This week: “I’m a 28-year-old freelance voice and accent coach, mostly working across the higher education sector, teaching in universities and drama schools. I also coach individuals for roles and auditions. I am paid per hour for my work and salaries completely vary from place to place; it can be anything between £25 and £50 per hour. I’ve been freelancing in London over the last few years and was steadily increasing my annual income until the pandemic hit. It was a very stressful time and lots of my work got completely cancelled. I also didn’t qualify for the government self-employment income support scheme as over 50% of my income was from PAYE contracts. On the other hand, I wasn’t furloughed from these jobs as they were term-time only. This meant that during the summer months I ended up applying for universal credit. That and my one-to-one clients kept me afloat until I could go back to work in September. I think I have quite a good balance of saving my money (so I have a back-up if I ever do end up out of work again) and spending and treating myself to things I think I deserve every now and again.”
Occupation: Freelance voice and accent coach
Industry: Higher education/arts
Age: 28
Location: London
Salary: £27,500 (after tax)
Paycheque amount: This completely depends on the month but taking my annual salary into account, on average £2,291 (after tax).
Number of housemates: Two: C and J
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £550
Loan payments: I’m currently paying back my undergraduate and postgraduate student loans. This will depend on how much I earn in the year. For my most recent tax return I paid £577 to the Student Loans Company.
Savings? I have around £12,000 in a savings account.
Pension? I have several! When you work a PAYE contract you automatically pay into a pension. I’m currently in the process of collating all my pensions from teaching and old retail jobs into one place via PensionBee. Once that’s sorted I’ll pay 5-10% of my monthly earnings into it.
Utilities: Council tax £43.66, water £11.84, Wi-Fi £14.33, gas and electric are worked out via meter readings but on average it’s about £20-£30, depending on usage.
All other monthly expenses: Phone bill £35.99. Subscriptions: Spotify Premium £9.99, extra storage for iCloud £0.79, Netflix £5.99.
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
I did an acting degree at a university where you don’t have to audition for the course. I took out a loan to pay for the course fees and a maintenance loan for living costs. However, this didn’t cover my rent so my dad very kindly paid that for the three years. A few years later I decided to pursue a master’s degree in voice studies at drama school. I took out the postgraduate loan of £10,000, which covered the cost of the course. In the years previous of living at home and working I’d saved the money to pay the rent of my student housing. Again my dad very kindly put around £150 a month into my account to help me out. I also worked retail sales assistant jobs throughout all my university years for extra cash.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
My parents definitely taught me the value of things and to look after our possessions because they couldn’t just be replaced. We weren’t spoiled but I never went without and my childhood felt comfortable, but I know at times money was tight. I don’t remember specific conversations but I was definitely encouraged to save my pocket money.
If you have, when did you move out of your parents’/guardians’ house?
I moved out properly at 25.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
I would say at 25 when I moved out and moved to London for work.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
My first job was as an (admittedly terrible) waitress at a local pub when I was 16 or 17. I got it for extra money to spend on myself.
Do you worry about money now?
Yep! As a freelancer there’s a constant worry that the work is just going to disappear, I won’t be able to pay my rent and have to move home and start again. This is obviously yet to happen and I’ve been working in my field for almost four years now but the pandemic was definitely stressful.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
Nope.
6.45am: I wake up naturally and check my phone to see the time and for any messages (none, lol). I roll back over and try to force myself back to sleep as today I’m not teaching in any institutions. I usually use this day to complete admin, lesson plans and coach individuals (used to be face-to-face but all done over Zoom currently).
8am: I’ve done nothing but lie awake so I admit defeat and get out of bed, make myself a coffee and log onto my laptop to start completing my work for today. For anyone interested, that comprises: creating contemporary RP accent vowel and consonant resources, planning a lesson covering political speeches and putting together some advert voiceover scripts.
12.15pm: I leave to catch the bus to make my laser hair removal appointment, £1.55. It’s my third laser session and honestly I cannot recommend it enough for anyone considering getting it done. I’m getting my full legs, Brazilian, armpits, lip and chin lasered in each sitting. I have PCOS so have very dark, thick hair and combined with my pale and sensitive skin, I’m very prone to ingrown hairs and rashes – but I have already noticed a huge difference.
2pm: I head back home on the bus, £1.55. When I’m back I eat a packet of Frazzles, put some makeup on, tidy my room a little and then open the laptop again to write up some performance feedback for some students.
3.30pm: The guy I’ve been seeing for the past two months, A, comes over and we chill and chat for a bit. We decide to go for a walk around the park I live next to, then head to Aldi to pick up some bits to make a spaghetti bolognese. We get pasta, beef mince, bacon medallions, chopped tomatoes, carrots and a cheap bottle of red. £8.55
6.55pm: I am teaching an online evening class so A heads to the pub down the road while I teach resonance and pitch for two hours.
9.02pm: Class done, I shut down the laptop and join A for a drink at the divey, old man pub. I am literally the only woman in there! He buys me a large white wine, then I get the next round: a small white wine for me and a pint for him. £7.10
10.45pm: We head back and drop into the neighbour’s to feed her cat while she’s away.
12am: I take my makeup off, brush my teeth and get into bed.
Total: £18.75
7.15am: Again I wake up naturally. I try to go back to sleep as I’m not teaching this morning either but can’t, so lie awake listening to A snoring away.
8.30am: A wakes up, we have sex and cuddle and chat some more. I really like this guy a LOT but I have rushed into past relationships and they’ve never worked out so I’m trying to be more relaxed and just enjoy my time with him. ALTHOUGH he does tell me he’s never enjoyed spending time with someone as much as me, which makes me very happy. I tell him I feel the same.
11.25am: I leave the house and catch two Overground trains to my teaching position this afternoon. £3.15
4.15pm: I finish up teaching and head to the station only to find that all the trains have been cancelled. I end up catching two buses home, which takes aaaaages. £3.10
5.30pm: I stop off at the Co-op before I walk home and get some hummus, milk, fabric conditioner and washing tablets. £6.85
6pm: I arrive home and my housemate C is in the kitchen cooking. I join her with my laptop and complete the last few bits of student feedback I need to write up and send some emails. Her friends O and B pop in for a very quick drink too.
7.30pm: I shut the laptop, boil myself some pasta and finish off the last of yesterday’s bolognese.
9.30pm: I get into bed and aimlessly scroll social media for a bit, then watch an episode of Mock the Week.
10.45pm: Brush my teeth, apply Aveeno moisturising lotion to my face and lights out for bed.
Total: £13.10
6.40am: My alarm goes off for work. I snooze immediately.
7am: I finally roll out of bed and pour myself a big bowl of Cheerios for breakfast.
7.40am: I walk the 10 minutes to the station and then hop on the Tube. £2.40
8.40am: I get off the Tube and head to the nearest Starbucks for a much-needed caffeine fix. My inner basic bitch is very excited to see the Christmas drinks. I order a grande toffee nut latte with skimmed milk. £4.25
9am: I start work. Three accent classes with second-year musical theatre degree students and one voice class with second-year actor musicianship degree students. They all work really hard and are a joy to teach! One of my students comes up to me at the end of class to tell me how much they love their accent classes, which gives me a warm, happy glow for the rest of the day.
3.55pm: I make my way back home on the Tube while listening to the Off Menu podcast. £2.40
5pm: I get home, make myself a coffee and get ready to go back out as me and my friend E are taking our friend B out to The Ivy as a surprise for her 30th birthday!
6.35pm: I meet B at the station and we walk up to a pub to meet E and have a few drinks before dinner. We have two bottles of rosé prosecco, I pay for one. £21
8.15pm: We make our way up to The Ivy and oh my goodness, the food and atmosphere and staff are just wonderful. We order a bottle of chenin blanc, the truffle arancini and salt-crusted sourdough bread to share, then I order a peach bellini, roasted scallops to start, chicken Milanese for my main and chocolate bombe for pudding. Divine! We share thick-cut chips, sprouting broccoli and zucchini fritti sides. Me and E split the cost as a present to B. My half is £104.23, including a tip.
10.45pm: We make our way back to the Tube, absolutely full to the brim and merry from the wine. We don’t get to spend as much time as we’d like together because B lives out of London so it is truly wonderful to be with my best pals at last.
11.20pm: I get the Tube home and quickly head to sleep. £2.40
Total: £136.68
3am: I hear my housemates come in from their night out, which keeps me awake for another hour and a half.
10am: I get up to make myself a bacon sandwich and then immediately get back into bed to eat it under my duvet while watching an episode of Gogglebox.
11.30am: I complete a lesson plan that I definitely should have done earlier in the week and paint my toenails while watching American Crime Story: Impeachment. Beanie Feldstein is fab!
1pm: I was supposed to have drinks with a friend, H, this evening but she bailed earlier on in the week so A and I have made plans for me to head over to his work. He is the manager of a pub that also has boutique hotel rooms and he is having to stay over there for the next few nights. I shower and get my overnight bag ready, then watch some old episodes of Sex and the City in bed with a very beige lunch of hummus and rice cakes, and sour cream lentil curls.
5pm: I head off to where A works by catching a bus, £1.55, a train, £4.60, and then finally another bus, £1.55.
7pm: A meets me at the hotel reception and takes me up to our room – it’s lovely, with a super kingsize bed. I get myself settled, A brings me up a glass of prosecco then goes back to work.
10pm: I take off my makeup, brush my teeth, put on my pjs and settle into the massive bed with my book, Paradise City by Elizabeth Day. I’m about halfway through and it is…okay? A nice easy read before bed at least.
11.15pm: I can barely keep my eyes open so turn the lights out and go to sleep.
Total: £7.70
1.35am: A finishes his shift and wakes me up in the best way…
9.30am: I have the best sleep and wake up naturally. A and I spend the next few hours in bed.
12.30pm: I’m finally up, showered and ready. A walks me to the station before his shift starts this afternoon. I’m kept entertained by the Shagged Married Annoyed podcast and can’t stop giggling aloud to myself – which is at least hidden by my mask! Train is £4.60 with my railcard.
1.45pm: I get into London Bridge and I am starrrrving. I treat myself to an oat milk cappuccino and (my fave) the tuna and cucumber baguette from Pret, £6.20. I wait for what feels like eight days (probably 10 minutes at most – I’m very impatient with transport, can you tell?) for a bus home. £1.55
3pm: I am finally home. Put a load of washing on and sort my desk out. Every term I tell myself I won’t let it get in a state and every term I find it covered in scripts, lesson plans and notes. I FaceTime my parents and update them on my week.
5pm: I head online to do a live, pay-what-you-like yin yoga class. I donate £10 to the hourlong class, which I do with just my fairy lights and candles on, so I finish feeling all relaxed and sleepy.
6.45pm: I continue with my #selfcaresunday and order a pizza on Deliveroo. £18.19 including delivery and tip.
9.30pm: Just as I’m deciding to fully get into bed and sleep, the Sunday scaries hit and I start feeling very anxious about work and worrying that A does not feel as strongly about me as I do about him – completely ignoring my own advice of being chilled and relaxed! I pop a couple of drops of CBD oil under my tongue to help. I’ve only just started using this but it does seem to help with sleeping and calming my anxiety.
10.05pm: My heart stops racing and I fall asleep relatively quickly.
Total: £40.54
6.30am: My alarm wakes me up. Nope, snooze.
7.25am: I leave to catch the two Overground trains to my teaching post today.
8.25am: I arrive, make coffee, catch up with the acting teacher, S, and print my lesson plans for our 8.45am start. I teach first-year acting students until 1pm.
1.10pm: I leave for the Overground to get home and this time get off a few stops earlier and then get a bus back. The total travel for the day comes to £4.85.
2pm: Make myself scrambled eggs on toast for lunch. I then set up my laptop and complete some more lesson plans, invoices and resources for a couple of one-to-ones I’m teaching later in the week.
4.30pm: I head off to Aldi for a quick food shop. I get bananas, apples, a red pepper, crisps, cereal, chicken, milk, deodorant, crème fraîche and lemonade. £14.01
5pm: Back home I begin to cook chicken, leeks and butter beans in garlic, stock and crème fraîche while chatting to J, my housemate. I open up to A and some friends about the anxiety I’m feeling today and they all send lovely supportive messages. I start to feel a lot better.
6.45pm: I log back on to my laptop and open Zoom (honestly, sick of it) to teach my evening class. Today we focus on clarity and articulation and it is a really lovely session!
9.10pm: I shower, apply moisturiser, brush my teeth, get into pjs and have a couple of drops of CBD oil. I read my book for a bit and then turn the lights out for bed by 10.15pm.
Total: £18.86
6.30am: Alarm wakes me up…yep, I snooze (just once though).
6.40am: I’m up. Bowl of Cheerios for breakfast, brush my teeth, apply makeup and grab my lunch and stuff for teaching. I get two Overground trains, the same journey as yesterday.
8.20am: Get off the train and get myself some red pepper hummus from the small Sainsbury’s by the station to have with my carrot sticks at lunch, £1.20. I walk up to the university and buy an oat milk cappuccino from the Change Please truck that sits outside the building, £2.90. I absolutely love this company – 100% of its profits go towards helping people who are experiencing homelessness and the coffee is delicious, too.
8.45am: I teach the same first-year acting students as yesterday until 1pm. Then I dash to catch the staff bus (free) that takes me to the station and get a Tube to my next teaching post.
2pm: I teach more first-year acting students for three hours, then catch the Tube home. Overall the day’s journey costs me £7.30.
6pm: Home and I start to cook Nando’s chicken pasta (pasta again!). Literally onions, garlic, chicken and peppers, fried with some stock, then Nando’s sauce straight from the bottle and crème fraîche. It’s so easy and very comforting. Once I clean up I realise I have no acceptable snacks to watch TV with, so I head off to Sainsbury’s and somehow spend £7.09 on brownies, oat milk, onions and yoghurt.
9.30pm: I catch up on Made in Chelsea – so bad it’s good. I then get into pjs, brush my teeth, take off makeup, moisturise my face and read my book. At 10.30pm I turn off my Kindle to get some sleep.
11.15pm: Ooops still up, mindlessly distracted by Instagram and Twitter. NOW it’s bedtime. I turn the lights off and fall asleep quickly.
Total: £18.49
Food & Drink: £201.57
Entertainment: £0
Clothes & Beauty: £0
Home & Health: £10
Travel: £42.55
Other: £0
Total: £254.12
Conclusion
“I think this was a pretty average spend week for me, apart from the celebratory meal at The Ivy, which obviously was a pretty big expense. The experience of recording everything I spent was so interesting and I’m a bit horrified at how often I go into supermarkets to do small shops. I’ll definitely try to cut this down and just do one big shop. Clearly, I need to be more organised at sorting out my groceries and meals.”
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