Umbrella employment for web writers: good idea or not? Let’s not beat around the bush, the answer is: a good idea!
As a reminder, umbrella employment allows freelancers to carry out their independent activity while benefiting from employee status. A contract that necessarily has many advantages, between freedom and security.
Still have questions about this type of status? Want to know the benefits of such a contract? In this article, discover the 8 main advantages of umbrella employment for web writers!
Preamble: definition of umbrella employment for a web writer
Before listing the benefits of umbrella employment as a freelancer, let’s review how it works.
As a web writer, you sign a contract with an umbrella company. You therefore become an employee of that company, with all the benefits that entails. In terms of pay, you therefore receive a salary linked to the revenue generated.
In return, the company deducts management fees which, as the name suggests, cover all the administrative services offered. In fact, as we will see in more detail later, the web writer under umbrella employment does not take care of accounting, VAT declaration, management of social contributions, etc.
These fees sometimes also cover other ancillary services, such as training, perks in kind, personalized support, etc.
Now that you better understand how umbrella employment works, let’s look at its advantages for the freelancer!
1. A salaried web writer status
Yes, you are indeed a freelance writer, but you still benefit from employee status. You have signed an employment contract with the umbrella company, so you are officially employed by that company.
This allows you to receive a salary every month. You are guaranteed to receive remuneration, even if your clients have not yet paid the invoices.
By the way, if you want to check your potential remuneration when joining the umbrella employment world, ABC Portage offers you an online calculator a very handy tool. You enter your monthly turnover (current or projected) to get your final salary.
Everything is transparent! You will also be better able to set your rates to reach your desired income.
Finally, know that if you want to change your legal status or umbrella company, the process is the same as for employees. You can resign or negotiate a mutually agreed termination.
2. Access to the Social Security system for employees
Let's be honest, a freelancer's social protection is often limited. But by choosing umbrella employment, you benefit from the same rights as employees.
You are covered by the general Social Security scheme. In addition to receiving reimbursement for your healthcare expenses, you are entitled to daily allowances during sick leave. These are often more favorable for employees than for self-employed workers, with equal income.
You also have access to a company health plan that provides more comprehensive coverage at lower cost. Some umbrella companies, such as ABC Portage for example, offer you the option to join their plan to benefit from additional guarantees and reimbursements.
This strengthened social coverage helps you carry out your activity with peace of mind.
3. Web writer under umbrella employment: the right to unemployment benefits applies
Ordinance No. 2015-380 of April 2, 2015, relating to umbrella employment stipulates that the contracted employee is entitled to unemployment insurance. In case of a decline or loss of activity, you receive benefits that cover all or part of your income.
A right that independent freelancers do not have access to, unless they subscribe to supplementary insurance (often expensive).
However, this entitlement to unemployment benefits is subject to certain conditions. The web writer must demonstrate a total of 88 days or 610 hours worked during the last 28 months.
4. Total independence over writing assignments
Employed, but still independent! The web writer on umbrella employment remains free to choose their assignments and clients. If they wish to specialize in a specific field or target a niche market, that is their prerogative.
To that end, the contracted employee handles their own prospecting. They set up their own marketing tools, offers, communication strategy and rates.
The same goes for their organization. They are not required to be present at specific hours. In umbrella employment, the web writer manages their schedule and workplace. They can write their content at their living room table, in a dedicated room in their house, in a co-working space, at the client's site, in a café—whatever works for them!
Good to know: if the writer decides to end their collaboration with the umbrella company, they keep ownership of their client portfolio.
5. Simplified administrative management for the web writer
During their collaboration with the umbrella company, the web writer pays management fees. On average they amount to 10% of revenue (rate applied at ABC Portage). But they can range from 3 to 15%!
What explains these differences? First, you should understand that these fees are meant to fully outsource the administrative management of your activity. You no longer have to worry about invoicing, cash collection, payment of social contributions, VAT management, drawing up contracts and all the sometimes time-consuming paperwork. The umbrella company takes care of it!
Besides reducing management errors (accounting requires very specific skills), you save time. You only need to focus on writing and creating editorial strategy for your clients.
Therefore, when fees are low, you should read the fine print of the contract. Some services may be optional and turn out to be costly… Others may be missing entirely, forcing you to handle them yourself (and thus lose time/money).
6. Strengthened legal protection for the web writer
As an umbrella employee, you do not need to take out professional liability insurance: you are automatically covered by the umbrella company’s policy.
This coverage strengthens your protection in case of a dispute with a client or accidental damage. In other words, if you have contractual problems with a client or face unpaid invoices, this insurance will support you.
Do you think there are no risks as a web writer? When you create content, you speak on behalf of the client. If they believe an article harms their online reputation, discloses confidential information or violates intellectual property rights, they can turn against you.
Another scenario: if you frequently visit clients, you may cause an incident (inadvertently, of course) on their premises. Spilling coffee on a computer, knocking over an employee, breaking a tool… clumsiness is common (and human!).
Having professional coverage that provides access to legal assistance can therefore prove very useful in all these situations.
7. Personalized support
A company like ABC Portage offers personalized support to entrepreneurs. The goal is to help the web writer implement their project effectively. This assistance covers prospect acquisition, creating your business plan and developing your skills.
A dedicated advisor answers all your questions and provides expert advice to help you successfully launch your web writing activity!
This support also helps break the isolation common to freelancers. They often work alone, focused on their activity. This solitude and lack of perspective can sometimes hinder creativity.
By having the opportunity to talk with an expert, you discover new ideas and perspectives. Their fresh view also helps you better understand your strengths and weaknesses to optimize how you run your business.
8. Access to useful web writing training
Do you want to diversify your services by offering, for example, article illustrations? You will need training in graphic design or to master the art of photography.
You might also want to strengthen your SEO knowledge to write texts that are even more SEO-friendly.
Regardless of the skills you want to develop, you will need to take a course to achieve them. The umbrella employment for web writer, as seen by ABC Portage, allows you to benefit from a €500 credit to strengthen or acquire knowledge.
In addition, the umbrella company also organizes training workshops useful to its members. You can take advantage of these to improve skills related to your profession, but also to your status as a freelancer. For example, ABC Portage offers themed sessions on prospecting, networking, optimizing your offers or services, setting your rates, etc.
Useful training to stay competitive, secure your web writing activity, and meet other entrepreneurs!
Our tip to get your activity off to a good start
Before choosing umbrella employment for your freelance web writing activity, carefully assess your needs and skills. If you are starting your business, want support, and want to spend as much time as possible developing your company, umbrella employment can be an interesting option!
And regardless of the status you choose, you will be able to find your next assignments on Redacteur.com. Sign up and access hundreds of writing requests every day!
