How to stop working for a client as a freelancer?
When you go freelance, you will meet clients that you know are short term clients. The dream is to find the client that will support you for years to come, but more often than not, you will find clients that are good at the time, but you can not see yourself working continuously with. There will come a time when you just don’t feel like you could do the work for that client anymore. Maybe it is too hard, maybe they expect too much, maybe they pay too little. In fact, a
survey done in UK revealed that employees tend to quit their job because of low salary. When working for a client long term, it is common for responsibilities to increase, tasks to increase, and the pay to stay the same. Whatever the reason may be – you have decided to end a professional relationship.
In this article, we will give you a couple of pointers to quit a job gracefully. Of course, we wouldn’t want you to ruin relationships or burn bridges. If you are troubled on how to do it then you can apply these tips:
Re-read the contract
Before you tell an employer of your interest to quit, make sure you read the terms of the agreements of the project as it would give you some background on whether what you are planning to do is legal and wont breach the contract. Freelancers’ contracts are not intended for formalities but they serve as protection for both parties. So, be sure what will be expected of you before saying your goodbyes.
Give notice
You do not just leave as you please. Before actually terminating a relationship, it is polite to give notice to your employer stating the honest reasons for your decision. How will you do it? The best way to inform them is to schedule a meeting with an agenda that guides the meeting and helps you explain everything. The meeting should really be in person, but due to current circumstances, it might have to be through video conferencing.
Offer Recommendations
If the client is clueless as to who to hire as your replacement, it is a good idea to give them a recommendation, or offer to train someone to replace you. This will add to your professional reputation.
