What is a Freelancer?

Lesson 5: Freelance ; An Interview with a Freelance

What is a Freelancer?

A freelancer is a person who works on his own, independently, providing professional services of some kind without establishing exclusive contractual ties with a client or enterprise.
As an example, a web designer can search for a staff job in a company and devote exclusively to her, or he can be a freelancer thus providing external services autonomously for one or many clients. 
The freelance model is experiencing dramatic growth in practically all over the world thanks to technological progress and mindset changes in which regards millennials’ generation labour paradigm.

How does a freelancer work?

They generally work home-based, at an owned-office or a co-working space. Most of the times all a freelancer needs are a computer with adequate software and an excellent connection to the Internet. 
Usually, firstly the freelancer comes to an agreement with the client about the project’s terms, costs, and deadline, and on some occasions, he gets an advance payment before he starts working. Freelancers get new clients mainly through recommendation and self-promotion.
There are some professions traditionally linked to independent work. Such is the case of those connected with web programming, design; digital marketing, remote support, and writing, but actually, there are many other profiles which are stepping into the freelance world: legal, accountancy and administration fields.

Pros and cons of being a freelancer

Some of the main advantages are:

• 
  You can work from every corner of the world; your job does not depend on a physical space.
  
• 
  You manage your own time by what works better for you.
  
• 
  You work on the projects you select.
  
• 
  You learn from your dealing with clients.
  
• 
  You save time and money in transportation all over the city.
  
• 
  You can spend more time with your family.
  
• 
  You work on your resiliency and autonomy skills
  
• 
  You can get more money than what you would earn working in a fixed job for a company, though this will depend solely on your will.