.
Summer drought may also cause you to expand your field of research. The lack of promising orders should provoke you to work on projects outside of your comfort zone. Even if you are not familiar with some scientific fields, you can accept assignments without getting in trouble, if you pay close attention to detail and do your best to write the papers according to the customer’s requirements.
Another trick you should master as a freelance academic writer is planning your income and expenses a few months ahead. There are many seasonal jobs out there, like farming or construction. However, you don’t see farmers complain that they have no income during the winter months. Seasonal workers are great at planning their budget. As a freelance academic writer, you should be aware of the low seasons and be ready to take on as many orders as you can during the high season, in December and May. These months can double or triple your usual income rate. And the more you earn and save, the easier summer months will be on your budget.
Another good idea is to look for other seasonal jobs that have a high season during the summer. But if you are set in your freelance writing ways, you can always search for gigs writing magazine articles, blogging or ghostwriting.
In the middle of the low season in academic writing, it is important to remember all the benefits this job provides to you. Unlike many unlucky workers, you don’t have to go to the stuffy office every day. Instead, you can spend the low months of summer and winter with your family or work on another project for which you can never find the time during the busy season.
- Delivering original papers
- Punctuality
- Following instructions
- Good Quality
- Being Reachable
- Creativity