Freelancing in India | Honesty Digest
The demographics of India have changed drastically over the past years. It is a densely populated country whose literacy rate has been increasing over the years.
Since India is moving fast on its growth path, people are looking for opportunities of all kinds. A popular one is to be a freelancer. This is because it offers benefits that a normal office does not.
It offers flexibility. This is why mainly young women are opting for it. These can be newly married women or those with young kids or with aging parents. Based on the amount of time available to them, they can pick up a profession of their choice.
The freelancing from India is in several fields. This includes sewing, knitting, repair work, plumbing, carpentry, masonry, driving, tour guide, writing, data entry, software development, hardware repair and so on.
It is obvious that the list is long and growing. This is because new opportunities and skill sets are coming up almost on a daily basis. But there are always dark patches which people need to be aware of.
The biggest drawback is the lack of information. India is still a developing country. The freelancing sector is still unorganized. Everyone is not aware of this sector or the skills that are in demand. This is why there is no valid price range available. There are hardly any certifying agencies. Hence freelancers are asking for different rates for the same kind of work. Also, opportunities for self-development and enhancement of skills are limited.
Since India is a developing country, hence infrastructure is limited in many areas. Several small towns and villages do not have access to facilities like the Internet. The freelancer living in these areas remains deprived of this option.
For advertising, freelancing in India relies mainly on word of mouth publicity. This limits the reach and hence places a ceiling on the growth of any business. This form of advertising is popular as it is practically free. The freelancer in India works on very low-profit margins. This limits their access to other forms of advertising.
The Internet is being used by those who are freelancing from India. While this enhances their geographical market base, it also makes them vulnerable.
While looking for opportunities on the Internet, the identity of the person on the other side remains unknown. There may be a client on the other side, or a miscreant having time to kill. While a freelancer may take up a project seriously, there is no guarantee that the client is genuine and will pay up eventually. While there are options such as milestone or escrow available, all clients may not agree to it. Besides, many freelancers may not be aware of them. Hence a hapless freelancer may become a victim to such scams. In fact, anyone who is freelancing from India would have gone through this ordeal at some time in their career.
The freelancers are not an organized sector. Hence safety remains a major concern. The freelancer is asked to visit the site or client who is a completely unknown entity. This can be highly risky.
A freelancer generally contacts his client through phone or Internet only. This may not be enough to understand the requirements of the client properly. Such miscommunication may lead the freelancer to do a job that does not meet all the requirements of the client. This would result in dissatisfaction and payment woes.
Since there are so many issues while freelancing in India, many people take it up only when they are between jobs. Once they are able to get a regular job, they stop doing freelancing work. Besides, there are little resources to guide them how freelancing can help them earn more while offering a better lifestyle.
Even the social fabric is not conducive to those who are freelancing from India. It is considered as a part-time job or hobby. Hence this activity is considered alright for women, but not for men. Still, things are changing fast.
Even though freelancing in India has always been around, it is only now that this sector is getting its due recognition. There are some glitches, but these exist for all types of jobs. Still, the benefits of being a freelancer far outweigh its drawbacks! Network with reputable sources, groups, and other freelancers in order to expand your career and skills. RemoteWriterJobs.com is one of these entities that I can recommend, especially for those seeking quality clients, from a writer's perspective.
Contributed by Yuktic.
