Freelancing has become the career choice for a growing number of people in the UK and across Europe. This article describes the top 7 reasons why people consider freelancing a career opportunity.

What is a freelancer?

A freelancer, also known as a contractor or service provider, is someone who offers his or her services for an agreed period in return for a fee. Freelancers are independent of the businesses or individuals that hire their services. Generally, freelancers work on short-term contracts, although contracts can vary in length and can be and are often extended

Why do people freelance?

We've put together 7 of the top reasons why people freelance:

1. To be your own boss. Freelancing is one of most successful ways to start your own business and businesses can be as diverse as you can imagine. Personally, I offered IT services but freelancers offer a varied set of services, some of which include:

event management
editing and proof-reading
online-marketing and SEO
book-keeping and accounting

Being your own boss also allows you to decide how many hours you work, when in the year and in which locations.

2. As a lifestyle choice. Some people enjoy new challenges and may find working for the same employer over many years uninspiring. Freelancing allows you to work for different organisations and individuals, experience new job challenges and develop career opportunities.

3. To travel. If you enjoy travelling, then freelancing can allow you to do just that and get paid! Freelance opportunities can occur locally, regionally or internationally. If you're willing to travel then you'll have more opportunities open to you. In my freelancing career, I worked across the UK in Milton Keynes, Cardiff, Hemel Hempstead and various locations in Central London. In Europe, I worked in Austria and Germany, and internationally, I worked in Australia and Brazil.

4. To work remotely or from home. If your preference is to work remotely or from home then freelancing offers this flexibility and freelancers can enjoy a successful business doing just that. The key question to ask is can the work you would like to do be done remotely or from your home. If the answer is yes then there'll be businesses and individuals looking to employ your skills. Website development is a popular activity but others include data entry, virtual assistance, article writing, translation, online & private tuition, and so on.

5. As a quick way back into work. If you're between jobs then getting back into permanent employment can take several months. Freelancers can be hired and receive their first payment within a few weeks of initial contact by an employer or agent. Moreover, some contracts can lead to permanent employment as the hiring firm seeks to retain your services.

6. As a quick way to earn money. Freelancers can be paid not only more quickly and frequently than permanent employees but also a premium for not being on an employer's payroll or for working on a short-term job. This allows a freelancer to earn much more in a given period than a permanent employee doing similar work, which could be used to quickly pay off a credit card or for a long overdue holiday.

7. To gain experience and specialise. Working as a freelancer allows you to develop and utilise your specialist skills more fully, which working for the same company might not provide. Thus, by working on different contracts for different businesses, freelancers can quickly gain experience and become subject matter experts in their chosen field.

These are just a few of the reasons why people become freelancers. You might have a different reason from those already discussed. If you feel that freelancing is right for you then why not give it a go. I did!

How to get started?

Upload your CV to a suitable site. Some of the more familiar sites include reed, CardiffJobs, Workthing, Gumtree, StepStone and ClickAJob. These sites, however, focus on collecting CVs, which may not do your service justice. Moreover, they do not focus on micro outsourced jobs, the type of jobs you're looking to do.

Luckily, there are sites that specialise in advertising your freelance services. On these sites, you'll be able to advertise your services, specifying your skills, work location (if you prefer working away from home), daily or hourly rate and so on. And unlike with job boards, you'll be able to make contact with job providers to, e.g., clarify job requirements and confirm tasks, once you've got the job!