SINGAPORE — In a leg-up for freelancers calling for greater support, freelance coaches and instructors in schools will receive better terms from January, including a promise of payment for a minimum number of hours and more clarity on the cancellation of services.

This came after the Ministry of Education (MOE), the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the coaching and instructor communities — from sports to dance — recommended a revised contract which will see monthly fees for the freelancers set out for a certain number of hours agreed between schools and instructors.

Freelance coaches and instructors will also quote an “over and above hourly rate” for extra hours clocked above a certain threshold. They will be paid monthly, except for the extra hours which will be paid for at the end of the contract year.

Clauses in the contracts vary, but as an example, part of a revised contract cited by the Sports Coaches Association of Singapore states that schools and freelancers should “work towards achieving the contracted hours”, and schools in need of extra training sessions must notify the coaches and instructors at least four work days in advance.

The move was announced by the NTUC on Friday (Dec 29). Mr Ang Hin Kee, an assistant director-general at the NTUC, noted in a blog post that wet weather can upset the outdoor sports gigs of freelance coaches and affect their incomes. The freelancers also run the risk of having sessions cancelled at short notice and with no penalty. “(They) commit their time upfront, travel to the venue, but end up with the short end of the stick when their clients cancel on them at the last minute,” said Mr Ang, who is also a Member of Parliament for Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency.

Mr Justin Teh, president of the Sports Coaches Association of Singapore, said that although current contracts for sports coaches may state a certain number of hours of paid work, schools do cancel training sessions which means lost incomes.

For instance, those on contracts providing for an estimated 200 hours of training a year may end up being paid only for 150 hours.

The association, founded in 2015, initiated the talks through the NTUC that resulted in the changes. It has about 200 members, many of whom are coaches in schools.

Usually, freelance sports coaches have a fixed weekly schedule and are at different schools throughout the week. “If School A keeps on cancelling, (coaches) cannot find another school to coach at … because it’s locked in already,” said Mr Teh, a netball coach. The changes give coaches greater assurance that schools will not cancel on them “without proper reason”, he added.

Mr Teh said: “If my sole income is from coaching, at least I know that at the end of the year, I’ll receive this amount of money, so that … I can plan for purchases of necessary things for the home, tuition fees or even go for a holiday.”

The hope is that with the MOE leading the way, other government ministries and institutions that engage freelancers will follow suit, said Mr Teh.

Mr Coach Ong, a basketball coach who fills in for coaches mostly at primary schools up to five times a month, welcomed the better benefits under the revised contract.

He had coached full time in schools until about six years ago. Better opportunities beckoned, and there was a lack of medical benefits, Central Provident Fund contributions and a clear pathway for coaches then, said the 30-year-old, who is now self-employed in the electrical industry.

In his blog post, Mr Ang said a tripartite workgroup — announced earlier this year to look into the concerns of freelance workers — was midway through its discussions to get to the root of freelancers’ concerns and find “workable solutions”.

The tripartite partners, comprising the Government, unions and employers, had carried out focus group discussions with various communities of freelancers.

Their chief concerns were about collecting full payment after finishing assignments, having sufficient and sustainable streams of work, and building adequate financial reserves to meet the needs of housing, medical and retirement, said Mr Ang.

Last year, about 167,000 individuals engaged in freelance work in Singapore as their primary job, figures from the Ministry of Manpower showed. Including part-time freelancers who also hold other jobs, there are about 200,000 such workers here. Mr Ang said the recommendations from the focus group discussions and the workgroup will soon be brought together and submitted to the Government.