Zack’s work from home setup
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the world shut down and many found themselves working from home.
A survey by PayScale reported an 18% increase in employees working from home between 2019 and 2023.
Since the lockdown restrictions have lifted, many want to continue working remotely, although some companies are enforcing return to office mandates.
While there have been some distinct problems surrounding working from home, loneliness and not being able to unplug being the key issues, it also provides convenience and saves money for those who would usually have to commute or employ childcare.
As a result of these conveniences, many self-employed professionals now choose to work primarily from home.
One such example is the Andover based musician and teacher Zack Stephens.
Zack’s job title is difficult to define and constantly evolving as he takes on a growing variety of new roles.
He teaches violin, performs, and directs and arranges for three choirs so far.
He estimates that around three quarters of his hours are worked from home.
These hours include a sizeable portion of his teaching.
He noted that “working from home is extremely convenient” and said that it makes his job a lot easier.
Working from home means that Zack is less reliant on transport links, other people and facilities, and it allows him to have a degree of agency over his working hours.
“Not everywhere has music stands and proper equipment. It’s not a given.”
Zack didn’t want to imply that working from home doesn’t have its faults though.
He has recently started teaching violin and music theory in his old sixth form college, generally with typical 9-5 hours one day a week.
“It is really nice to go and do something away from home.”
He said, “it’s very refreshing” and emphasised that while the commute can be time consuming and expensive, he enjoys working as part of a team and be able to socialise with more people.
“It’s very easy to stay in your bubble.”
He said that after graduating he decided that he didn’t want to work for a music agency due to the long hours and lack of funding and instead started his own private teaching practice.
While he works from home and can spend lots of time working on new arrangements, he describes the importance of having a passion for it.
“Some people find it really tricky to work at home because they don’t like their work, and it means that their homes become almost like an office.”
He highlights a struggle faced by many and notes that even in his line of work, it can be hard to know when and how to switch off, but that he is incredibly lucky to have a job he enjoys so much both professionally and personally.
Zack does admit that when he started out, he struggled to find the balance between his work and home life, however it has become easier for him now that he has established himself and what he does.
For Zack and many other self-employed professionals, working from home still seems to be the favourable option.