Pros
Very flexible work. Whilst looking for work, I always worried about travel commitments from home, especially since I don't drive. Serve Legal reimburses travel required to complete audits, so I can simply hop on a bus right outside my home and begin work. There is generally plenty of work available across the UK each month. One of the biggest advantages for students is being able to take work at any time from both your home and term address, which has been incredibly helpful for me. If availability is limited locally, you can also take work in neighbouring towns and cities, with train travel reimbursed. I've been able to explore places I would not normally have visited whilst earning money at the same time, which has been a genuinely enjoyable part of the role. Being able to keep purchased items is a nice bonus too.
Cons
You need mobile data and reliable signal coverage. Before conducting every audit, you are required to send your location. From my experience, this can occasionally mean spending several minutes outside a venue waiting for the app to load and send coordinates, particularly in rural areas with weaker signal. I switched providers and had a much better experience afterwards, so coverage is definitely something to consider if taking on rural work. A lot of planning is also required before undertaking audits. Every client has different briefing documents and reporting structures, so preparation is important to ensure audits are conducted correctly. For those who do not drive, public transport planning can take significant time as well. Larger batches may involve buses between sites, and even 30-60 minute service frequencies can add up. Auditing therefore involves not only the audit itself, but also travel, waiting for connections and detailed reporting, so the pay may not suit everyone depending on location and travel arrangements.
