Working Group Attendee

Action for Freelancers is a pan industry collaboration to support freelancers within the UK television sector.  Organisations involved include BBC, Channel 4, UKTV, ITV, Pact, Bectu, Screenskills and Film & TV Charity - and many more.  

The shared goal of everyone involved in AfF is to champion and safeguard our skilled and valuable freelance workforce by moving the TV industry towards following standard practices, working and innovating together, and creating a culture in which freelancers can thrive.

How are freelancers involved in Working Groups?

AfF is about the TV industry working together towards positive outcomes for freelancers.  We aim to work closely with freelancers, seeking to elevate and amplify their voices so they can be heard by all the industry.

To ensure this happens, one of the ways we are including and engaging with freelancers in every sector of the TV industry is by inviting freelancers to apply to attend the project's 5 Working Groups.  There will be a minimum of three freelancers in each Working Group, with a mantra of “no freelancers, no Working Group meeting.” 

The working groups are:

• Working Conditions
• Mental Health & Wellbing
• Recruitment
• Skills, Training & Professional Development
• Information and Knowledge-sharing

We will assess all applications from interested freelancers and shortlist a pool of 50 freelancers who reflect a range of voices with different backgrounds and experiences, to make sure we have wide representation across the Working Groups.

From this pool, 17 will initially be selected and allocated to a working group. Those chosen will initially be asked to attend three meetings. Others in the pool might be contacted to deputize if needed, and then later be moved into working groups, to make sure we have fresh perspectives.
Two freelancers from across the Working Groups will be randomly selected to attend each monthly Core Group meeting. 

Freelancers will be compensated for their time attending AfF Working Groups and Core Group meetings, at £100/meeting. Each meeting will be a max of 90 minutes. There will be no work expected of freelancers outside of preparing for and attending meetings.  Any access or adjustments you need in order to participate will be provided.

What are we looking for?

Through this process we are seeking to find a range of freelancer voices bringing different experiences, roles and backgrounds to the conversation.

We are looking for freelancers who will

• join a virtual monthly working group meeting, expected to be a max of 90 mins long and initially for 3 meetings
• be a critical friend to the project and its recommendations
• provide honest and constructive input at meetings
• contribute to strategic discussion and decision-making
• be collaborative, working towards shared goals and understanding the wider industry context
• follow AfF’s terms of engagement - including to work towards the best outcome for freelancers; assume positive intent; be respective, accessible and inclusive; be disciplined and productive; be focussed; be committed and available; manage upwards and outwards.
• communicate clearly and in a timely manner with the project team.

Why are we asking these questions?

We want to have a fair and transparent selection process for freelancers to join Working Groups.  Knowing how valuable your time is, we have kept the application form simple and straightforward.

In the first section, we need to understand each person's context, background and experience to make sure that we have a genunine range of voices selected - not just in terms of diveristy and lived experience, but also location, genre, role and career stage.  

In the second section, we want to understand how you see the issues which this project is seeking to address, and to build a picture of your experience and how might help inform AFF's work.

In the third section, we just need to capture some practical and logistical information about your availability, and which Working Group(s) you would be interested in

Further information

If you have any questions about this project, the application process, or the Working Groups themselves, please do contact us at info@actionforfreelancers.org.uk.

If you have an access needs or require any support to complete this application, please contact us and we will arrange support.