Previous Freelancers' Awaydays
The 2024 Freelancers' Awayday
The ninth Freelancers' Awayday and pre-conference event took place at the Voco Oxford Spires Hotel on 12/13 of September 2024. The sell-out event attracted record numbers of attendees and the main sponsor was National Geographic Learning. Other sponsors included Earn Learn Thrive (business and mindset coaching), Creative Listening (video production), Oxford University Press and Haremi (publishing services).
Pre-conference day
In addition to a full programme on the main day, there was a free 'walk and talk' pre-conference networking event, social drinks in the bar and a dinner followed by a fun music quiz.
(Mouse-over photos for captions; click to enlarge photos & browse at own speed.)
Main day photos
Representatives of the following organisations were present on the main day:
Avallain, Cambridge University Press & Assessment, Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading, Creative Listening, Digital Learning Associates, Earn Learn Thrive (ELT business & mindset coach), EMC Design, ELT Teacher 2 Writer, Garnet Education, Haremi, Hyphen SA, IO Publishing, ITN Education, Just Content, Lottie Galpin (DEI specialist), Macmillan Education, National Geographic Learning, Newgen Publishing UK, Oriel Square, Oxford University Press, Peter J Fullagar (DEI specialist), Richmond, Sounds Like Mike, Troika, Weblink Software, Westchester Education, York Press.
Who is the Freelancers' Awayday aimed at?
Our audience consists of freelancers and a growing number of representatives of publishing houses and other organisations in the English Language Teaching and Educational publishing sectors. This variety of roles within the industry naturally leads to opportunities for connecting, collaborating and furthering an understanding of each others' challenges and requirements.
What do attendees say?
This was my first one and I loved it. It was a very successful day and I left feeling inspired and motivated.
Well worth it! Will definitely come again.
Just the right mix of sessions with time to network in between.
It's a brilliant event – well organised, great content – and there's such a strong sense of community.
Really enjoyed it this year – the best so far!
It's a super venue and the rooms, welcome and quality of food were all excellent.
It was fantastic to have more opportunities to network with freelancers than ever before and have the chance to thank people we have worked with closely.
The 2023 Freelancers' Awayday
The eighth Freelancers' Awayday and pre-conference event took place at the Voco Oxford Spires Hotel on 20/21 of September 2023. The main sponsor was Weblink Software. On the evening before the main session-filled day there were pre-conference events, including a 'walk and talk' networking stroll along the river Thames, social drinks and an evening BBQ with a team quiz.
Representatives of the following organisations were present:
Avallain, Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading, Creative Listening, Digital Learning Associates, Earn Learn Thrive (Business & Mindset Coach), ELI Publishing Group, ELT Teacher 2 Writer, EMC Design, Garnet Education, Haremi, Hyphen SA, Just Content, Ladybird Education, Lemonade Illustration Agency, Lottie Galpin, Macmillan Education, National Geographic Learning, Newgen Publishing UK, Oxford University Press, PAH Accounting, Penguin Random House, Rascom I.T., Richmond, The Content Station, Tom Dick and Debbie Productions, Troika, Weblink Software, York Press.
Rarely does one 100% say a conference was a good way to spend time and money. This really was. Well done to you all.
It has become a not-to-be-missed event for the industry.
The friendliest, most cohesive and most positive conference event that I attend.
The dynamic networking was a great element, as it broke people out of their groups or put people who were alone into groups and enabled them to mingle. This was one of my main objectives for attending, and I think that was achieved.
The venue was fantastic, everything at hand, very helpful hotel staff, incredible organisation. I really felt looked after.
Really engaging and interesting talks – even at events like IATEFL talks are rarely this good.
The 2022 Freelancers' Awayday
The seventh Freelancers' Awayday and pre-conference event took place at the Voco Oxford Spires Hotel on 15/16 of September 2022. The event attracted record numbers of attendees and the main sponsor was Oxford University Press.
You can also read attendees accounts of their experiences here: Tracey Cowell, Kathryn Mitchell, Peter Fullagar, Manal Elsehrawi.
I met more publishers and made more contacts in a single day than in a 4-day visit to IATEFL, so it was a great success from that point of view.
The organisers' attention to detail – everything worked seamlessly, the programme was great, and they ensured everyone felt included. I came by public transport and it was easy to get to by bus from the station.
The variety/overall balance of presentations was great. Very motivational and engaging and it gave me lots of food for thought.
Connecting with people from all aspects of the wider ELT universe (freelancers and publishers alike). It makes everybody feel a little more connected in what can sometimes be a somewhat isolated career.
The 2020 Freelancers' Awayday
The sixth Freelancers' Awayday took place at the Oxford Spires Hotel on 24th January 2020 and was sponsored by National Geographic Learning.
Why not read this great write-up of the day by Tania Pattison or this blog post by Peter Fullagar? You can also have a look through the Twitter Moment for the event.
This is probably the most valuable day of the year for me as a freelancer. It represents a great opportunity to make new contacts and find out about some of the latest developments in the field, while also being very enjoyable and informative!
This was the third Awayday I've attended. They've all been excellent but this was the best one yet! Thanks so much for a useful, informative and inspiring day.
I loved it – very glad I invested in the day both financially and time-wise. Was wonderful to go away from the event with new relevant professional information and the feeling I'd caught up with lots of friends/project colleagues, while making new ones as well.
Sessions were very varied and even though some not directly relevant to my role [picture researcher], were still interesting. Left having made contact with several new potential clients – very happy about this! As a newbie, I appreciated how welcoming and friendly everyone was.
The 2019 Freelancers' Awayday
Sponsored by Cambridge University Press, the fifth Freelancers' Awayday was held at the Oxford Spires Hotel. The organisers of the event, ELT Freelancers', also launched an exciting new joint venture with ELT Teacher 2 Writer – and the Freelance Publishing Professionals online resourcing directory was born.
You can read a write-up of the day by EMC Design or have a look through the Twitter Moment.
It was the first time I've attended and I was so impressed. It was fantastically organised, great talks, great food (very important!), very lovely attendees and very welcoming organisers.
It's a really great event that helps deepen the connections in the ELT freelance world, and I continue to enjoy meeting lots of people through it. I'll definitely come again.
There was a good balance and variety of sessions, catering for different levels of experience and interests.
The 2018 Freelancers' Awayday
The fourth Freelancers' Awayday was held in January 2018 in Oxford and was sponsored by Integra, a packaging company.
If you weren't able to attend, you can find out more by reading this summary of the day by Emily Hird. Alternatively, take in this great account of not only the Awayday, but of all three workshops, by Tania Pattison who had travelled to be with us from Canada.
I learnt a lot and came away feeling a renewed sense of enthusiasm for work!
I’ve been back in Canada for just over a week, and already I have received an offer of work from someone I met at the Awayday.
The 10-minute talks were exceptional... really useful to me personally.
You are all doing a great job. These events get better every year. It's the perfect mojo boost in the dullest months!
The 'meet the publishers' session was excellent.