What is freelancing

Freelancing is a type of self-employment. Instead of being employed by an organisation, freelancers often operate as self-employed individuals who offer their skills on a contract or project basis.

Freelancers can be recruited by businesses of all kinds and sorts to finish a project or a task, but they are still accountable for covering their taxes, medical insurance, pensions, and other non-public expenditures.

Because they work for themselves, freelancers are responsible for covering their travel costs and sick leave. Specialists who work for themselves can choose their hours and schedules to suit their preferences and lifestyle, whether they prefer to work from home or clients’ offices.

Although there are many different types of freelancers, most of them fall into the category of knowledge workers with a high level of skill in a particular sector, such as designers, authors, programmers, translators, project managers, and so on. However, there is another group of self-employed professionals that is usually referred to as “contractors” or “gig workers”. This group may consist of independent drivers, housekeepers, labourers, and handymen.

The most obvious distinction between freelancers and gig workers is that the former usually use the internet to deliver their services.

While some freelancers work full-time, others use their businesses to make extra money while balancing other duties. The freelance labour market is occasionally referred to as the “gig economy,” which refers to seeking different “gigs” or activities as opposed to working as an employee for another company. Contractors or independent contractors may also work as freelancers.

3 easy skills for freelancing

If you want to start working as a freelancer but are reluctant because you think you don’t have the necessary qualifications or required skills, you are not alone. In reality, most people find themself in a similar situation when they first begin to work as freelancers.

Most people think that you need to have specialized skills to work online. That, however, is inaccurate. Several of the life lessons you’ve gained can be utilized to earn money online.

Here are some easy skills that you can develop for freelancing, even if you don’t have any prior experience making money online.

Video Editing

Before starting a freelancing as a video editor, you need to make a few decisions. Choose a specific genre to focus on first, such as music videos, sports, educational or video commercials.

You’ll be able to specialize, create a portfolio, and obtain higher-paying jobs because of it.

Choose a market and target audience too, as visuals have to be aligned with culture.

You can explore other markets later, but it’s crucial to build up a portfolio of work before you explore anything new.

If you’re beginning from zero, you may need to obtain a certification, or work with a senior video editor for some time to gain practical experience, or purchase the equipment/ software license needed for the work. Make sure you grasp the benefits, challenges and drawbacks of this line of business before investing.

Advantages and Disadvantages

One of the key advantages of working as a freelance video editor as compared to an in-house editor at a production house is the freedom to pick your job. Since you are free to turn down tasks, you can establish a specialty for yourself without having to complete everything your boss gives you to do. Even the hours you work are decided by you.

You might receive additional compensation for each task as a freelancer. You will be paid as if you were running your firm. Many full-time independent video editors may earn more as a freelancer than they ever would as an employee.

However, there are a few risks involved with this line of work. To maintain a steady source of income, you’ll need to acquire enough freelance jobs. You are also responsible for all of your equipment, supplies and overheads. For example, if something malfunctions or needs to be fixed, you cannot rely on your employer to pay for the cost of repairs or replacements.

Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant is a self-employed professional, either a freelancer or an independent contractor, who, depending on their skill set, does administrative, marketing, or business tasks to free up their employer’s time so they can focus on the growth of their company.

They can help with a few tasks per month or be quite active in the day-to-day operations of the respective business. They are sometimes referred to as virtual office assistants. Virtual assistants may specialize in specific professions or areas, such as marketing or accounting, or they may offer broader, more generalized services. As long as their availability and schedule meet the employer’s needs, freelancers can be hired as virtual assistants from any location because they have the flexibility to work remotely.

Here are just a few tasks a freelancer as a virtual assistant might be given by the employer.

Calendar Management:  Virtual assistants will cover the job of informing their employer when and where to be so they may proficient. Additionally, they are asked to manage “do not disturb” hours so employers can advance with their tasks.

Responding to client questions:  Without much training, a virtual assistant can respond to common client questions. This task is easy to complete and manage.

Researching new products or strategies:  Usually virtual assistant helps with conducting preliminary research when the employer is trying to decide on new software, a new marketing plan, or a new product line. They can swiftly conduct in-depth analyses or present employers with preliminary data to let them decide.

Advantages and Disadvantages:

As we already established, virtual assistants are there to assist their employers in managing their company regularly. Working as a virtual assistant has some advantages and disadvantages, including:

Online assistants don’t have to go to their employer’s home or workplace to work alongside them. Due to their complete remoteness and flexibility, they can be anywhere in the world at any moment, which helps with cost- and logistical-saving measures.

And if you don’t thoroughly establish location and availability, you can find yourself working for an employer that isn’t available when you are. Take into consideration the hours you intend to work and specifically check whether they are available during those hours.

Writing

Freelance writing is characterized as an individual, non-corporate job that involves generating income by writing. Working from home or a leased office, freelancers create any written content that is requested by their clients.

A writer can work for several customers or for one extremely large client who gives them a lot of constant, ongoing work. It is possible to be a generalist with awareness of everything from rockets to cooking. Furthermore, you could concentrate your specialty on a particular area, like racing cars. Because writers have a body of expertise that enables them to work more quickly and possess a track record that reviewers get to know, specialists may receive more tasks than generalists.

One reason for the emergence of this profession is that people or companies generally only need one task to be done at a time, such as creating a single poster to promote a new product. For a newly launched website, a company may seek copywriting services. There is therefore no basis for recruiting anybody. With a specific writer, it is easier to sign a contract or other agreement. It is still less expensive to export the work than to hire someone who would need benefits like medical insurance, even if the company has several projects underway at once.

Advantages and Disadvantages

As with any other profession, freelance writing has its advantages and disadvantages. A couple are mentioned below;

As a writer prioritising and committing time to hobbies outside of work may be facilitated by freelancing. Examples of this include family, volunteering study, numerous types of a paid job, or artistic side endeavors. Despite your passion, being able to work freelance usually makes it easier to schedule it around your work. Not to mention going to medical appointments, as well as going out for coffee with friends who are freelancers when others are at work. Thanks to the convenience of freelancing, you may spend your weekends doing more pleasurable activities.

And while it all seems fun and amazing, even temporary employment and freelancing are associated with some degree of economic instability. An irregular and occasionally stressful lifestyle becomes the outcome of living on your savings while you’re “between jobs,” not having access to paid leave for vacation or illness, and pensions. For this reason, it is advised to have some cash reserves, another type of investment or passive income, or a very supportive partner before beginning a freelancing job!

5 steps to start freelancing

Not only is it more popular to become a freelancer than ever before, but companies are getting more and more comfortable hiring freelancers rather than full-time employees. So maybe it’s time for YOU to become self-employed and start a freelancing business.

So here are the steps for beginners;

1. Define your goals for freelancing
2. Choose Your Skill
3. Identify your target market
4. Create a portfolio
5. Create your profile on freelancing platforms
6. Utilize your current network

5 ways TutorBees.net can help you freelance

1. Develop your skill in personalized online classes. These skills can include creative writing, video editing, VA, WordPress development, React, Python, Html/CSS, etc
2. Help you develop an attractive portfolio
3. If you already have a portfolio, review it and advise changes
4. Help you identify and register on one or more freelancing platforms
5. Give tips on getting freelancing jobs after your profile is set up and your portfolio is developed

Register here to have a TutorBees.net representative assist you with your needs.