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Freelance jobs
Is self-employment for you?
A freelance worker is a self employed person hired by a company or person. They are not employed by any particular company on a permanent basis. Freelancers tend to be paid per project or per pieces of work. They do not receive salaries or weekly wages.
Common freelance jobs
- Giving grinds
- Sub-editing/ proof-reading
- Forum moderating
- Babysitting
- Dog-walking
- Graphic and web design
- Giving music lessons
- Event help
- Video-editing
- Translating
- Tour guiding
Advantages of freelancing
- There is great flexibility in freelancing. Freelancers can choose their own hours and work at their own pace.
- Freelancers can pick and choose different areas of speciality, which brings a lot of variety to their work life.
- Freelancing can really shore up your CV – giving you lots of different experiences, which may impress future employers.
Disadvantages of freelancing
- There is no security in freelancing. You are not guaranteed a pay cheque every month.
- Freelancers are not entitled to paid holidays, health insurance, pension plans or other common work related benefits.
- Freelancing does not suit everyone’s personality. If you are very sociable, you may not enjoy the frequent amount of alone time that freelancing requires.
How to get it:
- Brainstorm - Freelancing is not just for professionals such as journalists; freelancing can also be about doing small jobs for people in your neighbourhood. You can mow lawns, walk dogs or babysit.
- Suss out your skills – You may take your ability to play the piano or speak Spanish for granted, but there is a whole world of people out there who would really value your talents.
- Google – Find out what people are looking for and let them know you are available for jobs.
- Network – Make up business cards and let people in your field know you are ready, willing and able for work. Also, don’t just limit networking to obvious job sources. Let friends, family, neighbours and acquaintances know all about your freelancing.
Key points to bear in mind:
- Be patient. Just like with any business, it takes times to build up your work and clients.
- Be on the tax ball. You are responsible for paying your own taxes. Even if your business is small, you will still need to pay some form of tax. If the whole tax thing is overwhelming, ask around for an accountant. Prices vary greatly from accountant to accountant.
- Be adventurous. It’s not for everyone. If you try it and don’t like it; you don’t HAVE to stick with it.
Further Information
www.freelanceireland.ie
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