Essence and types of freelancing: definition, methods and conditions of remote earnings, tips for beginners

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

In order to understand what freelancing is, one should turn to etymology. "Freelance" is an English word, in literal translation it means: free- "free", and lance - "spear". Freelancers work "for themselves", outside the offices. Such work is somewhat reminiscent of a private practice. The concept of a freelancer's work is simple: you look for clients, you get an individual order, you do the work, and you get what's called a salary. For many successful freelancers, this kind of freelance work is the first step to starting their own business.

It may seem to many that it is 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 let's answer the question: "Who is a freelancer and what does he do?"

Who is a freelancer?

The most popular areas for freelancers are creativeprofessions (designer, copywriter), IT technologies and advertising. And if at the time when this type of activity was just emerging, there were not so many professions that involve remote work, then today virtually anyone can become a freelancer. The peculiarity of this work is that clients are via the Internet. For this, various freelance exchanges were created, both general and highly specialized. This method is the simplest: 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 directly with clients, advertising their services on personal websites 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 his equally experienced colleagues who work in the office. The level of earnings depends on the skill level of the freelancer and on the presence of regular customers. The average monthly income can range 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 this level.

How do freelancers work?

The essence of the work lies in the fact that a freelancer is attracted by a client for a specific project, it can be one-time, it can be long-term. For the execution of the order, the specialist receives money. That is, a system with wages once anot working for a month, completed the project - received payments. Work can be completely different. Think about your skills and you will definitely find what you are good at. For example, you can write text for advertising, create website designs or logos, do drawings, translate, write articles, retouch photos - the list is endless.

How to become a freelancer?

Many people mistakenly believe that freelancing is associated only with specialists in IT fields, but this is not true. There are a lot of types of freelancing on the Internet: there are about 90 professions that are in demand and are not at all related to programming. You can learn a new craft in a few weeks on your own, since the Internet offers a huge number of both paid and free courses and trainings, online lessons and video materials. And thanks to the fact that we live in the era of social networks, you can always ask for advice and receive guidance from more experienced colleagues. What are the types of freelancing on the Internet for beginners and how is such work related to remote work?

What is the difference between freelancing and remote work?

In general, these concepts are similar. Remote work implies the absence of direct personal contact between the customer and the contractor. Instead of face-to-face meetings, communication tools such as the Internet or telephone are used. Thus, it turns out that both parties are at a distance from each other and do not personally interact.

The main advantage of freelancing is the ability to find customers fromany corners of the world that pay much more than their compatriots. Moreover, a specialist can also live anywhere in the world. The ideal option is when the performer lives where it is cheaper, and fulfills orders from customers who pay more. In such cases, the income of a freelancer and his colleague in a similar position in the office may differ by more than two times. There are over a hundred types of remote freelance work.

What's not working remotely?

It is also not uncommon for a freelancer to work 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 meets with clients in person, such work is not remote.

The essence of remote work lies precisely in its traditional understanding - the absence of personal meetings.

The benefits of freelancing

Like any job, freelancing has its advantages and disadvantages. The most important benefits include the following:

• Free work schedule. You are not tied to a specific time and do not have to sit in the office from 8 am to 6 pm. It is only important to follow the deadlines agreed with the customer and manage your time wisely. This type of activity is especially loved by young parents who look after children and cannot go to work every day. A freelancer can start work at 7 am, like his office colleagues, andmaybe 11-12 o'clock. Freedom of action is what freelancing is all about.
• Remote work. This is a significant saving of such important resources as time and money. In order to get started, you do not need to spend 3 hours on the road and aimlessly stuck in traffic jams. In addition, there are significant cost savings. Travel by public transport, fuel for the car, clothes for the office - all this significantly affects the monthly budget.
• The ability to independently regulate their wages. It's no secret that experienced freelancers earn more than their counterparts in similar positions. And if there is free time or a need for money, you can take another project and earn even more. Freelancing is a real salvation for residents of small towns, where finding a good job is quite problematic. And the varieties of freelancing on the Internet are striking in their diversity and provide truly limitless opportunities.
• No matter how strange it may sound, but freelancing is a great stability. But only if you have regular customers. You can look for profitable projects yourself and earn as much as you need. When it comes to office work, you only have one client – the employer. And here there is a risk of being left without work 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 not be critical at all. A new one will take its place.
• Feeling of freedom. Even if it is not one hundred percent, but the lack of bosses, dress code, corporate ethics, a strict 8-hourworking day and many other limiting factors makes it possible to exhale calmly and work in pleasure. This reason is one of the most common answers to the question of why people leave the walls of the office and move on to other types of freelance work.
• You can make your dream come true and combine work with travel without any problems, because now you don’t have to wait for the long-awaited vacation. You can just buy a ticket, put your laptop in your backpack for work and go on an adventure. Clients do not care where you work from, only the result is important. Many freelancers practice moving to warmer countries for the winter to work comfortably.
• Whatever one may say, freelancing 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 it's too early to clap your hands and write a letter of resignation.

Disadvantages of freelancing

Freelancing also has a sufficient number of disadvantages, and only after analyzing both sides, you can understand whether it is worth it or not. The disadvantages of working remotely are as follows:

• Any whim, but only for your money. A new computer, a workplace, additional equipment, courses and so on - now the payment for the essentials falls entirely on your shoulders.
• The need to advertise and sell your own services. Unfortunately, the work of a freelancer without participating in tenders, fighting competitors and direct communication withclients is not possible. Many successful professionals hire managers who look 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 quiet - you are in the office!
• Now no sick pay or vacation pay. The lack of social support is a significant disadvantage 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 your budget allows.
• At first, at home, it will be quite difficult to concentrate 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 the income in the future will help increase living space and equip yourself with a separate office.
• You may be misunderstood by others. Grandma may ask how you work at home, it doesn’t happen like that. Get ready for the fact that at home you can be called a slacker and distracted by unnecessary things. The situation will be settled with the first high earnings. Then the grandmother will understand that you are not playing games, but doing business.

Many beginners are afraid of the lack of customers, but this is not a problem, because whoever seeks will always find. For this purpose, exchanges for freelancers are used, which are general, where a representative of any profession can find a customer, and specialized, where only specialists in a certain field live. In addition to exchanges, work can besearch on forums, in communities in social networks and even directly offering their services to companies. Experienced freelancers recommend that beginners offer their services to startups, where on a voluntary basis you can gain such valuable experience and, perhaps, implement a large project that will subsequently bring you dozens of regular customers.

Most common freelancing activities

Despite the fact that the number of professions that involve remote work, there are more than 90, there are the most popular and in demand. We list the types of freelancing for beginners:

1. Working with texts - copywriters, rewriters, content managers, editors, translators. This area implies not only a virtuoso command of words and knowledge of languages, but also certain knowledge in marketing, psychology, and analysis.
2. Programmers, administrators, testers - in these areas you will need at least knowledge of the structure of various website engines, programming languages, skills in working with databases and layout.
3. Designers have a huge field for activity. 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 exist, one thing unites them - love for beauty. Of the skills, knowledge of the most popular programs such as Illustrator, Photoshop, CorelDraw, 3D Max, 4Studio is required. In addition, a web designer, for example, must have a knowledge base inprogramming.
4. Specialists who promote websites. Popularly known as SEOs, SEOs, layout designers, SMMs, Internet marketers and web analysts. A distinctive feature of these professions is following all the latest trends in the field of marketing and advertising. Every day new technologies appear, applications are updated, social networks develop, and the main task of specialists is to keep track of this chaos. The types of freelance work are just developing, but there are already more than a hundred categories.
5. Professions such as a coach, or simply a coach, are gaining momentum. Freelancers of this type consider themselves experts in any field and offer their training services to everyone around. Such classes are held in the format of a webinar, correspondence or in chats, most often this is an online format. Training is conducted both in groups and individually. Here everyone can find their application, whether it be a fitness trainer, an architect or a business coach, of which there are a huge number now. However, it is not enough to be an expert in some 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 definitely find a use for themselves. The types of freelance earnings, as you can see, are varied.

How to start earning?

In order to start your freelance career successfully, you should understand the basic principles of work that are common to all and will be the basis foryour growth and development. What is freelancing and how to make money on it? The recommendations of the pros in this case are as follows:

1. A rule that everyone has heard a thousand times, but repetition is the mother of learning, so 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 used to think. Therefore, if the field you have chosen does not arouse any interest, and the work is carried out according to the principle "because it is necessary", you will not last long.

2. Reasonably evaluate your capabilities and take on only those orders that you are able to fulfill with high quality. Only a decent job will bring a stream of new customers.

3. Do not neglect courses, trainings and lectures. In order to earn more, you need to develop.

4. Discuss in advance with the client the terms in which the work must be handed over and the payment.

5. The hardest thing is getting started. Especially after working in the office, focusing on business at home, in a place where everyone is used to relaxing, is quite difficult. You will have to learn discipline and motivation to work. Plan your time wisely 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 to open an individual entrepreneur.

7. It also happens that freelancers unite to work on a large project, and subsequently open their own company. You can find a team on exchanges, forums, and social networks.

People leave the office and become freelancers for all sorts of reasons. Someone will not be satisfied with the work schedule, someone does not have the opportunity to simply find a job, someone finds work in a team psychologically difficult, and someone simply loves freedom and travel. There are a lot of types of freelance earnings, this niche is replenished with new categories every year, and the number of freelancers is constantly growing. Maybe soon the offices will completely come to naught? Let's wait and see.