What kind of work is freelance
Before explaining in detail the working style of freelance, I would like to introduce you to the four mainstream working styles.
Belong to a company
This is the most common way of working in Japan right now. There are multiple forms of employment, such as full-time employees and contract employees, but they work by forming an employment relationship with a company.
Freelance
As I explain in more detail this time, more and more people are choosing this work style. It is a work style that does not belong to a company, but works by contracting for each client or project.
Side job/Double job
It is called double work or parallel work, and it is a work style in which multiple jobs are carried out as a living.
Side job
This is also increasing in recent years, and although the main income source is decided to be one, it is a work style that takes advantage of free time to earn additional income.
Of the above four ways of working, this time I will explain the second, "freelance."
As a merit of working as a freelancer, many people cite “freedom” as an easy point to imagine. When you look at blogs and SNS of people who work as freelancers, it is written that people are enjoying language study abroad and overseas travel, and some people may be jealous of "I am free".
On the other hand, I think that the merit of belonging to a company and working directly by employment is that "you can live a stable life" and "create a solid life base".
Advantages and disadvantages of working as a freelancer and working directly
The advantages and disadvantages of freelance and direct employment are summarized in the table below.
As you can see from the table, freelance still has the merit of having a high degree of freedom, but direct employment has the advantage of stabilizing the lifestyle.
Since the amount of work for freelance depends on the contract, it may be difficult to create a situation in which fixed income is regularly generated. On the other hand, a fixed amount will be paid on fixed pay days for direct employment. In terms of improving income, freelance depends on the achievement and ability, and the ability to negotiate with clients is also important. In the case of direct employment, there are opportunities for regular raises due to the evaluation system.
Freelancers have some freedom in their choice of work, although it depends on their experience. In direct employment, you often do not have the freedom to choose your own job, and you must be responsible for the work you are given.
To learn to improve their skills, freelancers must provide their own learning opportunities.
On the other hand, in the case of direct employment, education opportunities are provided by the training system and transfer. On the welfare side as well, although social insurance is in place for direct employment, freelancers need to make their own contracts.
In terms of social trust, freelance tends to be low. But the situation will be changing as the freelance population grows. For freelance, credit cards and loans, which were difficult to contract, are gradually becoming less difficult.
Characteristics of people who can be active as freelance for a long time
I compared freelance and direct employment in the previous item, but many people think that direct employment has more advantages at present. But what is important is that you can choose the best way to work. I would like to introduce you how you can play an active part as a freelance in such a situation.
There are many people who are active as freelancers at FLEXY, so I will first explain the characteristics of such people.
Person who can manage self and physical condition properly
Self-management and physical condition management are very important as freelancers often have no substitutes.
A person with high commitment
Commitment power refers to the ability to properly manage delivery dates and costs. Being able to do high-quality work while keeping the deadlines in place will be deeply involved in building a relationship of trust with the other party.
People who can communicate properly
I think some people may feel the hurdle is high when they hear "communication ability," but what is required of freelancers is that they can communicate appropriately according to their circumstances. It is not an environment where we can always understand each other's situation, so it is important to be actively called when there is a problem or a report is needed. The impression is that people who can do them at the right time are freelancers who can play an active role.
Someone who is humble and honest
It's a basic way of working, but when working as a freelance, it's important to connect with other people. Being able to respond sincerely is the point that you want to work together for a long time. I think that many freelancers are sincere people who can have long-term relationships with multiple clients.
Motivated person
It is important not only that you are enthusiastic about studying and find opportunities to improve your own skills, but also that you can catch up with trends in the world. In an environment where there is no one to teach, you will miss the train immediately, so it is important to always be aware of it and be sensitive to the trends of the times.