A freelance graphic designer’s survival guide — James Greig

• Research any potential new employer.
• At the interview (or by email) find out what hours you will be expected to work. You might have to travel to a different part of town or start at an unfriendly time.
• Find out your new employer's payment terms. Try to negotiate something shorter than the standard 28 days if you can.
• Allow 15 minutes extra so that you're early on the first day. First impressions still count, so you don't want to be late.
• Get prepared. Have a folder of fonts at the ready (on your hard drive, not in the cloud). And perhaps some templates ready to go.

• Prefer to work from home? Ask if you can. If they say no, do your first job, make a good impression, and then ask again the next time. You will stand a good chance of them agreeing. I now have a few clients who let me work remotely on small jobs or after the first day's briefing has happened at their studio.
• If you end up working in-house and don't like someone, don't let it get to you. You'll be out of there pretty soon. That's the joy of freelancing — it's not forever.
• Are there other freelancers working in the studio? Make friends with them.

... preferably once who works with people in the creative sector. 

Consider using an online invoicing system to manage your accounts.