Locum professionals have become increasingly common as salaried wages stagnate and demand remains high. By becoming a locum professional, you trade the stability of a full-time job and trade it for the opportunity to be fully in charge of your schedule and even your day rate.
This type of work is particularly great for specialists. The medical industry relies on locum professionals to cover sick leave or even help during busy periods. Depending on your flexibility, you may be booked a week in advance or on the same day.
The amount of notice you get will depend on the role you fill. There may be more warning for a locum pharmacist than there is for an emergency acute care nurse. The reasons to take on this type of work are numerous, and just might convince you to get started with working freelance like this today:
1. New Platforms Make It Easy to Find and Book Work
In the past, working as a locum professional was a hassle. If you didn’t have a massive network of employers who got in touch directly with you, then you would have to go through an agency. Today it’s easy. There are platforms that employees and employers use to post jobs, accept jobs, manage schedules, and more. With the ability to find work in your area, be favorited by your employers, and be booked easily, there has never been a better time to take your career freelance like this.
2. You Earn a Higher Day Rate
One of the biggest incentives to work as a locum is that they usually earn a much higher daily rate than salaried employees. You won’t usually be working in the same place every day during the week, but so long as you are happy to travel to different locations and can work well with new teams, then you’ll easily be able to do your job for more.
3. You Grow an Impressive Network
Networking is always crucial when it comes to any career, and the best way to grow said network is to work directly with people. By working as a locum, you’ll meet new people, showcase your skills, and become a temporary but valuable member of the team. If you ever want to do something else with your career, this network is going to play a crucial role in helping you make that next step. At the very least, you’ll have dozens of employers happy to write you recommendations.
4. You Keep Work Interesting
If you struggled in a salaried position because your day-to-day was boring and uninspiring, then working as a locum can be just what you need. You’ll go to new places, meet new people, do new work, and more every day. It isn’t like every work day will be different, either, as many locums are hired repeatedly by employers who are impressed by their skills and trust them to do a good job every time they turn up.
