Kochi native Titto Sunny was quick to give a makeover for his profile in the popular freelancing website ‘WorkApps’ when video production works got stalled during the lockdown period. Even though he intended to freelance temporarily, now, Titto is a full-time freelancer offering expert service in film making and motion designing. He collaborates with international clients, sitting in the comfort of his home. Besides, Titto earns more than what he used to when he was working offline.

Reneeshya Mahesh began working part-time as a voice-over artist via ‘Fiverr’ website during the lockdown period. She was attracted to the concept of freelancing which helped her earn good remuneration without any miscellaneous expenditure. All she had to invest was in a good quality mic. Reneeshya offers services both in English and Malayalam. Moreover, she was able to improve her portfolio as an artist too.

On-site
Freelancing websites like Fiverr, Freelancer and WorkApps open up an incredible world of lucrative job openings for those who wish to work independently. There are plenty of opportunities in art, translation, content writing, graphic designing, web development, transcription and voice over jobs.

In Kerala too, people began turning in huge numbers to these websites to offer various services since the outbreak of the pandemic. Many who lost their regular jobs could earn a living by freelancing with the help of these websites and apps. Tech giants like Facebook and Google too depend on such freelancing websites for various jobs. In the US, around 39% of the employment sector has changed its job profiles into freelancing. Interestingly, Indian freelancers are in demand in companies in the US, UK and Australia. The number of firms looking for talented freelancers have gone up in Kerala too.

How to begin
You could begin by creating a profile in these websites, totally free of cost, by including details about your education, expertise and experience. You would become a ‘seller’ as soon as you upload your profile. Clients from all over the world can then easily contact you through the profile. The terms and conditions are flexible and the ‘sellers’ have the freedom to take the final decision about many things including the deadline. Moreover, there is a limit for making the ‘sellers’ redo the work. In some sites, the sellers can directly approach the ‘buyers’. As the ratings and reviews can be publicly viewed, only those who offer quality work can build an amazing freelance career in these websites. Meanwhile, the ‘sellers’ can increase their remuneration as their rating goes up.

Transparent and efficient
The transfer of remuneration is transparent and efficient on these websites. The client needs to pay the remuneration on the website beforehand. The money will be released into the account of the ‘seller’ if the client is satisfied with the work and he/she approves it. There are various options when it comes to the methods of remuneration. The client could either choose hourly pay or pay for the entire project. The seller could charge more if they complete the job quickly or earlier than the deadline. The client needs to pay additional remuneration if the seller is made to do additional work or make too many changes. The seller can also offer their services as specially designed packages. For instance, a designer, in his/her profile says that he/she charges a specific amount to design a logo. The client, meanwhile, can purchase the logo by paying that amount.

The websites charge 5-20% as commission.