Freelancing alongside a job
Hybrid freelancing combines a freelance practice with employment, bringing two sources of work and income and two sets of responsibilities.
The arrangement and its prevalence
Hybrid freelancing combines employment and self-employment, whereas hybrid work combines remote and in-office work. It can appeal to employees who want to pursue preferred work in spare time or prospective freelances reluctant to lose regular cash flow. In 2023 hybrid freelancing was described as a growing trend among medical writers.
EMWA's 2015 freelance business survey found that 5.1% of freelance medical writers were also employees; the 2023 survey reported 17% of 194 respondents as hybrid freelances. Many surveys did not explicitly recognise the model: the EMWA compensation survey published in 2022 gave no hybrid figure, while other recent surveys divided respondents into employees and freelances. A regional Freelancermap survey in Germany, Austria and Switzerland found 6% of respondents, mainly in IT, finance and industry, also considered themselves part-time or full-time employees. Official figures can be difficult to obtain when institutions such as the OECD distinguish self-employment from traditional employment.
Reasons for combining the roles
One biology researcher moved into scientific writing to continue pursuing science with flexible work, initially seeing freelancing as temporary income until finding a job. After obtaining employment, the writer did not want to abandon the business and, more than a year later, negotiated part-time employment to retain freelance work.
Among current and former hybrid freelances interviewed in 2023, one took employment to gain exposure to document types that could later extend her freelance portfolio and valued the fixed monthly salary. Another had not sought employment but accepted an opportunity to work with clinical oncologists at a cancer hospital, sustaining an interest in cancer research.
A third entered the model because of circumstances associated mainly with COVID and subsequently negotiated it as a requirement with every employer. Having a freelance business made her less afraid of judgement or consequences when discussing issues at work, which she considered a relief and beneficial to mental health. Treating workplace challenges as tasks for a client rather than an employer also helped her excel and gain appreciation at work.
Combining ten, fifteen or twenty employed hours weekly with freelancing can provide a more secure base while leaving freedom over the quantity and kind of additional projects accepted. Writers considering the model can speak directly to people already using it.
Benefits and demands
Keeping a few loyal clients alongside a job can provide security and income predictability when self-marketing and uncertain income feel intimidating. The roles differ: a freelance chooses projects and handles accounting, while an employee follows the employer's assigned duties and is usually spared personal business accounting.
A 2023 practitioner comparison identified the following combinations of benefits and demands, rather than measured outcomes.
| Feature | Employment | Freelancing | Combining the roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independence | Limited unless leading the company | Independent | A combination |
| Social contact | Colleagues and team spirit | Working alone can isolate, although clients may feel like colleagues | Employment addresses freelance loneliness |
| Variety | Depends on role and expertise, often limited to the employer's products or services | Chosen, diverse work | Diverse work with a more predictable employed component |
| Professional development | Depends on employer, role and opportunities | Writer arranges and pays for training | Skills transfer in both directions |
| Marketing and networking | Not required in the comparison | Essential | Needed less, potentially suiting a small loyal clientele |
| Income level | Depends on role, employer and expertise | Depends on skills, clients and workload | Less relevant when full-time employment and freelancing offer similar income |
| Income pattern | Fixed monthly salary | Fluctuating | Salary can cushion freelance fluctuations |
| Hours | Usually regular | Mostly flexible | Freelance hours remain flexible but can be hard to fit around employed hours |
| Benefits | Pension, paid leave and other employment benefits | No employment benefits | Benefits apply to the job component |
| Workload | Depends on employer demands and working habits | Busy periods and gaps; refusing work can be difficult | A combination, with freelance work reducible when the job becomes stressful |
| Work–life balance | Contractually defined, in practice dependent on role and employer | Wide scope for personal choice | A combination, with freelance workload reducible to free time during job stress |
| Commuting | Usually necessary unless fully remote | Usually limited to client meetings | Less commuting than employment alone |
| Accounting and insurance | No responsibility in the comparison | Writer responsible, with outsourcing possible | Tax filing can become more complicated |
| Privacy | Limited in the office | Available | Limited on office days |
Managing the two roles
Balancing employment with the typically greater flexibility of freelancing can be difficult. Good relationships with clients and colleagues, priorities based on importance and urgency, and designated days or parts of the day for each role can help manage the responsibilities regardless of who assigns the task. Managing several clients alongside colleagues may make the model infeasible for some writers.
Part-time jobs that permit freelance side work can be hard to find. A recommendation discussed in 2024 was to explain freelance plans openly during interviews, on the view that interested employers would understand and that some roles, such as teaching, might accommodate side work. Combining the roles can also give employers and clients access to knowledge and transferable skills gained in the other setting. Increasing acceptance of remote work after the COVID-19 pandemic created opportunities to devote time to projects beyond employment contracts.