Many freelance employment workers are asking themselfs, the question "How a freelance hourly rate might compare to a full time salary rate?".Here , in this article i will give you an advice how to calculate your hourly rate as freelance worker. The most important thing is the area of your freelance employment. It depends on that , are you a programmer, designer, writer, journalist, e-marketer, seo expert....
A formula some freelance workers have used to figure out their hourly rate is: Figure out what you'd like to make per year. Divide that by 50 weeks in the year (the other two weeks are vacations, sick time, downtime, etc.). Then take that number and divide by 40 hours per week. Very important in freelance employment is to keep in mind that as a freelancer all overhead comes out of YOUR pocket, not your employer's pocket. Insurance, electricity, housing, equipment...it's all you. So plan accordingly for that when you figure your rates. I would say that a freelance rate of pay would be 20% to 50% higher (or more) than what a salary individual makes. This does not mean higher profits, but it takes into account the higher overhead costs of a freelance worker.
If it were a question of a potential client rate difference, I do not think there should be one. While the overhead costs of freelance need to be covered by that individual, the bidding amounts need to be similar in order to be competitive. The
only chance that a freelance rate could be lower, would be if the company bidding was for a team of people, in comparison to one individual freelance bid. However, in that situation, the client should be made aware that the volume, and scope of a
project, would differ coming from an individual, in comparison to work done by a team, or firm.
Considering this on the basis of employment, in the end one could easily have a similar profit. While some freelancers do quite well, or better than salary workers at a firm, I doubt this is the normal situation. Some members of this group are
quite happy with their freelance incomes, or at least willing to live with it, since they are avoiding a controlling employment situation.
There are benefits to freelance, and there are bad aspects as well. Deciding which direction to go for employment should not be based strictly on income potential. Clients should not be leery of using freelance creatives, since they can bring in
interesting ideas at competitive rates.
Best freelance job resources. Most popular freelance job sites. Freelance job reviews. Definition of freelance job and freelancer.
The perfect freelance worker
As we had been buyers on some of the freelance sites, we know and had some basic expectations of how a freelance developer will get evaluated.
-The Profile in the Freelance programming Sites should be very clear and good. The skill sets should be included only if one is really good at. Writing all the technologies in the world never means that we can win projects.
-There should be a niche area for the provider. Both in technology and domain wise. Quoting good examples of the previous work in the Freelance programming areas or some others will convince the buyer easily.
-The bids should never be very very cheap. It has to be a reasonable amount, worth paying for the work. Of course it can be adjusted in reference with market rates. It should also be at a very high levels as the buyer will never care to look at the bid, if it is high.
-Asking for any clarifications will prove the depth of understanding of the provider. But too many questions may scare away the buyer. Buyer will be happy to answer informed questions which are directed to him after the provider understands the requirements properly.
-It is better to be prompt with the replies. Making the buyer wait for longer times will have a possibility of losing the bid.
-Being honest is one of the most important things. The buyer or seller do not see each other. This sometimes is an advantages but at times may prove to be a big problem with communications. So being honest and prompt communication is very important.
-Every time during the discussion Provider should follow the basic etiquettes of email exchanges. Avoiding spelling and grammatical mistakes increases the confidence on the Provider.
-If the provider has a good past rating, showing it as a reference to the buyer will be a great plus.
-The Profile in the Freelance programming Sites should be very clear and good. The skill sets should be included only if one is really good at. Writing all the technologies in the world never means that we can win projects.
-There should be a niche area for the provider. Both in technology and domain wise. Quoting good examples of the previous work in the Freelance programming areas or some others will convince the buyer easily.
-The bids should never be very very cheap. It has to be a reasonable amount, worth paying for the work. Of course it can be adjusted in reference with market rates. It should also be at a very high levels as the buyer will never care to look at the bid, if it is high.
-Asking for any clarifications will prove the depth of understanding of the provider. But too many questions may scare away the buyer. Buyer will be happy to answer informed questions which are directed to him after the provider understands the requirements properly.
-It is better to be prompt with the replies. Making the buyer wait for longer times will have a possibility of losing the bid.
-Being honest is one of the most important things. The buyer or seller do not see each other. This sometimes is an advantages but at times may prove to be a big problem with communications. So being honest and prompt communication is very important.
-Every time during the discussion Provider should follow the basic etiquettes of email exchanges. Avoiding spelling and grammatical mistakes increases the confidence on the Provider.
-If the provider has a good past rating, showing it as a reference to the buyer will be a great plus.
How to win your freelance projects
How to win your freelance projects
1. You should present your abilities very well, expose your supremacy in other aspects of cooperation with potential client. Not all the clients are making their selection looking on the price factor only. There are many who are willing to pay more, if they get the professional results in return.
2. What can you use to win? These are the key factors:
-quality of the work
-doing the work on time
-communication
Freelancers from developing countries make the common mistake of relaying on the financial aspect of their offer exclusively. This is a very common mistake. Sometimes the quality offered is on the low level, also the timing fails – and for many webmasters working on the “web market” it is time that matters most.
But the real problem can be the communication – poor knowledge of English language, ignoring the grammar or even too informal attitude can make potential client decide to discard your offer. Sometimes the misunderstanding can go further and the project description may be understood improperly, which results (if a client is a very strict one) in a negative rating given to a provider.
All these mistakes made by other freelancers you have to use for your advantage – then, even despite the significant difference in price, you have a good chance of winning the auction, leaving the competitors behind.
The strongest weapon in a fight for a client can be the DEMO.
1. You should present your abilities very well, expose your supremacy in other aspects of cooperation with potential client. Not all the clients are making their selection looking on the price factor only. There are many who are willing to pay more, if they get the professional results in return.
2. What can you use to win? These are the key factors:
-quality of the work
-doing the work on time
-communication
Freelancers from developing countries make the common mistake of relaying on the financial aspect of their offer exclusively. This is a very common mistake. Sometimes the quality offered is on the low level, also the timing fails – and for many webmasters working on the “web market” it is time that matters most.
But the real problem can be the communication – poor knowledge of English language, ignoring the grammar or even too informal attitude can make potential client decide to discard your offer. Sometimes the misunderstanding can go further and the project description may be understood improperly, which results (if a client is a very strict one) in a negative rating given to a provider.
All these mistakes made by other freelancers you have to use for your advantage – then, even despite the significant difference in price, you have a good chance of winning the auction, leaving the competitors behind.
The strongest weapon in a fight for a client can be the DEMO.
Common freelance payment options
Money transfer and withdrawal
If you are a freelancer, you can get your money from freelance job sites by PayPal, cheque , wire transfer (the fee for it can be quite high), sometimes Western Union (their fees are very high), Moneybookers or e-gold.
If you are a freelancer, you can get your money from freelance job sites by PayPal, cheque , wire transfer (the fee for it can be quite high), sometimes Western Union (their fees are very high), Moneybookers or e-gold.
Freelance job list
You can be a freelance worker in almoust any area, but this is a list of the most popular freelance jobs. You just have to decide in which you are best.
Freelance writer, freelance web designer, freelance web master, programmer, freelance illustrator or graphic designer, photographer, translator, freelance copywriter, data entry freelancer, journalist and one more, but very interesting freelance writer for greeting card company :)
Freelance writer, freelance web designer, freelance web master, programmer, freelance illustrator or graphic designer, photographer, translator, freelance copywriter, data entry freelancer, journalist and one more, but very interesting freelance writer for greeting card company :)
Freelance job sites reviews - GAF
GetAFreelancer.com
NUMBER PROVIDERS :
Statistics since February 2004
* Number of posted projects: 74,481
* Number of verified users: 159,686
* Money spent by our users: $3,279,420
PROVIDER COSTS:
"It's free to join GetAFreelancer.com! We only charge a small
commission on closed regular projects. 10% or $5(whichever is
greater). The Service Provider don't have to pay commissions on
featured projects. Gold Members don't pay any commissions on any
projects. There is a $10 montly fee for Gold Members."
ESCROW: escrow at GAF
CONTACT INFO :
Innovate it
Box 784
53117 Lidköping
Sweden
WITHDRAWAL OPTIONS:
How can I modify a bid which I've already submitted?
"Login to GAF. Find the project(public project page) you wish to
change your bid on, click Place Bid button again and make your
changes."
PAYMENT TERMS (buyers):
Creating a new project is completely free. You only pay a small
commission if your project is successful.
REFERENCES
"GetAFreelancer.com This is Europe's answer to the U.S.-based
freelance sites--the firm is based in Sweden and has a subscriber base
of 65,000 freelancers around the world."
"How it works: On this marketplace, the buyers get to decide whether
to allow closed or open auction bidding. The site has a very basic
interface but makes up for that by having an excellent e-mail alert
system that feeds relevant project leads to service providers. There's
also a capability for basic formatting of bid proposals and an escrow
service to help protect your funds."
NUMBER PROVIDERS :
Statistics since February 2004
* Number of posted projects: 74,481
* Number of verified users: 159,686
* Money spent by our users: $3,279,420
PROVIDER COSTS:
"It's free to join GetAFreelancer.com! We only charge a small
commission on closed regular projects. 10% or $5(whichever is
greater). The Service Provider don't have to pay commissions on
featured projects. Gold Members don't pay any commissions on any
projects. There is a $10 montly fee for Gold Members."
ESCROW: escrow at GAF
CONTACT INFO :
Innovate it
Box 784
53117 Lidköping
Sweden
WITHDRAWAL OPTIONS:
How can I modify a bid which I've already submitted?
"Login to GAF. Find the project(public project page) you wish to
change your bid on, click Place Bid button again and make your
changes."
PAYMENT TERMS (buyers):
Creating a new project is completely free. You only pay a small
commission if your project is successful.
REFERENCES
"GetAFreelancer.com This is Europe's answer to the U.S.-based
freelance sites--the firm is based in Sweden and has a subscriber base
of 65,000 freelancers around the world."
"How it works: On this marketplace, the buyers get to decide whether
to allow closed or open auction bidding. The site has a very basic
interface but makes up for that by having an excellent e-mail alert
system that feeds relevant project leads to service providers. There's
also a capability for basic formatting of bid proposals and an escrow
service to help protect your funds."
How to earn money using IT Skills
If you can develop software , you must read this. Use your IT kowledge & skills, do projects , Sell them be an Self Employed Professional or earn extra in your free time this is something with which you earn money as well as update your skills & enrich the experience. Many companies get overseas projects from this site. This is a good site to Freelance & out sourced project
Freelance log
You can put in bids at different freelance sites. They have categories for web design stuff, writing, data entry... It takes a little while to get going, but the more bids you make the more you get the hang of it. I've been at it consistently for about the past month (I bit on something each day) and have landed three jobs in the last month.
GAF freelance job popularity report
According to statistical analysis of the 27750 freelance projects on getafreelancer.com site most wanted types of job are PHP (40% of all projects), Web Design (31%), Graphic Design (16%) and Flash (14%).
Definition of freelance job and freelancer
What is freelancing job means ?
A freelancer or (freelance worker) is a self-employed person working in a profession or trade in which full-time employment is also common. The word's etymology derives from the medieval term for a mercenary, a "free lance," which literally described a knight who was not attached to any particular lord, and could be hired for a given task.
explain me what is freelancer job actually means? Fields where freelancing is especially common include journalism and other forms of writing, computer programming and graphic design, consulting, and many other professional and creative services.
Freelance practice varies greatly among its practitioners. Some require clients to sign written contracts, while others may perform work based on verbal agreements. Some freelancers may provide written estimates of work and request deposits from clients, though for others this is not practical or necessary.
Payment for freelance work also varies greatly. Freelancers may charge by the day or hour, or on a per-job basis. However, large clients such as businesses may have internal policies regarding freelance pay, so a freelancer accustomed to charging by the hour may be asked to accept a lump sum payment for a particular job, although if a client's conditions are undesirable, the freelancer often does not hesitate to attempt negotation before accepting or rejecting the job.
A freelancer or (freelance worker) is a self-employed person working in a profession or trade in which full-time employment is also common. The word's etymology derives from the medieval term for a mercenary, a "free lance," which literally described a knight who was not attached to any particular lord, and could be hired for a given task.
explain me what is freelancer job actually means? Fields where freelancing is especially common include journalism and other forms of writing, computer programming and graphic design, consulting, and many other professional and creative services.
Freelance practice varies greatly among its practitioners. Some require clients to sign written contracts, while others may perform work based on verbal agreements. Some freelancers may provide written estimates of work and request deposits from clients, though for others this is not practical or necessary.
Payment for freelance work also varies greatly. Freelancers may charge by the day or hour, or on a per-job basis. However, large clients such as businesses may have internal policies regarding freelance pay, so a freelancer accustomed to charging by the hour may be asked to accept a lump sum payment for a particular job, although if a client's conditions are undesirable, the freelancer often does not hesitate to attempt negotation before accepting or rejecting the job.
Advice from freelance pros
Advice from freelance pros
First of all, add the book The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber, to your bedside table. I think Amazon has it. Also look for the Business side of Creativity (creativebusiness.com). The E-Myth will help you organize your head around your business and the Business side of creativity will help with some specific issues.
After that, I fear that you will need to learn an ugly skill that noone ever told me I would need back when I was in school. Sales! (Which is actually kind of funny. Marketing and marketing tools are so much about sales and pleasing the customer. We as creators are never taught to think about the fact that we need the same thing for our businesses!)
Pricing your services:There are various publications out there that come up with surveys every few years. Graphic artists get between $35/hr and $150/hr depending on their skills, experience and guts. My personal experience is think up the number you want to be making ($175/hr) and then say it. If the client says "okay", you know that your number could have been higher!
Why shouldn't you charge $10k for a logo? Imagine the value the company will get out of it. Isn't it worth it to them to have an Eric Logo? Won't it help them make their millions of dollars? Shouldn't you get compensated for helping them retire early to the carribean?
Remember that the client will ALWAYS want it for less, no matter how low you go, so start high. You will not get every client (heck, you don't want every client! where would you put them all?). Some will say no, some will say yes. If you ask enough clients, you will make a living.
So, getting clients means that you have to go out and start talking to people. As many as you can. Tell everyone you know what you are doing. Ask current clients who they know. Follow up every lead. Cold call a company and ask for their marketing department. When the Dir of Marketing says no, ask him for a referral.
And, if all else fails, get a sales coach.
You (and we) are in this to make money doing what we love to do. We are selling to businesses and people who need and value our services. Feed your business skills so that you can exercise your creative skills.
Good luck!
First of all, add the book The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber, to your bedside table. I think Amazon has it. Also look for the Business side of Creativity (creativebusiness.com). The E-Myth will help you organize your head around your business and the Business side of creativity will help with some specific issues.
After that, I fear that you will need to learn an ugly skill that noone ever told me I would need back when I was in school. Sales! (Which is actually kind of funny. Marketing and marketing tools are so much about sales and pleasing the customer. We as creators are never taught to think about the fact that we need the same thing for our businesses!)
Pricing your services:There are various publications out there that come up with surveys every few years. Graphic artists get between $35/hr and $150/hr depending on their skills, experience and guts. My personal experience is think up the number you want to be making ($175/hr) and then say it. If the client says "okay", you know that your number could have been higher!
Why shouldn't you charge $10k for a logo? Imagine the value the company will get out of it. Isn't it worth it to them to have an Eric Logo? Won't it help them make their millions of dollars? Shouldn't you get compensated for helping them retire early to the carribean?
Remember that the client will ALWAYS want it for less, no matter how low you go, so start high. You will not get every client (heck, you don't want every client! where would you put them all?). Some will say no, some will say yes. If you ask enough clients, you will make a living.
So, getting clients means that you have to go out and start talking to people. As many as you can. Tell everyone you know what you are doing. Ask current clients who they know. Follow up every lead. Cold call a company and ask for their marketing department. When the Dir of Marketing says no, ask him for a referral.
And, if all else fails, get a sales coach.
You (and we) are in this to make money doing what we love to do. We are selling to businesses and people who need and value our services. Feed your business skills so that you can exercise your creative skills.
Good luck!
Freelance jobs : I'd like to share you job opportunity
Freelance jobs : I'd like to share you job opportunity (opportunities actually) that you can do in your own place, at your own time, at your own price.
If you got the skills (I.T. and other related skills like word processing, etc) then you are very much qualified here. You do not need to polish a resume, what you need are these:
- Skill (as mentioned above)
- Time (2 to 3 hours, depends on your speed and depends on the project that you want to execute)
- Good English Communication Skill (we don't need ‘call center accent’ here, as long as you can write with complete idea and correct spelling of course then you are qualified!)
If you posses that minimum requirement and you want to make at least $30 a day or its peso equivalent then continue reading, if it don't interest you, you may now jump to other threads.
GAF short for www.getafreelancer.com has come up with marketplace where service providers (the freelancers) and service buyers (the project providers) meet.
In this website, there are hundreds of projects. You can bid on a project that you want to execute.
It is always in a form of bidding. Bidding, in selling an item, the buyer with the highest bid get the item however, here the freelancer with the lowest bid get the project or is chosen by the project provider to do the project for him BUT THAT IS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE. Project providers do want assurance that the project is done on time and done with quality. They will give the project to the freelancer who got these.
FEES:Freelancers (or you), as a free member, pays $5 or 10% of the project total (whichever is higher) to GAF. Meaning every time you got a project, $5 or 10% of what you make goes to GAF.
If you opted to become gold member, you pay $10 (flat rate) every month. No need to cash out if you have enough balance in your account as GAF will deduct the amount from it. If you have $0 balance then your account goes back to 'free member' status.
$30 would be the minimum that you can make for the smallest project.
HOW YOU GET PAID
It is an agreement between you and the owner of the project you are executing. But most likely, both of you will use ESCROW service of the website (which I'm using also for 4 projects that I've executed since I started). The payment for the project is deposited to your account (website account) using the escrow service. You can withdraw anytime using options available:
- PayPal
- Wired Transfer
- Check
- Western Union
- E-Gold
- Moneybookers
What is escrow?Temporary deposit with a third party of assets by agreement between two parties to a contract. The money is released when the conditions of the contract have been met.
For interested, please check the www.getafreelancer.com . Check the FAQ section if you have questions, OR if you don't have time to read the FAQ section then post your Qs here and I'll give you the As.
It won't make you rich but it will augment the amount you make. I am a member of GAF since last month (January 2006) and so far, I'm doing well.
If you got the skills (I.T. and other related skills like word processing, etc) then you are very much qualified here. You do not need to polish a resume, what you need are these:
- Skill (as mentioned above)
- Time (2 to 3 hours, depends on your speed and depends on the project that you want to execute)
- Good English Communication Skill (we don't need ‘call center accent’ here, as long as you can write with complete idea and correct spelling of course then you are qualified!)
If you posses that minimum requirement and you want to make at least $30 a day or its peso equivalent then continue reading, if it don't interest you, you may now jump to other threads.
GAF short for www.getafreelancer.com has come up with marketplace where service providers (the freelancers) and service buyers (the project providers) meet.
In this website, there are hundreds of projects. You can bid on a project that you want to execute.
It is always in a form of bidding. Bidding, in selling an item, the buyer with the highest bid get the item however, here the freelancer with the lowest bid get the project or is chosen by the project provider to do the project for him BUT THAT IS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE. Project providers do want assurance that the project is done on time and done with quality. They will give the project to the freelancer who got these.
FEES:Freelancers (or you), as a free member, pays $5 or 10% of the project total (whichever is higher) to GAF. Meaning every time you got a project, $5 or 10% of what you make goes to GAF.
If you opted to become gold member, you pay $10 (flat rate) every month. No need to cash out if you have enough balance in your account as GAF will deduct the amount from it. If you have $0 balance then your account goes back to 'free member' status.
$30 would be the minimum that you can make for the smallest project.
HOW YOU GET PAID
It is an agreement between you and the owner of the project you are executing. But most likely, both of you will use ESCROW service of the website (which I'm using also for 4 projects that I've executed since I started). The payment for the project is deposited to your account (website account) using the escrow service. You can withdraw anytime using options available:
- PayPal
- Wired Transfer
- Check
- Western Union
- E-Gold
- Moneybookers
What is escrow?Temporary deposit with a third party of assets by agreement between two parties to a contract. The money is released when the conditions of the contract have been met.
For interested, please check the www.getafreelancer.com . Check the FAQ section if you have questions, OR if you don't have time to read the FAQ section then post your Qs here and I'll give you the As.
It won't make you rich but it will augment the amount you make. I am a member of GAF since last month (January 2006) and so far, I'm doing well.
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