Freelance work has gained tremendous popularity today. Freelancing has long been recognized as a reputable profession and freelance workers are sometimes valued more than regular, permanent staff members. With the internet's help, more opportunities for freelancers are available at once. More people are able to work at their homes and more companies and organizations are able to contract out their projects instead of hiring regular employees.



According to recent studies, freelance jobs account for 20 percent of contracted graphic designs, web designs and software development in the world. To go freelance is a career choice and freelance jobs offer freelancers with plenty of opportunities and benefits.

Freelancers, especially the "internet freelancers," always report satisfaction in their work due to several factors that freelance jobs offer. They are able to choose the job they want from a variety of freelance jobs and projects that are widely available in the internet. There is also faster turnaround of projects and freelancers can move on to another project as soon as the current one is done. Freelance jobs also allow for freedom and more flexibility and freelancers can take on two or more different jobs simultaneously. Freelance jobs also offer higher income rates and help freelancers improve their saving capability.

There are several types of freelance jobs, and the following four are considered the major classification.

* Telecommuting. Also known as e-commuting, teleworking, or working from home. It is a work arrangement wherein workers have limited flexibility with their work location and working hours. Freelancers who are telecommuters or teleworkers work while connected to a central telecommunication system such as teleconferencing and video conferencing.

* Consulting. A consultant provides expert advise in his/her particular area of expertise like accountancy, law, human resources, finance and public affairs. Sometimes, a consultant is not one person alone, but a group of people who are all part of the consultancy.

* Offshoring. This refers to the relocation or transfer of business operations from one country to another country. China and India are two prominent countries that companies target for their offshore operations. Lately, India has been emerging as a top destination for trade in services, which refers to sale and distribution of services between the producer and consumers. Offshoring works best for areas related to production, and manufacturing.

* Outsourcing. This freelance arrangement refers to the transfer of management controls and decision-making aspect of the business to another person or groups of persons. Companies usually outsource operations to a group of individuals who specialize in that type of operation. Outsourcing is known to help companies reduce production costs and conserve energy.

Fields and areas where freelance work is acceptable and diverse and varied. Among the most common and highly-demanded freelance jobs are found in the fields of journalism, computer programming, graphic design and consulting.

According to studies, following are the most frequently sought after freelance jobs in the United States:

* Accountancy experts/Bookkeepers * Animators (for film) * Cartographers * Computer programmers * Consultants (political, architectural, sales, marketing, etc.) * Culinary jobs (chefs, wine connoisseurs, etc.) * Data encoders/Data processors * Editors/Copyeditors * Engineers * Events planners (corporate planning, party planning, etc.) * Financial planners * Florists * Grants writers * Graphic designers * Inspectors * Interior designers * Landscape artists * Massage therapists * Photographers * Private investigators * Seamstresses * Telemarketers * Translators and interpreters * Tutors * Upholsterers * Web designers * Writers