There is a gap between organisations that need freelance art technicians and the systems, knowledge and culture needed to work with them effectively — and what a better approach actually looks like in practice.

Most arts organisations rely on freelance technicians to some degree. For many, freelancers are the majority of their technical workforce — brought in for installs, de-installs, collection moves, and everything in between. And yet in many organisations, the infrastructure for finding, booking, supporting and developing that freelance pool is remarkably underdeveloped.

The people making those booking decisions — technical managers, registrars, gallery managers, project managers, operations managers — are often doing so without a clear picture of what the local freelance market looks like, what different technicians are capable of, or what a fair and sustainable rate looks like for different levels of work. That's not a criticism of those individuals. It's a structural gap that nobody has properly addressed.

And it has real consequences.

Without a clear competencies framework or database, booking decisions are made on instinct, personal networks, and whoever is available at short notice. The same trusted names get called repeatedly. Others with relevant skills never get the opportunity. Junior technicians have no clear way of demonstrating progression. Senior technicians have no recognised way of communicating specialist expertise. And organisations end up going back to external suppliers — not because they want to, but because they don't have the systems in place to do anything else.

I've experienced this firsthand. Over the years I've helped maintain freelancer databases at a couple of institutions, and I tried to build an online version through ArtTechSpace. Both were significant amounts of work. They require a clear plan for yearly updates, and crucially, you need to put some of the responsibility back onto the freelancers themselves — asking them to keep their own skills and availability information current. A simple annual Google Form survey can make this much more manageable and streamlined. A well-maintained database of local freelancers, with clear information about their competencies, experience levels and rates, transforms how organisations make booking decisions.

In recent years some institutions have tried to enact tiered payment systems — but they haven't always worked. If you have an example of one that has, please let us know. In a talk with CVAN East Midlands in collaboration with BECTU Art Technician, we discussed a tiered pay framework that recognises skill, experience, responsibility and qualifications, providing clearer pathways for progression and more consistent rates across the sector. The tiers range from junior and assistant technicians through to senior leads and technical managers, with regional rate guidance at each level.

Done well, a tiered system gives freelancers and staff clear objectives and goals to work towards. But it requires robust administration, and crucially, training and development must be embedded into working practices so people can genuinely progress through the system. Without that, it risks becoming what it has been in some institutions — a mechanism for paying people less rather than developing them more.

A tiered system only works if the people doing the booking understand it, use it, and administer it appropriately.

And if you're unsure what fair rates actually look like, BECTU Art Technician Branch has done the work for you. Their pay rate guidance — developed from survey data gathered from over 100 practitioners across the UK and ratified through a democratic member process — sets out recommended rates by region and role type. From condition reporting to fabrication, installation to team management, it covers the key roles with three reference points: the minimum professional rate, the standard going rate, and the best achievable rate. It's free to access and should be required reading for anyone responsible for booking or paying freelance art technicians.

You can find the 2025 rate guidance at www.bectuarttechnician.com/arttechnicianpayrates

So what else can organisations do to improve their freelance pools?

Start by educating the people doing the booking about what different levels of technical expertise actually look like in practice. If that feels like too much to tackle at once, start with cheat sheets — and talk to your technical leads about the specific skills needed for each project rather than just booking in the usual names.

Share project schedules early so freelancers can plan and avoid clashes — one of the most consistently cited frustrations in our national surveys. Ask freelancers what training they need and what tools would help them work more safely and effectively. And treat them as part of the team even when they're only onsite occasionally.

Freelancers who feel valued, well-briefed and fairly paid are more likely to prioritise your organisation, work to a higher standard, and contribute positively to project culture. The relationship is only transactional if you make it transactional.

And one more thing worth being explicit about. If a senior freelancer is asked to support or mentor a less experienced technician on a job, that needs to be agreed in advance, formally acknowledged, and paid appropriately. Expecting experienced people to pass on knowledge informally and without recognition is one of the fastest ways to damage professional relationships and it reinforces exactly the culture of undervaluing skills that this series has been arguing against from the beginning.

Building a strong, reliable freelance pool takes time and intentional effort. But it is considerably more sustainable and cost-effective than constantly reaching out to external suppliers or starting from scratch every time a project comes in.

Your freelancers are only as loyal as the systems that support them.

Build better systems.

How does your organisation currently manage its freelance pool — and do the people making booking decisions have the knowledge and tools they need to do it well?

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