Two leading influencers reveal how they launched their careers
FIVE years ago, few people had even heard of the term “online influencer”.
But the role is now the top choice for young jobseekers.
Thousands of millennials make a living through posting videos, pictures and commentary on YouTube, Instagram and elsewhere on social media.
Top influencers — or online content creators — can amass millions of followers and some make hundreds of thousands of pounds a year after landing deals with brands.
Make-up and fashion vlogger Zoella and Fortnite gamer Ali A are just two of the web stars who helped define the role.
And YouTuber Joe Sugg found “mainstream” fame on last year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
Now a study from VidCon London 2020 — a festival of the online world — has found 28 per cent of youngsters aged 14 to 24 rate influencer as their dream career, one point ahead of the number who wanted to become doctors, with a police career in third place (25 per cent).
Influencers can work flexibly, help others and potentially earn a substantial income while also exercising their creativity — all key considerations for young workers. A spokesman for the event said: “Being yourself on the internet could be your job.”
Here, two leading influencers reveal how they launched their careers.
JOSHUA PIETERS
When it goes wrong
THE collapse of Thomas Cook has left 9,000 UK workers out of a job.
Here are five key points to note if your employer goes into liquidation, from employment law consultant Liam Grime of The ELAS Group:
1. Any employee with more than two years’ continuous employment with the firm, is entitled to a redundancy payment, plus payment for any holidays they have accrued but not used, and a notice payment.
2. Employees with less than two years’ continuous service are only entitled to the unused holiday and notice payments.
3. When a company goes into compulsory liquidation, the chances of the firm being able to provide you with these payments are very slim.
4. In such circumstances, the company’s employees have to apply to the Redundancy Payments Office – part of The Insolvency Service – to seek what they are owed in the form of compensation from the government.
(The appointed liquidator must inform employees of their rights and provide compensation claims forms. Employees can return these to the liquidator who passes themn to the Redundancy Payments Office, or you can submit a direct claim online at ).
Growing gains
LANDSCAPE gardeners are the cheeriest workers, according to a new survey to mark the International Week Of Happiness At Work.
A study of more than 40,000 workers found 86 per cent of gardeners love their jobs.
Dog-walkers, counsellors, wedding photographers and personal trainers also emerged as being very content in their roles. The least satisfied were cleaners, plumbers, electricians and life coaches.
Kai Feller, co-founder of the service-finding site bark.com, said: “Being happy at work is very important, both for an employee and an employer.
“The happier staff are, the more productive they’ll be.