Are you a member of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP)? Are you thinking about becoming an SfEP member?* If the answer is yes to either question, have you met up with a local group yet? Even before I became the coordinator for the West Surrey and North Hampshire local group, I recommended local groups wholeheartedly. It can be a bit scary to put yourself out there, but here’s why you should go along:

It gets you out and about

I can go days without talking to someone outside of my immediate family, and that’s probably not very healthy. I can have whole months when I only leave the house to walk the dogs. That’s definitely not healthy. But it’s such an easy default to slip into when you are self-employed and working from home. I don’t have to talk to anyone (I’m not counting contact with clients). Regular, face-to-face meetings with other human beings are the perfect antidote to the little bubbles we can find ourselves trapped in.

You will build a support network

This, for me, is the most valuable aspect of attending a local group. Every couple of months I meet up with people who care about how I’m getting on, and I care about how they are getting on. We share our successes and our troubles. We give and receive advice and support. Being able to talk to people who do what you do, and understand the things you are dealing with, is extremely important. There is no need to feel isolated or lost or out of your depth. It has never been the case that a member of our group has been alone in whatever was worrying them.

You’ll learn things

Many local groups hold training sessions or continuing professional development (CPD) days – a quick glance through the calendar of events confirms a range of topics. Our last CPD day was about working with PDFs. The next one will be about professional practice. But it’s not all about dedicated sessions and specific topics. I’ve learnt such a lot from our informal meetings. If you approach the meetings with openness and generosity, you’ll find it reciprocated.

You may get work out of it

Let me start this section by saying I consider it poor etiquette to ask for leads, and I don’t think I am alone in that. However, when you get to know other editors they may become inclined to refer work to you, if they can’t take it on themselves. I refer work to other members of my group, and members of the group refer work to me. I’ve picked up some excellent projects this way, and I know other members have too. And it’s good for our clients – we can’t take on the project, but we know someone who may be able to, and we know they will do a good job.

It’s fun

A lot of local group meetings involve food. If you are anything like me, that will be all the encouragement you need. West Surrey and North Hampshire meetings are usually lunches. It’s a couple of hours of sitting with your friends, eating good food, and having a chat. I’ve spoken to a few other coordinators and they all aim for a friendly, welcoming environment, where you can enjoy yourself.

Want to learn more?

The SfEP has a lot of information about the local groups. If you are an SfEP member, you should join your local group’s forum and see what they are up to. And you can always email the coordinator(s) for more information. We are volunteers – we aren’t paid for the time we spend on local group business – but we’ll do our best to assist. It’s always lovely to welcome new group members.

*Non-SfEP members can attend up to three meetings. Once you’ve joined the SfEP, you can attend as many meetings as you like. And you aren’t restricted to one group – join as many as you want!