Hope you're having a great week. I started freelancing this year in London and to my (pleasant) surprise, I found there were lots of SME clients searching for a bookkeeper. When I first started though I didn't realise this would be the case. As a result I accepted a client at a lower rate that I'd dream of taking now and paid hourly...
The problem is I now have more clients and don't *need* this client, but I carry on working for them really because I like to honour my commitments. However, this client doesn't really seem to understand my role as a self-employed bookkeeper. I go into their office for 2 half days a week but I feel like they keep trying to treat my like an employee and they keep pushing admin work onto me and there's a slight hint that they expect me to do their admin work even when I'm not with them. I also get calls off them while I'm with other clients, despite having told them I'm unavailable.
What would you guys do in my situation? On the rates I charge now I could easily replace the income with a new client to take up 1 full day weekly but I feel bad leaving them in the lurch. How much admin work is too much before you start yelling that you're a bookkeeper not a secretary lol?
Also, would you consider researching energy rates and agreeing to new utilities rates part of a bookkeepers role? At the moment I'm saying yes but I'm not certain if I should be that involved.
I'm employed and do that kind of stuff. It sounds like they are treating you as more of a general admin/book keeping person than a self employed book keeper. In terms of employment law directing your time in this way (and giving you the authority to agree utilities contracts implies employment status and its not what I'd expect a book keeper to be doing.
Do you have an engagement letter in place setting out all your terms etc? I'm sure the self employed members of the forum will be along soon to give more specific advice but it sounds to me like they are not understanding your role.
I agree with Julie that you should check back to your engagement letter to see what services you agreed to provide, if the work they are asking you to do is not covered on this then you are perfectly within your rights to refuse to do it or to renegotiate terms.
It does seem from what you have written that your client seems to think that because you are going to their offices for 2 half days a week they can give you any duties they feel needs doing because they are paying for your time, but as Julie points out this seems to then sway to the fact that you are employed by them and not carrying out their bookkeeping on a self-employed basis (that's the thing with clients they all think you work for them and them alone), the problem is that the more of these duties that you perform the more they are going to expect you to carry out.
I would arrange a meeting with whoever engaged you in the first place to see what they actually expect from you whilst explaining that you are only their self-employed bookkeeper and not as you say their secretary, that way if you are still unhappy with what they expect you can consider disengaging but maybe staying on until they have had enough time to find someone else.
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Doug
These are only my opinions of how I see things and therefore should not be taken as advice
Thanks both - glad to see I'm not being jaded. My letter of engagement is pretty brief but after this experience I think I will make it more robust.
I think the problem is that the company is made of 2 directors and 1 employee. The directors are generally fine but I think the employee is a bit of an odd one who is desperate to have some seniority - so keeps trying to 'manage' me.
I think I will advise them that I think they're looking for more of an admin worker with basic bookkeeping capabilities and that I can stay with them until the end of the year...
