The Pros & Cons of Being a Freelance Dietitian: Is it Right for You?
Have you ever wondered if pursuing freelance work outside of your traditional full-time position as a Registered Dietitian would be worthwhile? Maybe you have heard the term freelance work, but aren’t entirely sure what it means. Or perhaps you aren’t sure what types of opportunities exist for freelance dietitians.
In this article, freelance expert and fellow Registered Dietitian, Jessica Panetta, MA, RD will be sharing all of her top tips for getting started with freelance work. We’ll explore everything you should know before you pursue this line of work, whether as a side gig or full-time. We’ll cover the pros and cons of being a freelance dietitian and we’ll help you decide if it’s the right fit for you.
Before we get started on the pros and cons, let’s define the concept of freelance work.
What is Freelance Work?
Freelance work for Registered Dietitians encompasses any paid project-based or contract-based work carried out as a 1099 employee for an individual, small business, or organization.
Some examples of freelance work are:
Writing opportunities (blog, article, whitepapers, ghostwriting, etc.)
Specialized menu creation
Recipe development
Nutrient analysis
Curriculum development (for a program, workshop, course, or other)
Subject matter expert consultation
Content creation (social media posts, YouTube videos, etc.)
Foodservice projects (Quality and audit tool creation; SOP development, etc.)
Freelance work can be short-term projects or they can also include longer-term projects. While many people will treat freelance work as a “side hustle”, this article will outline the possibilities for making freelance your full-time gig if desired!
Exploring the Flexibility of Freelance Dietitian Work.
Freelance work lends to an incredible amount of flexibility, which is likely the biggest attraction for most dietitians looking to explore this line of work.
Design your own schedule.
When you work with clients in a contract-based arrangement, you get to determine your own schedule. So long as you’re meeting deliverable deadlines for your clients, you can work on each project on the days and at the time of your choosing!
Determine where you work.
Aside from scheduling flexibility, you also get to determine the location where you will work. If you’re an online freelancer, you can work from a home office, coffee shop, library, or even while traveling. If you provide in-person freelance services, you’re still able to determine the environment in which you will work with your clients.
Choose who you want to work with.
Speaking of clients, there’s also freedom in picking and choosing which freelance clients you want to work with (or not work with!). If an opportunity doesn’t seem like a good fit, you can simply pass on it and pursue other work that best aligns with your needs/goals. You get to shape your freelance work as you please, lending to increased joy and satisfaction in the work that you do!
If you have life circumstances/obligations or a lifestyle you’d like to achieve, freelance work allows you to shape work around your life. Wearing the hat of a caretaker or parent? Mold your schedule and commitment to projects/clients around your responsibilities. Looking to travel or live nomadically? Not a problem.
Online freelance work allows you to do so, while still making an income.
Balancing Personal Life with a Freelance Career.
While being your own boss, in a sense, is appealing - it also comes with great responsibility. If you enjoy showing up to work, getting the job done within predictable and scheduled hours, and then leaving it all behind until tomorrow, freelance work may be a challenging transition for you. When you get to pick and choose your clients and freelance projects, as well as where and when you’ll complete the work, you have to be diligent about coordinating your schedule to ensure it all gets done (and deliverable deadlines are met).
This isn’t a deal breaker, however. Once you set up the initial structure of how you will keep yourself organized as well as the workflows to accomplish various freelance tasks, your work days will become quite predictable. Couple that with choosing to take on long-term clients/projects, and pretty soon you’ll be humming along like a well-oiled machine!
Here is how I stay organized:
My favorite approach to getting organized each week is to use a Google Document with a running list of tasks, meetings, and client deadlines. I mold these work obligations around what’s happening in my personal life because I have two young children, and I’m wearing multiple hats!
I also love to use the Urgent-Important matrix to help me prioritize everything and schedule my tasks accordingly (check it out if you haven’t used this tool previously!).
Here’s the other thing with freelance work that’s really cool:
You can commit to projects and clients in a small way (1 hour per week!) or ramp it up if you’re able to take on more work.
This is really helpful if your calendar is busy at certain times of the year or opens up at other times of the year. For example, when my kids are home on summer break for 3 months, I don’t take on as many freelance projects. Then when they return to school in September, I apply for more gigs and ramp it up. It’s in my hands!
Income Potential as a Freelance Dietitian
The income potential from freelance work is dependent on what you choose to do. If you name your own price for a service that you offer, you can determine your own value and name a number that appeals to you (and your customers, of course!). If you pick up freelance work through platforms where clients post a need or a project, the range is quite large. Also, your income is dependent on whether you are freelancing on a small scale (a few hours each week) or a larger scale.
Here is one approach to setting your own prices:
You also have the option to generate multiple avenues of income as a freelancer. You may offer various types of services, some of which are priced higher than others. For example, you may create custom menus at a rate of $50 per hour and also provide consultations at a rate of $85 per hour. You don’t have to stick to one offer or service! You get to explore all of your areas of passion and exercise multiple skill sets.
When it comes to online freelance work, Upwork (a popular freelance platform) publishes an annual Freelance Forward report to provide insights and trends related to the digital gig economy. According to their 2021 Freelance Forward Economist Report, the number of freelancers who earn more than in their traditional jobs continues to grow. In fact, 44% of freelancers say they earned more freelancing than with a traditional job in 2021, this is up from 39% in 2020 and 32% in 2019.
Check out my free guide to learn how to get started on Upwork.
If you want to learn more about how to get started on Upwork, check out my free guide: Start Freelancing for Free in Just 1 Day. If you’re ready to begin freelance work on Upwork and want to skip the trial and error period faced by many new freelancers, join an upcoming live Accelerator Workshop to acquire the high-converting strategies and confidence to excel from the start!
Benefits and Job Stability as a Freelance Dietitian.
When it comes to employer benefits, freelance work is quite different from the packages offered by a traditional full-time job. You must know this going into freelance work! As a 1099 contract employee, you are not (typically) given any benefits from the clients or organizations you do business with. As a freelancer, you’re responsible for saving funds to cover time off, retirement, healthcare coverage, etc.
How to plan for the ups and downs:
One important aspect of freelance work to take into consideration is the inherent variability in clients and available projects. At any given time, your services could be in high demand or there could be a lull in available work. This instability may not be feasible for your financial needs. However, with proper planning and a cushion of savings to use, riding through a lull in work is quite doable.
When you craft your fees for your services and offerings, you will want to account for the above. Beyond the value of your time and industry standard (in your part of the world), be sure to factor in an additional amount of money to ensure you make enough to provide a financial contribution to savings. Also, by offering services to various industries, you allow yourself to cast a wider net, ensuring that your influx of paying clients remains as steady as possible.
Freelancing Full-Time, Part-Time, or as a Side Gig
There are many ways to go about implementing freelance work into your career. You can ease into it, starting off as a freelancer on the side, in addition to your full-time job. Perhaps you’re looking to scale back your current job and would like to freelance part-time to make up for the remaining hours/income each week. And of course, there’s always the option to go all-in and do freelance work on a full-time basis!
An important consideration is the ramp-up period that will likely occur as you begin to do freelance work. You have to know where to find paying clients, how to land gigs, and let your network know that you’re now offering freelance services. All of this can take time, meaning you should expect it to be slower in the beginning and thus, less income-generating at the start.
The other aspect to remember is that you may be juggling many moving pieces as you fold this new realm of work into your career. Like any transition, it can feel rocky or uncomfortable when you first begin freelance work. I would encourage you to embrace a growth mindset as you overcome initial challenges and show persistence as you master this new line of work.
Considering the Freelance Path
Take time to reflect on the pros and cons of freelance work. Embrace the knowledge that this is a low-commitment line of work, which means you can try it out to see if it’s a good fit for your needs and goals. If it works, great! Keep at it and ramp up as you wish! If it’s not a good fit for you, no biggie—at least you explored the option.
Another perspective to consider is that freelance work can tag along with you throughout your entire career. Let’s say you start out needing full-time employment due to income and benefits needs, but then your circumstances and personal needs change. You may require flexibility more than anything and so freelance work fits in nicely for several years. This is the main take-home message: you can craft freelance work to fulfill your personal and professional needs as life ebbs and flows!
If you’re ready to move forward with this realm of work, this article provides a deep dive into the 10 Benefits of Freelancing for Allied Health Professionals. You can also find trusted resources and guidance as you pursue this realm of work at Prosper Allied Health, an organization dedicated to empowering you in freelance success.
Freelance work allows you to focus on your strengths, choose the clients you want to work with and design the schedule that works for you. Whether you’re interested in full-time work or a part-time gig, there’s something for all dietitians!
About the Author
Jessica Panetta, MA, RD is the Founder and CEO of Prosper Allied Health. She ventured into online freelance work to achieve a remote and flexible work schedule as a Registered Dietitian (after 10+ years of working in clinical settings). Little did she know that it would bring so much more! Within just three months of starting freelance work, she doubled my hourly rate, surpassing her previous role as Director of Clinical Nutrition. In her first year, she earned the Top-Rated Plus Badge, awarded to the top 3% of Upwork freelancers. She gets to see my kids off to school every morning and pick them up every day (no after care) because she is in control of her schedule. You can follow Jessica and learn more about her work over at Prosper Allied Health.
