In this article you will know about the best freelancing sites for beginners in India, freelancing advantages and disadvantages. How to earn money with your skills?
What exactly is freelancing?
Freelancing is the concept of “self-employment”, which basically means people who choose to work without being confined or committed to any particular organization are referred to as freelancers. Freelancers get paid on the basis of per project and they enjoy the independence of taking projects that align to their preferences and interests. Other than this freelancers also enjoy the freedom to work with multiple clients simultaneously.
Freelancing : a popular trend
The concept of freelancing is attaining great significance globally and India is also witnessing the widening market size of freelancers. According to the available statistics the market size of freelancers at global level was estimated at USD 3393.5 million in 2020 which is expected to reach USD 9192.9 million by 2027 which accounts for about 15.3 % growth during 2021-2027. At present there are nearly 15 million freelancers existing in India, according to the reports by India Today, there was a 46% increase in the number of freelancers in India between Q1 to Q2 of 2020.
Advantages and disadvantages of freelancing
Advantages :-
- Freedom – With self employment comes great freedom, the liberty to choose the clients you want to work with and as freelancers are not the regular employees of any one particular organization, they are free to work with multiple clients simultaneously.
- Flexibility – This is considered as one of the most crucial advantages that comes with freelancing, to work according to your desired time. As freelancing allows flexibility of time, it reduces workload, freelancers also get the opportunity to explore, to brainstorm and to learn.
- Independence – The factor independence refers to liberty to choose the kind of project freelancers want to contribute to. Freelancing creates room for self-interest rather than working just for the sake of formality.
Disadvantages :-
- Stability – One of the major drawbacks of freelancing is related to stability. As freelancers find it difficult to attract clients on a regular basis which creates financial insecurity.
- Benefits – Freelancers don’t enjoy the benefits provided by organizations to their regular employees in terms of annual bonus, appraisal, medical insurances and more.
- Taxes – Freelancers are counted as “self-employed” and they are supposed to pay income tax although they can claim some tax deduction.
| Pros | Cons |
| Lack of stability | To work in isolation without a team |
| Flexibility of time | Lack of stability |
| Independence to choose projects | Lack of organizational benefits |
Some of the most popular fields for freelancers.
- Content writing :- If your passion lies in writing and you find yourself capable enough to generate worthy content via your writing, you can definitely think of becoming a freelancer writer.
Criteria :-
- Proficiency in at least one language
- Knowledge of Search engine optimization
- Research skills
- Graphic designing – The employment opportunities are indeed broadening and in the present scenario skilled designers are in demand. You can pursue graphic designing as a freelancer.
Criteria :-
- Understanding of designing tools such as Adobe Photoshop and illustrator.
- must know to add details in the design.
- Creativity in ideas.
- Digital marketing – If you have the caliber to make your clients digital presence stronger, you can go for digital marketing freelancing opportunities.
Criteria :-
- Awareness regarding ongoing social media & digital trends
- Understanding of search engine optimization and analytical tools.
- Ability to come up with significant strategies.
- Web development – developers who have proficiency in computer languages can find opportunities to work as a freelancer.
Criteria :-
- Proficiency in programming languages
- Designing skills
- Idea regarding UI/UX
- photographers/cinematographers – Creative fields provide the most opportunities for freelancing. As a skilled photographer or cinematographer you can take up freelancing projects.
Criteria :-
- Must be familiar with the technical aspect of camera
- Familiar with editing
- Must have a personal camera and other necessary equipment.
Other fields such as blockchain development, data analytics, project management are fields providing significant freelancing opportunities. To be able to establish yourself as a successful freelancer in any field you need to take care of few crucial steps such as :-
- To understand your niche and your capabilities.
- Honest evaluation of yourself
- Setting up your charges
- Creating a strong portfolio
- To reach out to clients
Earnings as a freelancer
Students can consider freelancing opportunities as it is one of the ways to earn money while studying. As freelancing offers flexibility of time, students can manage their academics simultaneously. It helps college going students in portfolio building and finding about their forte. According to the reports of “GLASSDOOR” the average salary of Indian freelancers is estimated at 85k per month. In another report submitted by “Ambitionbox” the average annual salary of Indian freelancers is valued at Rs 4.1 LPA. Freelancing opportunities can be a big relief for women who find it difficult to juggle between personal and professional life. Women freelancers can balance other things without compromising on their professional capabilities.
Top 10 websites to begin with freelancing
1. Upwork
Considered as one of the top 10 websites suitable for finding freelancing opportunities, Upwork can help you to begin your freelancing journey in diverse fields including IT & development, Creative & design, writing & translation, sales & marketing, finance & accounts and a lot more.
2. Fiverr
A website which connects you to clients looking forward to hiring freelancers, for diverse roles such as business, management, operations, finance, design, web development, customer care and the list goes on. On Fiverr you can browse through opportunities available across 300+ categories.
3. Toptal
While Toptal assures quick hiring, it has a highly selective process. It receives thousands of applications every month but only the top 3% of applicants make it through the selection process. Toptal connects freelancers to the clients who are proficient in their skills, are capable enough to provide potential business solutions and a worthy communicator.
4. People per hour
This website has helped over 1,873 people to find freelancing job opportunities. It has a user-friendly interface where you can navigate through multiple available opportunities based on your location preference, preferred project type, according to the level of your skill and preferred payment method.
5. Freelancer
It is considered as one of the prominent marketplace for freelancers, providing opportunities across 2700+ categories. It is used by significant organizations to find talents such as Amazon, Facebook, IBM, Airbus and a lot more.
6. Guru.com
This freelancing marketplace claims to have 99% customer satisfaction rate. According to the available statistics on its website, $250 million is paid to freelancers via Guru.com.
7. Flex jobs
This platform is considered as one of the best websites to grab remote work opportunities across diverse categories. For signing in you are supposed to select a plan and pay for that, the 14 day access to the services rendered by Flexjobs costs $2.95 while the monthly access costs $5.95. You can get your money refunded within 14 days if you don’t feel satisfied by their services.
8. Indeed
This website provides its visitors with free access to search for freelancing jobs, post resumes and research about various organizations. Indeed has 300M monthly visitors with 245M resumes available on the website. It also has over 800 M reviews and ratings making it a significant website to look for valuable employment deals.
9. Dribbble
If you are passionate about designing and want to work on projects related to graphic designing or UI/UX, Dribbble is the perfect platform for you. It is trusted by over 60,000 leading brands from Ford to Airbnb to find designers. It has a reach over 170 countries making it a top website to grab designing opportunities.
10. GigZoe
This platform helps small scale businesses to hire talented and creative minds for long term as well as short term projects. Not only this, Gigzoe also helps freelancers to upskill themselves using free resources which makes this online freelancing marketplace one of the most appropriate platforms for beginners.
Conclusion
Freelancing can be a great option for many, in particular students who expect some sort of financial stability at a young age. Although the world is getting highly competitive and in such a scenario aspiring freelancers need to focus on upskilling themselves and building a strong portfolio because at the end clients will not believe your words, it’s the prior work done by you in your respective domain which will impress the employer.
