What is freelancing or remote work?
Freelancing is a type of activity in which a person looks for orders and clients himself, does the work himself and is personally responsible for the work done to the customer. Basically, freelancing now is remote cooperation via the Internet, although you can also consider Uncle Vasya a plumber as a freelancer, who is looking for orders for himself, running around new buildings and posting his ads on the porches. In our case, there is no need to run around high-rise buildings. Everything can be done via the Internet.
Alas, you bear the responsibility for your survival. That is, if you do not take the order, you will be left without money. There is no salary here. There is you and a freelance exchange, and there are orders. Your task as a freelancer is to provide yourself with permanent work. You yourself are negotiating with the customer, you do not have a manager and other assistants. But you have a free schedule and you can work from home in your favorite pajamas. Although some say about pajamas that this is a hackneyed pattern, and in general, if you live like this all the time, then slide down to the monkey. This means that even if you are a freelancer and work from home, you still need to look neat and keep looking after yourself.
Freelance work today is probably the best form of human existence. You are free to choose who to work with. Make your own work schedule. You don’t have a boss that bothers you. You do not waste time and money on the road to the place of work. Yes, you are 100% personally responsible for everything, but you quickly get used to it. Of the minuses, one can probably single out, this is the lack of communication with the team. Although today there are such teams that sometimes it’s even a plus!
Freelancer who is this?
A freelancer is a hired employee who, in our case, provides any services via the Internet. That is work at home. The freelancer is released from a permanent place of work. It can work where there is internet. Usually a freelancer finds jobs on freelance websites. The so-called freelance exchanges, which we will talk about separately. In general, for some people, working from home and freelancing cause a negative attitude towards those who do this. Many people think that working from home as a freelancer is a futile activity, and you can’t make a living from it. They also think that a freelancer is extremely undisciplined and chaotic in his actions. A person who, in fact, cannot be trusted with serious work.
A freelancer takes on one-time small projects on freelance exchanges. For which he is paid money, not always big. In general, working from home via the Internet requires constant attention and perseverance. Willpower and discipline are in the first place here, and not as people think that this is some kind of pampering. Freelancing is not passive income, it is not a business. Although you can strive for this over time. There are a lot of freelancers all over the world. Remote work from home is no longer new to anyone. There are a whole bunch of freelance jobs on the market that constantly require more and more new specialists.
How much does a freelancer earn?
It is difficult to answer such a question. It all depends on the area in which you work. From the number of hours per day, and of course from the geography of the market. If we consider the CIS and the Western market, the figures are radically different. Let’s say for example the average hourly rate of a Web designer in the Western market is 40-50 dollars per hour. In the CIS market, I have not seen this. Well, the maximum that you will be paid is 2500-3000 bucks per month, and then if you are a Senior and you have at least 5 years of experience. When choosing a field in which you would like to work as a freelancer, you should not look first of all at payment. It is important that you like the work and you want to do it beautifully and not fuck off.
Of course, beginners always earn little, but the main thing is not to give up. They say that according to statistics, to become a pro in your field, you need to work 10,000 hours. It’s about 5 years old. And then you will be paid good money as a good specialist. Personally, I earned 2000 UAH in the first month. it was in 2010. Now I can say that earnings have grown many times over. 9 years have passed and I am more than satisfied with the result.
For example, a copywriter earns less than a designer, on average. But I’ve seen copywriters who charge $100 an hour. And all because they have become professionals in their field. Do not expect that you will choose the most highly profitable area and grandmas will pour on you. This will not happen until you become a professional in your field. A freelancer most often works on one-time projects. But there are customers who can hire you for a month or two or even a year. It all depends on how big a contribution you are willing to make to his business. That is, how much are you willing to give back. It is felt from a distance. If you are cunning and see only money in your customer, then he will feel it, you can be sure.
How does a Freelancer find clients?
Looking for freelancing on exchanges. The main problem of every freelancer who works on his own is a constant influx of orders. Highly it’s hard to make sure you don’t have gaps between projects. Therefore, do not stop looking for orders even if you have one or two long-term customers. It happens that they all disappear at the same time and you are left without a job. And if you still do not have a financial airbag for a couple of months, then this is a disaster. Always leave bets on interesting projects. Then if you are lucky you will have a constant influx of new customers. Use word of mouth. Try any options to spread the word about yourself as a good specialist as much as possible. Create a portfolio. Write articles for blogs in your field. Answer like an expert on the forums. All this can lead to you potential customers.
Freelance exchange
This is a platform where customers or employers post their projects. Next, the freelancer makes a bet on the project if he is interested in it. Of course, you will not be alone there, and it will be necessary to somehow bypass competitors. Therefore, you should have a good portfolio and competent communication with the customer. Payment is usually made through the exchange. The freelance exchange acts as an intermediary in payment in order to protect both parties from fraud. The “safe” service is offered when the customer reserves the money in the safe and they stay there until the end of the project. After accepting the work, the funds are transferred to your account on the exchange and you can already withdraw them to your bank card.
Most often, the exchange takes a small commission for its services. in the amount of 10-15%. This is a fee not only for the safe service, but also for the fact that you essentially use the service and have the opportunity to earn money there. Be understanding. For beginners who want to start a freelance career and don’t know which exchange to choose, I would recommend freelancer, I started with it myself and I can say that this is a very loyal freelance exchange for those who want to understand what it is in general to work at home and freelancing.
Becoming a freelancer takes a lot of willpower and perseverance. And also endurance, perseverance, confidence, adequacy, patience, diligence, and much more. In general, you must take full responsibility for your life. If you decide to become a freelancer, then a strong breakdown from self-discipline and perseverance awaits you. You will have to force yourself to work, and also constantly learn something new. When I decided to become a freelancer, I was shackled by a terrible fear that at the end of the month there might be zero money earned. At work, there is a salary, but here what you get yourself is what you have.
Horror still caught up with the existing foreign currency loan in the bank. For which I had to pay a minimum of $300 each month. It was also scary because there was no one to ask anything, except for the Internet and Google. I didn’t know any freelancers. All I could do was watch YouTube and get inspired by other people’s success stories. And freelancing in Ukraine at that time was already popular. It was very wild to get up in the morning and sit down to learn web design on my own. Just by lessons, scrolling minute by minute, rewinding back if you don’t understand something. It used to be one video for 15 minutes, you can watch 2 hours until you get to the bottom of the matter. I spent a year just learning how to draw some website designs. Then another six months to take the first order.