Freelancing is a form of self-employment where a person works for themselves, rather than for a company. Freelancers take on contract work for companies and organizations, but they are ultimately self-employed. They earn money on a per-job or per-task basis, usually for short-term work as an independent contractor. Freelancers are not considered “employees” by the companies they work for, but rather “contractors” . Freelancers are responsible for all sorts of things that traditional employees are not, such as setting their work hours, keeping track of time spent on different projects, billing clients, and paying their own employment and business taxes. Freelancers tend to work in the creative, skilled, or service sector, such as in film, art, design, editing, copywriting, proofreading, media, marketing, music, acting, journalism, video editing and production, illustration, tourism, consulting, website development, computer programming, event planning, photography, language translation, tutoring, catering, and many more.

As a freelancer, you have the freedom to live anywhere with a reliable internet connection and control over when you work and who you work for. Freelancers offer many kinds of expertise, and each freelancer is as unique as their skill set. Freelance work is an excellent choice for social media managers, tutors, computer programmers, and illustrators. Writers, editors, and musicians also make great freelancers. Freelancers handle contract work on a part-time or full-time basis and often sign agreements before starting projects. With freelancing, the client pays per project, per task, or per hour, depending on the agreement. Freelance projects typically involve short-term assignments, although satisfied clients often request follow-on work.

Being a freelancer involves a lot of communication, and you need to be willing to have the hard conversations—like negotiating a higher rate or breaking up with a client. Freelancers are responsible for their own taxes, invoices, payments received, finding their own health insurance, and buying every piece of software and technology they need to complete their work. Freelancers are independent workers and may do their contract work full-time or as a side job to supplement full-time employment, time permitting. Freelancers, as independent contractors, typically require signed contracts for the job to be done and will agree to a predetermined fee based on the time and effort required to complete the task.

Benefits of freelancing include flexibility, choice of clients and projects, and the ability to work from anywhere[[...