Freelance work on the web

Freelance work can be an excellent way of dipping your toe into the water if you want to work from home online.

Not everybody wants to launch into a fully fledged internet business, and many people will be holding down a full time job at the same time as dabbling with earning a 'bit extra' as a sideline.

The other advantage of freelance work is that you can do it whenever you fancy, without any ongoing commitment or obligation.

Say you'd like to go on holiday, but money is a bit tight. Take on a few freelance jobs requiring computer work at home, earn what you need, then walk away with no further obligation.

As with all things on the web, there are a wealth of opportunities out there if it's freelance work that appeals to you most, and I've made a list of my 'top 5 tips for freelancers' at the bottom of this page.

By way of getting started though, here are two websites which I think are easiest to use and most useful.

Sell your skills by the hour

peopleperhour.com is probably one of the best-known websites for freelance work bid for and offered online.

It works in two ways:

• People post the details of work that they want doing, as well as an indication of what they’ll pay for it and what they want. Other people bid for the job and the successful bidder gets the gig.
  
• People register on the site to offer their skills and if they match the jobs that other people need doing, they get in touch directly.

It’s all done online, including payments, and skills providers are rated as they go along with ebay/Amazon-style feedback under the following headings:

• Work Quality
• Expertise/Skill
• Timeliness
• Communication
• Overall Rating

The pitch of the site for service buyers is:

• Find experts - outsource to freelancers globally
• Stay flexible - get help only when you need it
• Save cost - let people bid for your work

The pitch for service providers is:

• Market your services
• Reach new clients - win work online
• Stay protected - earn money securely

The website is UK only, even though freelancers have pitched from all around the world ... I guess that's the joy of the internet!

Now, here’s the really good news … there are loads of jobs on there for all types of skills from babystitting, graphic design and architecture to removals, market reasearch and, of course, web design.

Interestingly, the national newspapers have also discovered this website and are using it as part of their current credit crunch coverage.

Telegraph.co.uk mentions the website in an article called 20 tips to boost your income, once again going for the credit crunch angle.

Set your rate for freelance work

SetYourRate.com is a slightly less well developed freelance work website, but is nevertheless well established and gets and excellent user rating from WebUser magazine.

It's similar to peopleperhour.com in that it allows users to buy and sell services.

The basic pitch on the site is:

• Sell any service
• Free to use
• Buy, sell and request services

Once again, you'll find all jobs listed from courier, image consultant and legal to facials, speeches and magicians.

A key point to note about this website is that it's (currently) UK only.

My verdict?

Personally, I prefer the interface for peopleperhour.com as a freelance work website and it feels upfront like it's got more on it, though I'm sure that is not necessarily the case.

As I say with all these websites, check them out, see what suits your needs, then add the best to your internet favourites.

Any others?

There are a couple of other freelance work websites which are worthy of note here:

freelancers.net Once again, a UK based site, in operation since 1999. Although the jobs are UK based, people from outside the UK pitch for the freelance work.

guru.com This time an international freelance work website, using an escrow system for payments. This payment system will be a strong selling point for some people as not all freelancing websites offer this security.

Don't forget too that you can offer or promote your freelance services via MySpace or Facebook as a way to connect informally, but for a business oriented approach, sites such as LinkedIn and BizNik are a good place to look.

5 freelance work tips

Finally, a list of 5 things to think about before you take on freelance work via a website:

• Check out the details of the arrangement (the 'small print') and make sure it's work that you can do and will enjoy doing. You don't want to get hooked up with a client who demands too much of your time with little return for you.
• Don't undersell yourself in a mad rush to win as many projects as possible. There's nothing worse than when you end up resenting a job because it's taking up too much of your time and you not being suitably remunerated. Work out what you want for the job and carefully project the number of hours it will take in order to to set your hourly rate.
• Consider taking out insurance before you freelance, in case you end up in a dispute. Professional indemnity insurance is what you're looking for ... I have it and would recommend it as one of your home based employment start up costs. By way of a starter, I use a company called simplybusiness.co.uk which acts as a portal for a variety of business insurance providers, but please note, this is not a recommendation just a pointer, and you should take advice for the type of business that you're running.
• Get repeat business. If you like an employer, and they like you, stick together! It saves time and effort in the long run, in terms of maintaining relationships, paperwork and getting paid. In addition, if they like you, get a testimonial off them or ask them to refer you to their business colleagues.
• Network with other freelancers and consider partnering up. You'll be able to bid for bigger jobs, but also you might be able to delegate or pass on work if you're overwhelmed at any time. Nobody likes to pass on work that's being offered, but there are only so many hours in each day. A freelance work partner network, with trusted friends and colleagues, will help you over these 'humps'.

If you freelance, don't forget to make a website, or even better, start a blog which talks about your area of expertise ... and use those testimonials to build your online credibility.

If people are asking you to bid online for work, it figures that they'd also like to check out your profile online too.

Finally, as a word of warning about freelance work, even though it's an excellent way to earn money from home, check out this article called Wanted: Digital Drones to earn ½p an Hour and make sure you heed its warning.

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