Fardous Bahbouh, PhD researcher in equality and political economy

As the festive season approaches, a time meant to be joyful can often feel like a storm of financial stress, social anxiety, and forced cheerfulness. For freelancers, especially those in exploitive sectors like the outsourced public service interpreting, this time of year brings additional pressures. Family gatherings turn into arenas where innocent questions like “How’s work?” can unleash waves of self-doubt.

Those with stable jobs may gripe about demanding bosses, but at least they’ve managed to pay their mortgage. A mortgage! For freelancers, financial stability can feel like a distant dream, overshadowed by clients and agencies who act more like bosses—or even gods. Precarious work and exploitation, coupled with societal expectations of success, often leaves freelancers either blaming themselves for perceived failures, drowning their sorrows in isolation or unleashing their demons on those closest to them. Yes, Anxiety can bring out the worst in people—remember the time when people fought over toilet paper?

One common response is to set more destructive resolutions to “do better next year” by investing heavily in Continuous Professional Development (CPD). I am writing this as a veteran of the language industry in the UK. I want you to know that maybe all this stress and financial insecurity is not your fault. Maybe you are working in an exploitive field, like the outsourced public service interpreting, and you have signed up for those membership organisations that keep on promoting, marketing and selling CPD training and diplomas.  I want you to pause and ask yourself: Is CPD really the solution, or is it another layer of exploitation disguised as opportunity?

And to those promoting and selling CPD for freelancers, please read carefully! Every time I see the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) marketing their courses as the “gold standard of the industry”, I feel a burning urge to add: “an industry that treats linguists like cheap, precarious labour.” Similarly, when the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) states its goal is to “raise the profile of the translation industry,” I’m reminded of why domestic abuse and sexual harassment often go unreported—because of concerns about protecting the “profile” of families and the misplaced shame attached to victims. And as for the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI), before insisting that diplomas become mandatory, don’t forget to demand that translation companies and/or the government cover their costs—not the already exploited interpreters. Anything less is a moral hazard.

Or as expert interpreter and translator Marta Leigh—who holds Level 6 Diplomas in Public Service interpreting both for legal and health interpreting, as well as a Level 7 Diploma in Translation—puts it: “Rates for public service legal translation are so low I’d need to translate 70,000 words to cover the qualification costs,” adding that, despite the learning, at the current rates, “CPD feels like an expensive hobby.” Here are the main things to consider:

1. The False Promise of Career Advancement

In traditional professions, CPD is tied to tangible benefits—promotions, pay raises, and leadership opportunities. But for precarious workers, the reality is starkly different. A public service interpreter might spend hundreds—or even thousands—on CPD courses, only to find that the industry remains dominated by agencies prioritizing cost-cutting over experience and quality. Without systemic changes to improve pay and working conditions, CPD becomes an empty promise.

2. A Financial Burden on the Vulnerable

CPD courses, certifications, and associated costs add up quickly, representing a significant burden for those already struggling with low pay. And your time is not infinite, and every hour spent on CPD is time not earning income or making career change. Instead of empowering professionals, CPD often deepens financial strain and perpetuates inequalities.

3. No Guarantee of Better Pay or Conditions

Qualifications don’t always lead to better opportunities, especially in exploitative industries. I know many experienced interpreters who pursued multiple diplomas, believing they would open doors to higher-paying jobs. Instead, they found themselves offered few pennies per minute of work with long soul-destroying periods of unpaid waiting, waiting for short sporadic minutes of work, by exploitive companies. Systemic issues like outsourcing and low pay remained unchanged.

4. Exploitation Disguised as Professionalism

For many precarious workers, CPD isn’t about genuine growth but about shifting responsibility. Agencies tout CPD as a solution while avoiding the real issues of low wages, lack of protections, and exploitative practices. Workers are told to “invest in themselves,” deflecting attention from systemic failures.

5. The “Grooming” Effect

CPD often perpetuates a culture of inadequacy, convincing workers they’re not good enough unless they continually invest in their skills. This narrative risks normalising exploitation, training interpreters to adapt to poor conditions rather than challenge them. It fosters guilt and burnout while ignoring the structural forces driving precarity. And yes, public service interpreting plays a critical role in upholding human rights and ensuring equitable access to public services. However, it is deeply unfair to expect interpreters to shoulder the burden while exploitative translation companies reap the rewards, and successive governments continue to promise to to get Britain working again, all while public service workers are still being outsourced then screwed!

Here is my advice to you for the new year.

The solution doesn’t lie in endless CPD courses but in collective action or a career change. We must organise, advocate for fair pay, and demand systemic reforms. Imagine a world where CPD was employer-funded, tied to genuine career progression, and accessible to all. Agencies could pay for training programs and guarantee higher rates for advanced qualifications, while also offering decent wages across the board.

This New Year, let’s resolve to fight for fairer systems. Or even better, save yourself the trouble and get a better job. Remember “Do not throw good money after bad money!” You will be helping yourself and helping those who are left behind by making the market less saturated by exploitable worker! And yes, you are entitled to knowledge and growth, so start by reading Guy Standing’s book The Politics of Time: Gaining Control in the Age of Uncertainty!