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A freelancer or freelance worker is a self-employed person working in a profession or trade in which full-time employment is also common. The word's etymology was apparently invented by Sir Walter Scott, the 19th-century poet, to refer to a medieval mercenary, a "free lance," a knight who was not attached to any particular lord, and could be hired for a given task. Etymology is the study of the origins of words. ...
For the first Premier of Saskatchewan see Thomas Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott (August 14, 1771 - September 21, 1832) was a prolific Scottish historical novelist and poet popular throughout Europe. ...
The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ...
A mercenary is a soldier who fights, or engages in warfare primarily for private gain, usually with little regard for ideological, national or political considerations. ...
The term lance has become a catchall for a variety of different pole weapons based on the spear. ...
The silver Anglia knight, commissioned as a trophy in 1850, intended to represent the Black Prince. ...
Roland pledges his fealty to Charlemagne; from a manuscript of a chanson de geste. ...
Fields where freelancing is especially common include journalism and other forms of writing, computer programming and graphic design, consulting, and many other professional and creative services. But the practice is widespread: for example, bounty hunters and mercenaries are freelancers, with their full-time counterparts being, respectively, the police and the military. Journalism is a discipline of collecting, analyzing, verifying, and presenting information gathered regarding current events, including trends, issues and people. ...
see also Creative Writing Writing may refer to two activities: the inscribing of characters on a medium, with the intention of forming words and other constructs that represent language or record information, and the creation of material to be conveyed through written language. ...
Computer code (HTML with JavaScript) in a tool that uses colors to help the developer see the function of each piece of code. ...
Saul Basss poster for the film, The Man with the Golden Arm - a highly regarded work of graphic design. ...
Management consulting (sometimes also called strategy consulting) refers to both the practice of helping companies to improve performance through analysis of existing business problems and development of future plans, as well as to the firms that specialize in this sort of consulting. ...
A bounty hunter is an individual who seeks out fugitives (Hunting) for a monetary reward (Bounty), for apprehending by law, if such laws exist. ...
Mercenary (disambiguation). ...
The internet has opened up many opportunities for freelancers, especially those in low-wage countries working in software development and information technology areas, while it has made the work of many other kinds of freelancers easier by increasing communication. Software engineering (SE) is the profession concerned with specifying, designing, developing and maintaining software applications by applying technologies and practices from computer science, project management, and other fields. ...
Information technology (IT) or Information and communication(s) technology (ICT) is a broad subject concerned with technology and other aspects of managing and processing information, especially in large organizations. ...
Freelance practice varies greatly. Some require clients to sign written contracts, while others may perform work based on verbal agreements, perhaps enforceable through the very nature of the work. Some freelancers may provide written estimates of work and request deposits from clients.
Payment for freelance work also varies greatly. Freelancers may charge by the day or hour, or on a per-job basis. By custom, payment arrangements may be upfront, half-half, or upon completion.
Benefits and drawbacks
Freelancers generally enjoy a greater variety of assignments than in regular employment, and almost always have more freedom to choose their work schedule. The experience also allows the opportunity to build up a portfolio of work and cultivate a network of clients in hopes of obtaining a permanent position.
A major drawback is the uncertainty of work – and thus income – and lack of company benefits such as health insurance or retirement pay. Health insurance is a type of insurance whereby the insurer pays the medical costs of the insured if the insured becomes sick due to covered causes, or due to accidents. ...
Another drawback is that freelancers often must handle contracts, legal issues, accounting, marketing, and other business functions by themselves. If they do choose to pay for professional services, they can sometimes turn into a significant out-of-pocket expense. Working hours can extend beyond the standard working day and working week.
As a cultural phenomenon, freelancing exists both below and above the system. In Germany, for example, among other countries, creative freelancing is considered one of the most socially elevated fields of endeavour one can pursue. In Japan, freelancing is generally associated with an inability to find work with a major company, and is held in low esteem. A system is an assemblage of inter-related elements comprising a unified whole. ...
See also // Freelancer Websites The advent of the Internet has created new opportunities for freelancing, particularly for software developers from countries with low average salaries. ...
Precarity is a term used to refer to either intermittent work or, more generally, a confluence of intermittent work and precarious existence. ...
External links - Resources about freelancing
- Freelance Professional - a weblog about freelancing
- Hepkitten's Blogspot - a weblog about freelance writing
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