In order to understand what freelance is, you should turn to etymology. "Freelance" is an English word, literally translated means: free- "free", and lance - "spear". Freelancers work "for themselves", outside the offices. Such work is somewhat reminiscent of private practice. The concept of a freelancer is simple: you are looking for customers, get an individual order, do the work and get the so-called salary. For many successful freelancers, such a free job is the first step in creating their own business.
It may seem to many that it’s very difficult to work as a freelancer, but this is absolutely wrong, everyone will find work on the Internet - from programmers and designers to real engineers, teachers and scientists. Now we will answer the question: “Who is this freelancer and what does he do?”
Who is a freelancer?
The most popular directions for freelancers are creative professions (designer, copywriter), the field of IT technology and advertising. And if at the time when this type of activity was just emerging, there were not so many professions that suggested remote work, then today anyone can become a freelancer. The peculiarity of this work is that clients are located via the Internet. For this, various freelance exchanges were created, both general and highly specialized. This method is the easiest: you just go to any exchange and choose the order that suits you. This type of job search is suitable for beginners, more experienced freelancers work with clients directly, advertising their services on personal sites and social networks.
How much do freelancers earn?
There are real legends about the income of domestic workers. As practice shows, an experienced freelancer earns 1.5, or even 2 times more than their same experienced colleagues who work in the office. The level of earnings depends on the skill level of the freelancer and on the availability of regular customers. The average monthly income can be from 30 to 100 thousand rubles. Real professionals and seasoned freelancers talk about earnings that exceed the bar of 100,000. But you will have to rise to that level.
How do freelancers work?
The essence of the work is that a freelancer is attracted by a client for a specific project, it can be one-time, it can be long-term. The specialist receives money for the execution of the order. That is, the system with wages once a month does not work, completed the project - received payments. Work can be completely different. Think about your skills and you will definitely find what you understand. For example, you can write text for advertising, create a design for a website or logos, engage in drawings, translations, write articles, retouch photographs - this list goes on and on.
How to become a freelancer?
Many people mistakenly believe that freelance is associated only with specialists in the IT field, but this is not so. There are a lot of types of freelance on the Internet: there are about 90 professions that are in demand and are not at all connected with programming. You can learn a new craft for several weeks on your own, fortunately there are a huge number of both paid and free courses and trainings, online lessons and video materials on the same Internet. And thanks to the fact that we live in the era of social networks, you can always ask for advice and receive instructions from more experienced colleagues. What are the types of freelancing on the Internet for beginners and how is such work connected with the remote?
What are the differences between freelance and remote work?
In general, these concepts are similar. Remote work involves the absence of direct personal contact between the customer and the contractor. Instead of personal meetings, communication tools such as the Internet or telephone are used. Thus, it turns out that both sides are at a distance from each other and do not personally interact.
The main advantage of working on freelance is the ability to search for customers from all over the world who pay much more than their compatriots. Moreover, a specialist can also live anywhere in the world. The ideal option is when the contractor lives where it’s cheaper, and fulfills orders from customers who pay more. In such cases, the income of the freelancer and his colleagues in a similar position in the office may differ more than twice. There are more than one hundred types of remote work on freelance.
What does not apply to remote work?
It often happens that a freelancer works with clients from his city or country, which allows him to periodically meet in person with the customer to discuss details and pay.
If a freelancer works exclusively in one city and personally meets with clients, such work is not remote.
The essence of distant work lies precisely in its traditional understanding - the absence of personal meetings.
Advantages of working as a freelancer
Like any job, a direction like freelance has its advantages and disadvantages. The most important advantages include the following:
- Free work schedule. You are not tied to a specific time and should not sit in the office from 8 am to 6 pm. It is only important to follow the deadlines agreed with the customer and correctly manage your time. This type of activity is especially fond of young parents who look after their children and cannot go to work every day. A freelancer can start work at 7 in the morning, like his office colleagues, or maybe at 11-12 hours. Freedom of action is what freelance is.
- Telework. This is a considerable saving of such important resources as time and money. In order to start work, you do not need to spend 3 hours on the road and stand aimlessly in traffic jams. In addition, significant savings in cash are noticeable. Traveling by public transport, fuel for cars, clothes for office - all this significantly affects the monthly budget.
- The ability to independently adjust your salary. It is no secret that experienced freelancers earn more than their counterparts in similar positions. And if there is free time or the need for money, you can take another project and earn even more. Freelance is a real salvation for residents of small cities, where finding a good job is quite problematic. And the types of freelance on the Internet are striking in their diversity and provide truly limitless possibilities.
- No matter how strange it sounds, freelance is a lot of stability. But only if there are regular customers. You can search for profitable projects yourself and earn as much as you need. As for work in the office, here you have only one client - the employer. And here there is a risk of being unemployed if the company suddenly closes or the need for your services disappears. A freelancer can have dozens of clients, and if one leaves, it will be absolutely not critical. A new one will come in its place.
- Feeling of freedom. Although it is not 100 percent, but the absence of bosses, a dress code, corporate ethics, a strict 8-hour work day and many other constraining factors makes it possible to breathe out calmly and work in pleasure. This reason is one of the most frequent answers to the question about why people leave the office walls and switch to other types of freelance work.
- You can fulfill your dream and work without problems combining with travel, because now you do not need to wait for the long-awaited vacation. You can simply buy a ticket, put a laptop in your backpack for work and go on an adventure. It doesn't matter to customers where you work from, only the result is important. Many freelancers practice moving to the warmer countries for the winter, for comfortable work.
- Like it or not, freelance is a step towards developing your own business, because there are a huge number of types of freelancing, which makes it possible to choose a business to your liking.
And this is not an exhaustive list of benefits. Impressive, isn't it? But early joyfully clap your hands and write a letter of resignation.
Disadvantages of working as a freelancer
Freelance also has a sufficient number of minuses, and only by analyzing both sides, you can understand whether it is worth it or not. The disadvantages of remote work are as follows:
- Any whim, but only for your money. A new computer, a workplace, additional equipment, courses, and so on - now payment for essentials is entirely on your shoulders.
- The need for advertising and selling their own services. Unfortunately, the work of a freelancer without participation in tenders, the fight against competitors and direct communication with customers is impossible. Many successful specialists hire managers who are engaged in the search for profitable clients, but at the initial stage it is difficult to afford such a luxury. If you want to do your job without hassle, in peace and tranquility - to your office!
- Now no payments for sick leave and vacation pay. Lack of social support is a significant minus in the work of a freelancer.
- Like any entrepreneurial activity, the work of a freelancer must be legalized. Therefore, you will have to deal with taxes yourself or hire a specialist if the budget allows.
- At first, in a home environment it will be quite difficult to focus on work as much as possible and not be distracted by loved ones or on the sofa, which beckons you to lie down for half an hour. But who knows, maybe incomes in the future will help increase housing and equip a separate office.
- You may be confused by others. Grandma may ask how you work at home, it doesn’t. Get ready for the fact that at home you can be called a loafer and distract you with unnecessary things. The situation is resolved with the first high earnings. Then the grandmother will understand that you are not playing games, but are doing business.
Many newcomers are afraid of the lack of customers, but this is not a problem, because whoever seeks will always find. For this purpose, exchanges are used for freelancers, which are general, where a representative of any profession can find a customer, as well as specialized ones, where only specialists in a certain field live. In addition to exchanges, you can search for work on forums, in communities on social networks and even directly offering your services to companies. Experienced freelancers recommend that beginners offer their services to start-ups, where on a voluntary basis you can get such valuable experience and, perhaps, implement a large project that will bring you dozens of regular customers in the future.
The most common freelance activities
Despite the fact that the number of professions that involve remote work is more than 90, there are the most popular and in demand. Let's list the types of freelancing for beginners:
- Work with texts - copywriters, rewriters, content managers, editors, translators. This area implies not only masterly possession of the word and knowledge of languages, but also certain knowledge in marketing, psychology, analysis.
- Programmers, administrators, testers - in these areas, you will need at least knowledge of the device of various site engines, programming languages, skills in working with databases and layout.
- A huge field for designers. Moreover, completely different areas - interior designers, graphic designers, web designers, game and application designers, and so on. No matter how many varieties of this profession may exist, one thing unites them - love of beauty. Of the skills required to own the most popular programs, such as Illustrator, Photoshop, CorelDraw, 3D Max, 4Studio. In addition, a web designer, for example, must have a knowledge base in programming.
- Specialists who are involved in website promotion. They are popularly known as CEOs, optimizers, layout designers, SMMs, Internet marketers and web analytics. A distinctive feature of these professions is to follow all the latest trends in marketing and advertising. Every day new technologies appear, applications are updated, social networks are developing, and the main task of specialists is to keep track of this chaos. Types of freelance work are only developing, but now there are more than a hundred categories.
- A profession such as a coach, or simply a trainer, is gaining momentum. Freelancers of this type consider themselves specialists in any field and offer their training services to everyone around them. Such classes are held in the format of a webinar, correspondence or in chat rooms, most often this is the online format. Training is carried out both in groups and individually. Everyone can find their application here, be it a fitness trainer, architect or business coach, of which there are a huge number now. However, it is not enough to be an expert in any field, it is important to be able to clearly and competently share this knowledge with your students.
These 5 points represent the main activities of freelancers, and here everyone will find their application. Types of freelance earnings, as you can see, are diverse.
How to start earning?
In order to start your freelance career with success, you need to understand the basic principles of work that are common to all and will be the basis for your growth and development. What is freelance and how to make money on it? The recommendations of the pros in this matter are as follows:
1. A rule that everyone has heard about a thousand times, but repetition is the mother of learning, and therefore remember: love what you do. Otherwise, nothing will work. The work of a freelancer is a lot of work, and not 2 hours a day, as many are used to thinking. Therefore, if your chosen area does not cause any interest, and the work proceeds on the basis of "because it is necessary," you will not last long.
2. Reasonably evaluate your capabilities and take only those orders that you are able to fulfill efficiently. Only worthy performance of work will lead to a flow of new customers.
3. Do not neglect courses, trainings and lectures. In order to earn more, you need to develop.
4. In advance, discuss with the client the deadlines in which the work should be handed over, and wages.
5. The hardest thing is to start. Especially after working in the office, focusing on business at home, in a place where everyone is used to relaxing, is quite difficult. Have to learn discipline and motivation to work. Properly plan your time and arrange a comfortable workplace.
6. With stable earnings, the issue of paying taxes should be settled. The most comfortable option for a freelancer and for the state is the opening of a private entrepreneur.
7. It also happens that freelancers unite to work in a large project, and subsequently open their own company. You can find a team on exchanges, forums, and social networks.
People quit office and become freelancers for various reasons. Someone is not satisfied with the work schedule, someone does not have the opportunity to just find a job, someone in the team is given psychologically difficult work, and someone just loves freedom and travel. There are a lot of types of freelance earnings, this niche is annually replenished with new categories, and the number of freelancers is constantly growing. Maybe soon the offices will completely disappear? Wait and see.