Andrew WalshMar 11, 2025

ADVICE - Working/Advising for free.

There are always good causes to help out with and there are always passion projects where its beneficial for your soul/c.v./sanity to work in your spare time, but there are also those who would (knowingly, or not) take advantage of you.

Before accepting a role (or offering yourself for free), think.

1) Are other people getting paid? If so - WHY aren't you?

Show threadAndrew WalshMar 11, 2025
2) What sort of precedent does this set for you when you're asked 'what were you paid on your last job?', or when you ask your own self-confidence how much to ask for the next job? It is so easy to talk to yourself into getting underpaid! and much harder to reset things if you caved last time.
3) What sort of precedent does it set for others? Sure, you can do this for free now, but is that person/organisation/company then going to expect that in the future from others who can't -
Show threadAndrew WalshMar 11, 2025

afford to do the role unpaid? It can be a hard thing to consider, but taking unpaid/low paid work sets an example for your future and for the industry.

4) What else could you be doing with your time? Time is the most precious thing you have - so is this unpaid 'opportunity' really going to repay that valuable time in other ways?

Show threadAndrew Walsh

5) Can you afford to do it? What is the commitment? Is it time specific, or an abyss that will suck in the time you should be spending looking for paid work? Are there expenses etc attached that mean you're not just doing this for free, but effectively paying to do it?

There are times to work for free, but think think think and don't let a lack of self-confidence, FOMO drive you into something that will cost you now, or later.

Mar 11, 2025 at 9:45amWeb
Show threadAndrew WalshMar 11, 2025

If they're not prepared to pay, but will benefit from this themselves, find a way to make the set up symbiotic rather than parasitic.

As a reminder, there's a flowchart to help you make decisions as part of the WGGB videogames guidelines (P.28)
https://writersguild.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/WGGB-A4-Videogames-6.12.21.pdf

Writing for joy is important, but so is not being taken advantage of. Happy scribbling and good luck with it all!