Surely more than once you have heard the term .. In fact, we can say that it is the fashion right now and that its word in Spanish is autonomous (although there are some experts who give some differences between the two).
But What is a freelancer? What characteristics does it have? How is it different from a freelancer? If you want to work as a freelancer, here you will find everything you need to know before anything else.
What is a freelance
The first thing we are going to do is that you fully understand what this term means. A freelancer is a person who works on their own account, that is, independently. This offers its services to other people or companies, that is, it works for third parties who ask for its work.
As they do not belong to a company, nor do they work for a company, but rather do it autonomously (for themselves, offering their work to others), they have to pay for the expenses themselves. That is to say, vacations, sick leave, insurance, taxes, etc., everything is at your expense.
Differences between freelance and freelance
As we told you before, many authors establish a series of differences between a freelancer and a freelancer. But what makes them look like two different figures?
On the one hand, it is said that Freelancers are engaged in jobs that are occasional with a specific income and a specified duration. That is, they are hired for a certain service and, once this is done, the relationship ends. On the other hand, for the self-employed the activities would be professional or business, of indeterminate duration and with variable income. The reality is that all freelancers at some point have freelance and long-lasting jobs; and the same can happen to a freelancer.
Another difference is that Freelancers are not required to register for the RETA (Self-Employed Workers Regime), but yes in the IAE (Economic Activities Tax). Why? Well, because if your work does not reach the minimum interprofessional salary, you do not have to go through Social Security. Of course, once you arrive it is a mandatory requirement if you do not want the Hacienda to knock on your door.
Characteristics of a freelancer
Based on all of the above, we find that a freelancer is a person:
- Autonomous, that is, you are self-employed. This implies that he is the one who decides the time he will work, the days he will work and from where (it can be his home, his vacation spot, an office, etc.)
- Is his own boss, because he organizes his workday himself and decides the hours he is going to work, when he is going to do it, how he is going to manage it, etc.
- Takes care of your own finances, or delegate this to someone else, but you have to pay your expenses, taxes, insurance ...
- You can choose your own clients. And leave who does not like him. At first this is unthinkable but when you have some stability and especially your reputation goes up, it is much easier because you know that another client will arrive.
- Set your own prices. Of course, everything will depend on the market, the competition, etc. which is what a scale can determine.
What does it take to be a freelance
Freelance work, or freelance work, is not something that is pigeonholed in a certain type of work. In reality, there are more and more sectors in which this type of personnel is prevailing. However, it is true that sectors of programming, graphic design, web design, translation, Community Manager, photography, private classes, event organization, content marketing ... are where they are most concentrated. Even so, there are many more.
But, is it necessary to meet a series of requirements to be freelance? The truth is that yes. Specific:
Have determination
We are talking about a job in which you are practically with one hand in front and the other behind. You do not have an endorsement or insurance that your clients will not leave you (or that you are even going to find clients). So the expenses can be consuming the savings you have and, if there are no clients, there is no money.
For this reason, you have to keep your head very focused on the project to carry it out, dedicate many hours for it to be born and for it to take its first steps. And that's not just a matter of hours, days, weeks, or months. It is a matter of years.
Your own work material
Being autonomous, no one is going to give you the tools to work (Unless a company or individual does, but it is rare). Therefore, you will have to invest in getting everything you need to offer the service. And that means investing money in you.
Yes, it is true that you get it back later, but at first it can cost.
Have clients
It is perhaps the maxim of a freelance. Without clients you don't exist as a worker because you can't work. That is why you have to look for people or companies that want to hire your services.
This is not something simple, since you will have to see where your potential clients are, put the right price for that service you offer, and above all give results to clients (since if you don't do it they won't last you either).
Where to find work
Finding work as a freelancer is not easy. We warn you of that. But it is not impossible either.
Depending on the job you want to do, you can find some platforms where you can offer your services, show projects or examples of your authorship and get hired.
For example, you have platforms such as Domestika, Freelancer, Freelance work, Workana ... where many ask for professionals for different specific jobs. Now, you can't just stay with that.
It is also good to carry out offline and online marketing strategies to find customers outside of those platforms. Or the so-called "cold door", that is, emails or visits to companies offering your services.
What you should keep in mind is that a job can leave you overnight or take weeks for one to arrive. So try not to despair and keep trying because, in the end, something comes up.
Has the figure of the freelancer been clearer to you? Do you have doubts with any aspect? Ask us and we will try to help you answer it.