The teaching itself is only one part of a freelance week. Between classes sit journeys, changing rates, cover arrangements and invoices. A routine that keeps those details beside the class is easier to maintain than a monthly reconstruction from messages and memory.
Record the agreement when you add the class
Keep the venue, time, studio and payment arrangement together. A flat fee is different from a per-head rate; an hourly agreement needs the duration. Repeating classes should carry the arrangement forward, while changes need to be checked rather than assumed.
Confirm what happened
After teaching, close the register or confirm the class and any headcount that affects payment. Mark cancellations accurately. This gives your invoice a reliable source and prevents scheduled classes being mistaken for completed work.
Arrange cover without sharing your login
Send colleagues the details they need to consider the class. Confirm the venue and payment responsibility. Do not share your account password or send a whole student list through an open group chat.
Sangha’s Cover Circle uses a class-specific link. For confirmed self-run cover, a restricted register link can provide the relevant names, health and venue notes within its permitted time window. It is not access to your finances or other classes. Studio registers remain subject to the studio’s arrangements.
Make month-end a review, not an investigation
- Check completed classes against the diary.
- Resolve any unconfirmed attendance-based fees.
- Review the studio recipient and payment terms.
- Generate and check the invoice before sending.
- Record payment and follow up overdue invoices.
A personal invoice email is usually enough: clear dates, an attached PDF and a polite request for payment. It does not need to look like a marketing campaign.
Keep costs in the same routine
Log venue hire, eligible travel and other business costs while the evidence is easy to find. At the end of the month you should be reviewing the records, not trying to remember which receipt belonged to which class.
See the UK tax and invoicing guide for the wider record-keeping picture.