One of the biggest questions people have before they begin locuming is whether they are self-employed or an employee? Also if they are self-employed, what does that mean?

Most of the time Locum pharmacists are considered and treated as self-employed rather than being employees of a particular pharmacy/pharmacy group. There are many benefits to this, however, there is some important information you need to be aware of if you begin working as a self-employed Locum Pharmacist.

What are the benefits of being a self-employed locum pharmacist?

Being self-employed may sound a little daunting at first - particularly if you are newly qualified - however, there are so many benefits to locuming.

1. You Get Full Flexibility - As a locum, you are granted greater freedom in both your professional and personal life. You have complete control over your working hours, working as much or as little as you want to suit your life.
2. Enhancing Your Professional Skills - One of the benefits of working as a locum is that your work is not limited to a particular area or specialism. This will help you grow your skills and become more confident in different areas of pharmacy. Moving between stores also allows you to learn different PRM Systems, which would be particularly useful for newly qualified pharmacists.
3. Better Work/Life Balance - Particularly in light of COVID people are increasingly conscious of work/life balance with many people opting for hybrid or work from home opportunities. In this aspect, many people are turning to locum work due to the benefits it offers to work/life balance. Due to the temporary nature of the work locums are able to leave work at work and have evenings and weekends to themselves.
4. Demand is High - Locums are always in need to fill staff shortages and to cover any emergency staff absences. Resultingly, there is a huge demand for locum work so you will never be short of job opportunities. Locate a Locum have found that are posting between 2000-5000 new shifts every week!
5. Greater Financial Opportunities - Many Pharmacists chose to locum in addition to a permanent role to enhance their monthly income. Equally many Pharmacists have moved entirely to locum work from full-time employment as the hourly rate of a locum compared to an employee is much greater, however, this does vary depending on how many hours you work.

   What do I need to know to be a self-employed locum?

   As a locum, you have the freedom to work when and where you want, however as a result of this freedom it is also your responsibility to source work. There are many ways to do this including using recruitment platforms such as Locate a Locum to find, apply for and book locum shifts.

As a self-employed trader, you must register as self-employed with HMRC within three months of you working your first locum shift. This can be done easily through the HMRC website. See their step-by-step guide for registering here.

Once registered as self-employed you are responsible for your finances. This encompasses negotiating your rates for work, submitting invoices for work completed and processing your national insurance and tax contributions. Check out our recent blog which will give you a guide on how to manage your finances as a locum pharmacist.

Are you ready to take the next step?

Register with Locate a Locum today to begin your journey!