According to a study conducted by popular Freelancing portal Upwork, 79 per cent of non-freelancers in Australia are open to the idea of transitioning to freelance work.
Add to that the fact that one third of the Australian work force is considered to consist of freelancers or independent contractors, and suddenly the staggering shift taking place in the ‘traditional’ work force starts to become clear.
If you’re preparing to take the plunge into the freelance lifestyle, and don’t already have a ready list of clients at your fingertips, it can be tempting to throw yourself into popular freelancing websites like Upwork.
However, while many of these ‘content mills’ may seem like a way to kick-start your career as a freelancer while also making quick cash, the reality is that many of them will result in you being underpaid and overworked- or worse, overworked and unpaid (40% of freelancers report having trouble getting paid the money they are owed).
- Toptal
Setting itself apart from the rest, Toptal only accepts experienced freelancers – claiming to only hire the top 3% of freelance talent. Potential freelancers have to undergo an extensive application and screening process if they want to sign up, but if you’re experienced enough to make the cut, you can expect to earn significantly more than with other freelancing sites. With clients including airbnb and JP Morgan, this one is worth trying to get on your resume, if you think you have what it takes.
- Elance
This is one of the most popular freelancing sites in the world, and as a result, one to be wary of. Elance has you bid for jobs that employers post, and usually the lowest bid wins. While it is relatively easy to get set up on Elance, many users find themselves spending more time finding jobs to bid on than actually working, and many users are English speakers from overseas, meaning that you’ll often find yourself bidding against someone offering to work for $1 per 100 words.
- Zerys
The good thing about Zerys is that you choose specialty areas you can write about, meaning that you’ll be bidding on jobs you’ll actually feel qualified to do (unlike those other writing jobs you may have had that involved you spending four hours researching dog breeds and not being paid for it). That’s about where the positives end- Zerys tends to pay about 2 cents per word, which equates to about $16 for 800 words. You’ll also once again be competing with numerous English speakers from overseas who will be content working for a much lower rate than what you can afford to live on. This site is another example of a ‘content mill’ that requires a large amount of time spent applying, and not much time spent actually earning money.
- iFreelance
This one may sound gimmicky, but actually has one interesting feature setting it apart from other sites: bids on jobs are kept secret, meaning that no one can out-bid you by a mere dollar, which is all too common on other freelancing sites. The site also requires a joining fee in order to start working, which many users say keeps out spammers and underpaying employers and tends to create a more trustworthy work environment.
- Freelancer.com
A quick Google search brings up some charming reviews, our favourite of which includes the phrase: “I will never use this company again and you should never even consider this place as an option to get a job”. This site works on the bidding model seen with other sites like Elance, and once again, if you want to get paid more than $10 per hour for your graphic design, copywriting or consulting work, you’d be better off looking elsewhere, as thousands of other freelancers will be more than happy to outbid you and work for next to nothing.
While online freelancing can seem like a dark and dismal world, there is sometimes a light at the end of the tunnel. As seen above, there are sites that enforce strict standards and seem to actually abide by first world labour laws. However, without adequate research, it’s far too easy to waste hours of your time bidding for jobs you’ll never be paid for.
Take the time to research, research and then perhaps do some more research, before committing your time to any freelancing site- lest you find yourself making less than you did when you worked your first job at McDonald’s (those were the days).
