earning HOWARD MCWILLIAM


ide “I think rather than reflecting the poor state of the industry,


side hustles reflect a wider trend in society where people are more comfortable with the idea of a portfolio career and tapping into all their different interests and skillsets rather than the traditional view of one occupation,” adds Canter. Having a second career brings benefits beyond income. The


chance to interact with others helps alleviate the isolation that can come with freelancing and benefits wellbeing too. “A second job can be a useful emotional as well as financial


backup – as at least you are doing something,” agrees Samantha Downes. Between training as a newspaper journalist in the 1990s and up until 2017, Downes held various second jobs, including auxiliary nurse, shorthand secretary and cleaner. After the pandemic, Downes decided it was time to add a


side hustle and trained as a private hire vehicle (PHV) driver. Writing on her Substack, Pumpkin Pensions, she describes


how, on a good day, her job pays ‘a lot more’ than an editing shift on a national newspaper. But, despite these financial benefits, the pull of journalism remains strong. “I’m not sure how long I’ll manage the PHV driving. I’m in two


NUJ members facing short-term financial difficulties can seek help from NUJ extra – see www.NUJ.org.uk


theJournalist | 15


minds about whether to spend more time building the Substack, writing my book and doing the grind of having to get editors to notice me amid the slush pile of emails,” Downes says. “The PHV driving is a good reminder of how lucky I am to


have done all these things. It’s made me a well-rounded journalist who has connected and worked with many different people of different backgrounds, ages, circumstances.” As Downes indicates to, it feels increasingly difficult to get noticed by editors, partly because more journalists are freelance. According to the Reuters Institute, the proportion of journalists who are freelance rose from 17 per cent to 28 per cent between 2015 and 2023. “I think it’s really hard to make a living purely from writing these days. A lot of my colleagues from my magazine days have moved out of journalism because it’s so badly paid,” says Maddy Biddulph. She wrote real-life features for Splash Features Agency and enjoyed a career in


hustle “


magazines before going freelance a decade ago. She retrained as a personal trainer in 2022. “My freelance income was so up and down. I know that’s


the nature of freelance work but it was getting pretty stressful having too much work or not enough, so I thought a second income stream would help,” she explains. “I also found freelance work kind of lonely. I’m a really social person and I thought being a personal trainer would satisfy my need for connection.” Maddy says being a trainer complements her journalism as


it overlaps with writing fitness articles while journalistic skills have helped her promote her business, www.maddypt.co.uk. To return to the identity crisis that comes with a job away from journalism: can you still call yourself a journalist when you are mucking out caravans or offering PT services? “I’ve been a journalist my whole life. It’s more than just a job to me – it’s my identity – and I definitely suffered with some imposter syndrome at first saying out loud that I was a personal trainer,” Biddulph says. “My late father, Michael, was a journalist, so it’s very much ingrained in me. I’m more comfortable telling people I’m a PT now, but I’ll always consider myself a journalist. It’s in my blood.”


I’ve been a journalist my whole life. It’s more than just a job to me – it’s my identity


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