Let’s face it, having permanent employment offers distinct advantages in some respects, and is the traditional time-honoured way in which people have earned their living for generations. This type of employment has, in the past, offered employees job and financial security, as well as many valuable perks which are extremely cost-effective, useful, and are extremely tempting, such as paid leave and sick leave, contributions to medical aid membership and pension funds, a salary paid promptly at the end of each month and even annual bonuses if you are lucky.
So why choose to freelance rather than be an employee?
With all these positive incentives, why on earth would someone choose to rather work independently on a freelance basis? There is the distinct advantage of being able to work from home or off-site office with no unwanted noise or interruptions, or from any other non-traditional workspace. There is the added benefit of being able to work during hours which suit you rather than normal business hours, thereby giving you more freedom to achieve balance in your work and life roles. Some people find that they work more efficiently and with more clarity during the hours when most folk are asleep and the world is a quieter and less chaotic and busy place. Freelancers also have the choice of working for certain clients only and may have multiple client interactions and assignments from these clients on a continual basis, thereby keeping themselves ‘in work’ on a more or less permanent basis. Some freelancers are multi-skilled, thereby keeping their work varied and interesting and avoiding the boredom trap of doing the same kind of work on a repetitive basis.
Pay rates are higher per hour for freelance work
Freelancers, whatever their field of expertise may be, are generally able to command a higher remuneration rate per hour than company employees. Companies are more likely to agree to higher hourly pay rates for freelancers because they are not carrying the additional financial burden which permanent employees entail. Freelancers are useful to companies as they can be used as and when needed, and are not a constant drain on financial resources when there is no work to be done – i.e. during slow periods in business.
Build a good working relationship for repeat assignments
If a company or business enterprise builds up a good working relationship with a freelancer, they know that they will be able to rely on a consistent standard of professionalism and input, with the added advantage of hiring a professional who already knows the ins and outs of the business and its core values. Freelancers who work regularly with the same clients become familiar with their business practices and methodologies, and therefore know what is expected of them without long explanations being required at the start of each assignment. This is a huge advantage to both the client and the freelancer, as familiarity on both sides aids speed of delivery of the finished assignment. The freelancer is aware of what exactly is required of them, and the client has a guarantee that the work will meet the standards required.
Writers can enjoy the best freelance fun jobs
Many freelancers are writers who are employed to write blogs, content articles, social media marketing copy, general guides and press releases. Those who love travel can pay their way around the world by writing travel blogs and guides whilst still living their best life.
What other work can freelancers do?
Other freelance jobs include :
- IT developers – coders or programmers. Fortunately for those who are skilled in programming, this is one of the most in-demand jobs globally. These are the people who build websites and apps to keep online businesses highly visible and active 24/7. These are either front-end developers who translate pure code into a graphical interface, or back-end developers, whose focus is on databases, scripting and architecture building;
- Designers, whose skills include projects such as brochure, logo and web design. To earn a good living in this field, a designer must have a fairly wide portfolio showing versatility, creativity, originality and high quality workmanship;
- Transcriptionists. These are the people who are responsible for converting audio recordings into the written record. This is a highly specialised field which requires dedication, accuracy, good hearing, concentration and the ability to record only what you hear, and not what you think you hear. This field also involves a certain amount of research in checking the spelling of certain names, institutions and places;
- Marketing freelancers undertake a variety of tasks from running paid social media ad campaigns to overhauling existing website copy. These professionals are adept in B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) digital skills. For this, they need an excellent knowledge of SEO, data analytics, email marketing tactics and other digital marketing knowledge and skills;
- Translators. These specialists translate one language to or from one or more other languages in a readable, grammatically correct and comprehensive manner. In order to be a good translator, one needs to be proficient in the languages involved and, in effect, to be able to switch from one to another without pause. You cannot accurately translate any language to another without a thorough knowledge of the sentence construction, grammatical idiosyncracies, tenses, etc., as these all affect the final translation and original meaning. It helps if you have knowledge in the particular field in which the translation is required, whether it is scientific, technical, medical, research, etc.;
- Videographers and Photographers. Both of these fields require artistic skills to some degree, as well as a good eye for composition and a high level of technical skill;
- Book-keepers and accountants. Always in demand by small to medium-sized businesses who do not need a full-time employee for the amount of work required. These specialists must be figure-oriented, have good attention to detail, be able to work with a variety of accounting programs, have good commercial knowledge and up-to-date knowledge of tax laws.
Freelancing is an expanding and evolving career choice
These are only a few of the various jobs and careers which can be undertaken on a freelance basis, and it seems that freelancers are becoming more and more in demand as traditional workspaces evolve and expand. There is absolutely no doubt that the advent of COVID-19 hastened the move away from traditional employment positions in many industries, but it seems that this is a trend which is only growing as time goes on, and for good reason from both the freelancer and business perspective.
