Oh, the joys of being self-employed...
I had heard these rather vicious rumours that estate agent types and mortgage lender types basically shut down and become rather robotic once you tell them you are self-employed...
"Sorry, we can't help you."
"Do you have two years of accounts to show us?"
"Oooh! I think that's going to be a bit of a problem!"
I thought that this simply couldn't be true. I mean, in this day and age when absolutely no job is for life and dependant on your industry, you pray that your entry fob lets you in the following morning.
Well. It's true...
I was looking to surprise my parents-in-law with an upgrade to the flat that they are currently staying in. They are getting older and as retirement looms and my mother-in-law gets closer to finishing work, they will need a larger space as she will be at home more. Nice of me, yes?
No! Boo, hiss!!! When it came to discussing rent and standing surety, I told the estate agent that I was self-employed. It was as if the world came to a complete and utter standstill. I could almost see him recoiling, cringing in his skin at this despicable human being!
How dare I be self-employed!? How dare I pay my own National Insurance and tax? How dare I work long hours and wake up in the middle of the night thinking of ways to further my business and ultimately put myself in a position whereby I can save money for my retirement and not have to take money from the government where it could be used for someone that really needs it (Please note...I'm not saying that every employed person that claims a government pension is out to steal money from the government in some sort of malicious way of getting back to world...)
It was in that split second that I actually felt my left eye start to twitch and think to myself...WTF?! I was being judged because I decided to take a chance, put in the hard graft and have my own business. I could afford to probably pay the entire rent myself but this ignorant little man decided that I simply wasn't worth it. He would rather lose a sale, rent the property to someone who's job could be gone the next day, but because they were employed, it was a sure thing? I honestly fail to see the logic in that.
Anyway, this is the end of my rant because really, it isn't worth getting that wound up about. But Mr Man. One day, when you are out of a job and desperate for cash, it may be best to keep your stupid mentality away from my free-spirited self-employed self! BOOM!
In SA after having lived in the UK for 18 months and prior to that had a fantastic relationship with our bank in SA (Platinum rating, overdrafts, hp for cars with no deposit etc) we were regarded as if we had never existed. Even to get a clothing account was a complete mission and also because we were self employed. Self employed means you work harder and have the opportunity to earn more, whereas a job has a set salary and is only there until someone decides to retrench you, close their business etc. So... yes, we are self emloyed and employ three people who feed their families, we pay our taxes and are a positive influence, not a drag on the economy.
ReplyDelete