Contracts Workshop

In this workshop we went over the importance of contracts and why it is essential to have one set up whether you're going to work for a company or whether you're working for a client. Although it is important to have a contract with a company, I believe this workshop was aimed more at freelancing and how to protect ourselves when working with our own clients. 

The tips we received revolved around:

- making sure that the contract is clear and coherent.

- clearly explaining any upfront costs and the terms of your invoicing.

- identifying what you will be providing and what your needs from the client will be.

- Articulating any additional fees.

- Explaining how long your quotation lasts for. 

Not only is it important to make sure that you explain these things to your client clearly, but it is also important to inform your client of how long the job will take and where milestones and feedback will be given throughout the project. This will help to manage your clients expectations and control turnaround times feedback for changes. 

We were also given advice on what to do if we needed to make changes and who to contact for such circumstances. We were also told that it is important to gain permission from the client if the job goes over budget, as they may not be able to afford it and may ask to terminate the contract. Not only this, but it is important to sign off with the client for each stage of the project, to ensure that you are covered and aren't breaking any agreements you made. 

However, sometimes things don't follow through as they should and the end of the workshop went through how to cover ourselves if things don't go as planned.

It is important to keep these things in mind:

- Clearly articulate what you are getting paid for. You don't want to lose out on payment for work you have already completed. 

- make it clear from the beginning who owns the rights to the work completed. 

- Seek legal advice if you are unsure, but you should consider legal costs if you wish to do so. 

Finally, it is also important that you make it clear between you and your client that it is okay for you to use the work you created for your own promotional benefit, and if so if there is a best to use from date. You should also make sure that your client agrees to keep aspects of your work under wraps before, during and after the job, in order to protect you financially and professionally. Finally, you should consider if you would charge your client in the future if they wish to re-purpose your work or notice any mistakes after completion. 

Overall, I found this talk really helpful despite the fact that I don't intend to work as a freelancer at the moment. Having said this however, it was really good to have this information given to us, as I feel a lot more confident that I know where to start should I ever need to create a contract for a client. It has also given me an insight into how companies would work with clients and I feel as though I am a lot more understanding of the procedure and how work is undertaken for outside clients.