Freelancing
Freelancing: Brief Explanation
Freelancing is a form of self-employment, where the self-employed person offers their skills, talents and labour to a range of different clients or businesses, on a flexible basis. Essentially, this means that the freelancer has the freedom to decide which clients they would like to work for and which projects or tasks they would like to work on. A freelancer might use an agency or freelance service to source clients, or work completely independently.
There are a number of different disciplines which regularly attract freelancers, with examples including writing, web design, journalism, marketing, editing and video creation. A self-employed person working on a freelance basis may choose to do so full-time or may work as a freelancer in addition to another form of employment. Generally, successful freelancers will try to build long-term relationships with certain clients.
Freelancing: Brief Explanation
A freelance worker is a self-employed person, who chooses to offer their services on a flexible basis, usually to a variety of different clients or businesses. They may take on short-term or long-term projects and although they often work from home, or from remote locations, they can also be asked to go to certain locations when working on specific jobs. Successful freelancers are self-motivated, passionate, talented and able to build lasting relationships.
People may choose to operate on a freelance basis for many different reasons, but common motivations include having freedom over how much they work, when they work, which jobs or projects they actually wish to do and where they work from. This degree of flexibility makes it an attractive option for people looking for work that fits around their existing schedule, or for people who want a job with a lot of variety.
Freelance work has become more common in the internet age, because online capabilities empower freelancers, allowing them to work remotely, and source jobs, advertise their services and arrange financial transactions easily.
The term ‘freelancer’ is sometimes used interchangeably with the term ‘independent contractor’ and from a legal standpoint, there are no major differences between the two. With that being said, independent contractors tend to work with one company at a time, for a specified period. The term ‘freelancer’ is also used more commonly in creative or cultural fields, such as writing, web development, translating services, proofreading and graphic design.
People working on a freelance basis often choose to source clients through an agency or a dedicated service for freelancers. The big advantage of this is the agency or service helps to put clients and freelancers in contact with one another, so less time is spent on finding work. Typically, with freelance services, clients will post jobs and freelancers can either accept the job outright or bid to take the job on, depending on the service.
Nevertheless, some freelancers choose to source their own clients instead, especially if they have developed a strong reputation within their field and have an existing list of contacts. Even without these things, some freelancers attempt to source clients by setting up a website, advertising online and posting about their services in as many places as possible, allowing clients or businesses to get in touch with them.
While there are many advantages to freelance working arrangements, there are also some potential drawbacks, or things to be aware of. Freelance work can be unstable, because income is only guaranteed when there is a client willing to use the freelancer’s services. In most cases, freelancers are not entitled to things like sick pay and they are also responsible for filing their own accounts with the relevant authorities and paying their own taxes.
Freelance Writers at Textbroker
The Textbroker platform is designed to put clients in touch with the writers they need, while simultaneously providing freelance writers with jobs they can opt to take on. Clients have the option of posting jobs to a general ‘Open Orders’ list, or they can instead find specific writers who have produced similar texts to the one(s) they are looking for, or who have a strong reputation for delivering high-quality content, and then send them ‘Direct Orders’.
For clients, one of the big advantages of Textbroker is the range of freelance writers who use the service. This means that it is usually possible to find a writer, or a team of writers, who are knowledgeable about a certain field, or who have a history of writing about a certain topic. Authors are also graded based on the quality of their work, and clients can place orders at different quality levels, with the price being linked to the quality.
Meanwhile, Textbroker offers a number of advantages for freelance writers. Writers have the freedom to message clients, to set their own rates for ‘Direct Orders’ and will have access to jobs at their current quality level, and all quality levels below their current level. Writers will also receive regular feedback on their writing – both from clients and from Textbroker staff – allowing them to improve their skills.
Working as a writer for Textbroker is completely free and payments are made to writers as soon as a client accepts an article. Authors can then request a transfer to their PayPal or bank account every week. Those using the service also have complete freedom over how often they work and where they work from, while they are also free to continue freelance work or other forms of employment alongside their work for Textbroker.
Finally, there are no formal requirements in terms of qualifications, so it is not necessary to have a degree to work as a freelance writer for Textbroker. With that being said, authors are asked to complete a sample article, which will be used to decide their quality level. Their work will then be continually assessed, with their star rating changing in line with the quality of work they are producing over each assessment period.
Conclusion
Freelancing is the practice of working on a self-employed basis and offering services in a flexible way, usually to a number of different clients. In the internet age, freelance work has become more viable for those specialising in many fields, including writing, web design, translating services, and journalism, due to the ability to work remotely and receive payments electronically. Freelance work offers excellent flexibility, but at the expense of stability.
Although some freelancers choose to work independently and source their own clients, many others choose to find work through agencies or dedicated freelance services. Nevertheless, they are not employed by these agencies and have the freedom to work away from them too. For freelance writers, Textbroker offers an excellent way to find work, build relationships with clients and receive secure payments for articles.