Is Freelancing The Answer ? Part 1

Being self employed is something that many people aspire to be at some stage in the future, from graduates to full time employees. So the really question is why peruse such a dream and what are the overall benefits. Being employed is very different to being self employed, so if your serious about taking that step, consider the pros and cons

Their more obvious risks which will lead to more responsibilities as you will actually become your own boss. To qualify as a freelancer you actually need to be hired by a company for a period of time or by the project. It means that you will be selling your skills and time which will be an assets to the company hiring you.

Most freelancers start out by charging by the hour, but it is up to you if you feel more comfortable charging by the project. If your a creative, then check out aoi.com for ideas and advice on what you could charge clients. You could contact other freelancers for advice on rates if your still not sure.

There are plenty of benefits for companies to hire freelancers. One thing that they love is a commited worker, so if your prepared to work all hours and be on call at anytime, you will be very valuable. Regular employees are not normally as commited because they only get paid for a set time.

Freelancers are definitely easier to hire and fire than employees. Companies are not obliged to use you after the project is completed. This depends entirely on your relationship with the client. If you focus on delivering a reliable and quality service, the ‘firing’ should not happen too often.

Quite often the in house team are only capable of producing work of a certain standard, but freelancers are usually specialists, with skills that can be valuable to the company for a particular time or project. If you are intending to become a freelancer, it helps to try and specialise in a particular area as this makes you more valuable to the client in the long run.

You will actually save the client money because of the non commitment involved. They do not have to consider paying you when you not well or on holiday. There is no redundancy money to pay out or tax, so it means less administration work for them.