HARE ECONOMY Anthony O’Brien
Regardlessofyourskillset,this onlinejobmarketis a goodplacetopickup work
Calling all freelancers
F
reelancer.com.au connects people or
businesses that need a project com-
pleted with freelance contractors.
The website is open to anyone regardless
of skills – there is a category for handy-
worker and local labour. However, the
most popular categories tend to focus on
IT and software, and creative skills such as
content writing, design and photography.Where to start
To begin pitching for work you’ll needto
write a profile, noting skills and expertise,
then upload a profile photo. The nextstepis
to complete a verification centre checklist- basically a proof of identity exercise
that prevents the website being used
for fraud or money laundering.
Price and costs
It costs nothing to sign up to Free-
lancer, and once you’ve sorted the
admin you can chat and negotiate
with “employers” and bid for pro-
jects – all for free.
Projects can have a fixed price
or freelancers are invited to bid for
the work. Average bids are displayed
so you can see whether your bid is
likely to be in the ball park. As a guide
to the sort of money on offer, at the time
of writing, a job to improve a travel website
had an average bid of $437, a project toadda
search function to a real estate websitehad
an average bid of $750 and a photo-editing
project attracted an average bid of $518.
It’s only when freelancers are awarded a
job that Freelancer takes its cut. Expect to
pay 11% of the project fee or $5.50, which-
ever is greater. If you are awarded a project
with an hourly rate, Freelancer charges
11%. This cost is something to factor into
your bid. Employers also pay Freelancer
a fee equal to 3.3% of a project cost.
The other way to make money on Free-
lancer is via a “contest”. This is where a job
is posted with a set fee or “prize”. Freelanc-
ers compete by entering a finished product- maybe a T-shirt logo or a sales video. It
costs nothing to enter, but Freelancer pock-
ets 11% of the prize or $5.50, whichever is
greater. It’s worth noting that as far as the
tax office is concerned, the so-called prize
would constitute taxable income.
As Freelancer.com.au is part of a glob-
al network, projects can be posted from
around the world – and conversely free-
lancers from across the globe can compete
being automatically charged the project
fee, and the funds only being released to
the freelancer when the employer says
they’re happy with the work done or the
project is marked as complete. It’s a system
that seems like fertile ground for disagree-
ments, and there is a disputes section on
the Freelancer website.
On the plus side, the Milestone Payments
system generates invoices that freelancers
candownload for help with tax records.
Freelancer.com.au offers a desktop app
totrackprogress, monitor hours and com-
municate with employers. A mobile app
is also available to help freelancers and
clients stay in touch.Anthony O’Brien is a small business
and personal finance writer with
20-plus years’ experience in the
communication industry.AT A GLANCE
- Freelancer.com.au is open to
all-comers, though many of the projects
call for IT skills (such as web design) or
professional creative flair (for example,
copywriting, photography or design). - Freelancers can bid for a project at
the rate they choose. Or put your hat in
the ring for a “contest”, by completing
a piece of work specified by the client,
and hoping you’re the winner to pocket
a fee. No winner is guaranteed. - It’s free to join but Freelancer.com.
au takes an 11% cut of a freelancer’s
project fee. - You may be competing for work on
a global scale and potentially be paid
in a different currency. It can be an
eye-opener to see what freelancers in
other countries will charge for what can
seem like time-consuming projects. - Competing websites include
Upwork, Fiverr, CloudPeeps and
ServiceScape.
for work. It doesn’t take long to realise that
here in Australia we enjoy high wages. As a
guide, in early April contest prizes ranged
from $US50 ($70) for a website logo to
$US550 ($776) for 16 PowerPoint presenta-
tions, each comprising 25 slides. Given the
time taken to complete this sort of project,
the hourly rate would be low, even if you’re
a PowerPoint master.
When it comes to being paid, Freelancer.
com.au recommends the use of its Mile-
stone Payments system. This works on an
escrow basis, with the employer’s accountSH