Freelancing is a good way to earn some hard earned cash. It is one of the most convenient ways to make money, since you can do it from the comfort of your own home. But what many people don’t know is whether or not freelance work counts as employment.
When you do freelancing on sites like Fiverr and Upwork you’re not an employee of those platforms, but you are considered self employed. That said, it’s still work! You’re providing a service or product for someone in exchange for money. In that sense, it’s very much like traditional employment.
In the rest of this blog post we will go over some of the key points to consider when thinking about if freelance work counts as employment.
What Is The Difference Between Freelance Work And Employment?
There are some key differences between freelance work and regular employment. Below we will go over each one so that you have a better understanding of the two.
Schedule Differences
When you have a full time job, in most cases, when you work a full time job you’re unable to make your own schedule. When it comes to self employment and being a freelancer, you could technically make your own schedule. Of course, this all depends on what type of freelancing you’re doing and who you’re working for.
For example, if you’re a freelance writer you could technically work at 3 in the morning if you wanted to. As long as you get the work done.
Benefits
When you work a regular full time job, chances are your employer will offer you some type of benefits. This could include health insurance, dental insurance, and more. When you’re self employed as a freelancer, you don’t have access to these types of benefits.
You will need to find and pay for your own health insurance and any other type of insurance you want. This can be a big difference between the two types of work.
Do Your Own Taxes as a Freelancer
When you’re an employee of a company, your employer will withhold taxes from your paycheck. When you’re self employed, however, you will need to do your own taxes. This means setting aside money from each check to pay your taxes.
Location
Freelancing gives you the ability to work from anywhere in the world. As long as you have a laptop and an internet connection, you can work. You’re not tied down to one specific location like you are with a regular job.
Of course some jobs allow remote work, but traditionally you would need to be in a certain location to do your job.
How To Decide Which Option is Best For You
You need to think about what you value the most. Do you value the stability that comes with a full time job? Do you like the idea of being your own boss and making your own schedule? Consider these questions when trying to decide whether or not freelance work is right for you.
In the end, only you can decide which option is best for you. Consider all of your options and make the best decision for you and your career.
A good resource if you’re considering going for a full time job is Jooble. It’s has a very simple layout that I enjoy using more than most job websites and it allows you to search for jobs in 69 countries!
Can You Work Full Time and Freelance At The Same Time?
As long as there is no conflict of interest within your work contract, you should be able to freelance on the side while working full time.
Just remember that you will need to juggle your time wisely and make sure that you can complete both sets of work without sacrificing the quality of your work.
Take a look at this blog post that goes into this topic in detail.
Can Freelancing Count As Work Experience If You Decide To Work Full Time?
You can’t add it as work experience because you can’t add someone who employed you. You can add it to your resume though.
Another thing to add to that is many people who run businesses hire you as a freelancer, so if you do a good job, they may be more likely to offer you a position within the company in the future.
Even if they don’t directly reach out, if you decide to go full time you could reach out to them and inquire about positions.
Take a look at this blog post we wrote about this topic as well.
Conclusion
Now that you know the differences between freelancing and employment, you can make the best decision for you and your career. If you have any other questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below!
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