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50 Top Sites to Find Work as a Freelancer
9
Min Read
Making a living as a freelancer isn’t without its challenges. In fact, one of the most common complaints we hear from the industry is that it can be difficult to find work as a freelancer and to keep a steady supply of clients with ongoing contract templates or agreement templates.
This big list of websites has all types of independent contractor jobs. They are designed to show you exactly where new clients are waiting, taking you one step closer to signing lucrative contracts in dozens of freelance industries.
Freelance Writing Jobs
Don’t let the name fool you. While the Problogger site started out listing opportunities just for bloggers, it has evolved into a resource for anyone in the online content creation niche to find work. They also list jobs for editors, marketers, and SEO specialists!
This website is aimed at those starting out in the journalism field, and is one of the few sites that also features paid editorial internships. About half the jobs posted are open to remote work arrangements with freelance freedoms.
A degree in the media arts will make you a most qualified candidate for many of the freelance reporting positions listed on this site. Even without it, there is ample opportunity to apply for any of a dozen current freelance roles in writing, editing, and content planning.
These media niche jobs include writing, copyediting, and even ad buyer; register for free to get the ability to upload your resume and apply directly from your profile.
Read our full guide on how to get freelance writing clients.
Freelance Coding, Designer, and Developer and Web Design Jobs
This clearinghouse of job listings is aimed at freelancers who want to work anywhere, and pulls in job listings from a variety of tech hubs. Use the easy sort function to display just the jobs for the language or platform you excel in.
This platform lists freelance software opportunities for those developers and designers who have met their strict performance standards. The expectation is that you will be a full-time worker – not “side-hustler” – and talent is rewarded with higher-than-average pay for a freelance site.
This members-only site lists just one unique development or design project a day. Sign up for weekly email lists or daily tweets alerts for when new jobs are posted.
A regularly-updated list of opportunities for designers and developers, this job board is curated by Smashing Magazine. While the jobs are mainly for freelancers, a few full-time careers pop up every now and again.
The top tech news site has expanded its offerings to include postings for a variety of positions in the tech sector. Find traditional job arrangements for most of the listings, with a few high-quality freelance positions sprinkled in.
Join a trusted name in tech with the Stack Overflow job board. Create a developer “story” and get your work seen in front of qualified hiring teams.
All of these jobs are for Ruby professionals! The site calls itself the “original” Ruby job board with over 5,000 jobs posted since 2005.
Made to pair female tech professionals with high-quality, long-term projects, the site allows a lengthy trial period for each accepted client to make sure you’re a match!
Envato Studio is a freelance marketplace for designers, developers, producers and digital creatives. All professionals are vetted before they can work. As a part of the Envato network, the site has paid out over $250 million in creator payments.
- Joomlancers
Are you a whiz at Joomla? This site lists freelance projects specifically for this skill.
This site is made and run by developers. Apply and you’ll be contacted when the right freelance opportunity comes along!
Other Freelance Sites
This site is aimed at companies looking to hire top marketers with skills in social media and influencer marketing. Both companies and individuals can submit their profile for consideration. Only carefully vetted and accepted freelancers can apply for open positions.
This membership site requires a payment to access most of their listings, although many are exclusive and not listed anywhere else. While not all the jobs are freelance, every listing is remote-friendly and can be done from home.
Every job on the Remote.co website has been hand-curated to ensure it’s legit. Find jobs in every industry – not just those in tech!
Hired offers a diverse set of opportunities across a variety of companies, matching you with only those that best meet your unique skills, interests, preferences, and priorities.
One of the largest freelance marketplaces, Upwork (formerly Odesk and Elance) lists opportunities for every imaginable industry niche. Developers, marketers, writers, and even accountants can find work, although the competition can be fierce in the more globally-established categories. Eventually, building a reputation as an Upwork 1099 freelancer can get you some inbound clients as companies will reach out to you for work.
Tech start-ups are always in need of quality freelancers to join them on the ground floor. Find a variety of listings with hundreds of newly-funded companies all in one place!
Do you have mad design skills? Don’t miss the opportunity to showcase your work to companies of every size. The Dribbble marketplace makes it easy to create and showcase your portfolio to the world.
This matchmaking company for creative freelancers currently has a long waitlist and very high standards. If you can get in, however, expect to work with the top start-ups and tech industries in the world.
Now owned by Adobe, this site helps professionals find work and display their talents. Jobs include both traditional and freelance arrangements in a variety of creative fields.
Freelance transcription, translation, and captioning professionals can find a variety of jobs on this site. Registration is free, and pay ranges from $1 per minute to $.10 per word.
This freelance-only website features a highly-customizable search feature and over 3,000,000 jobs at any one time!
You’ll have to create a profile with this site, but after that, you’ll have the chance to bid on projects. Completed work is subject to a fee, but bidding is complimentary.
Tired of communication across the country (or the world)? Get work from local businesses with this geographically-based platform.
Heavily focused in the tech sectors, this job board is run by the same folks who created Dribbble and Crew.
This of this site as a virtual temp agency. It focuses on contract work that can be done remotely.
Find a large online listing of remote and telecommute jobs – most of which are freelance arrangements.
You’ll want to carefully research any job you find here, but many good freelance opportunities have been found in the “jobs” and “gigs” sections for major cities in the U.S.
In addition to having a large, searchable list of hand-screen telecommute jobs, they feature a database of over 8,000 companies who prefer to hire remotely.
While not a remote job site, it does have the option to customize search results to drill down on freelance opportunities. Use the “remote” and “virtual” location keywords to find these jobs.
One of the biggest job search engines has now made it easier to find remote (and therefore) freelance work. Customize your searches to get access to their growing list!
This site lists opportunities for everything from house painting to babysitting, but there are a good number of opportunities for creatives, developers, and content creators. Bidding costs money, depending on the scope of work, but only a handful of professionals compete for each gig.
Freelancers can send proposals to many companies needing quality hourly work done. Win bids to get work and grow your income!
Boasting work from the top 3% of freelance software developers, designers, and finance experts, Toptal is trusted by impressive companies such as Consumer Affairs, Rand McNally, and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Sure, your first gigs will only earn you $5 (minus applicable fees), but more established freelancers are earning much more, and the opportunities on this platform are endless. Check out our Fiverr 1099 tax guide to prepare for your self-employment taxes if you use this platform.
This website was recently acquired by IZEA and requires content creators and writers to pass a few tests before they get started. Once approved, job bidding is easy and pricing is competitive.
Most writing freelancers use Contently for its amazing free portfolio platform, but did you know you can use it to find work, too? Select freelancers are given the chance to bid on work with top Fortune 500 brands.
This site bills itself as the “obsessively” curated community, and getting in can be tough. But once you meet their qualifications, expect to find freelance positions from top brands in several creative niches – updated daily!
Designed to match companies with professional writers, editors, translators and graphic designers, ServiceScape is certainly a service to explore as a freelancer starting or willing to grow their business
Currently only available to New York and London freelancers, this site features high-end work opportunities, direct communication with the client, and a 14-day payment policy.
Focusing solely on “microjobs,” the tasks on Zeerks are easy to do and take less time than larger projects. Pay ranges from a mere $3 to $200.
While it doesn’t list as many jobs as other sites, the type of work you’ll find here is varied. Sign up and start being considered for freelance positions in customer service, logo design, legal tasks, and more.
This resource calls itself “your telecommuting headquarters” and features a wide range of articles and new resources in addition to the 2,000 remote work opportunities it lists. Many are freelance in nature.
Another “micro” job site, Damongo lists jobs to be complete for a range of fees (usually $5 – 50.) Market your skills in editing, creative design, video animation, and more to a global audience.
Juiiicy is an invite-only site that pays designers to refer other designers for work. The closed community ensure only the best jobs are posted.
Connecting qualified technicians with competitive jobs in their local areas, Field Nation allows freelancers to grow their network, learn new skills, and earn as much – or as little – as they want.
Feel free to also check out the infographic from Hustlr on how to make money from your hobbies.
I hope this list helps you find more freelance work. Now that you know where to search, learn how to make a business proposal that stands out from the crowd. Let me know in the comments which freelance sites are your favorite!
What Defines a Verbal Contract?
A verbal contract (formally called an oral contract) refers to an agreement between two parties that's made —you guessed it— verbally.
Formal contracts, like those between an employee and an employer, are typically written down. However, some professional transactions take place based on verbally agreed terms.
Freelancers are a good example of this. Often, freelancers will take on projects having agreed on the terms and payment via the phone, or an email. Unfortunately, sometimes clients don't pull through on their agreements, and hardworking freelancers can find themselves out of pocket and wondering whether a legal battle is worth all the hassle.
The main differences between written and oral contracts are that the former is signed and documented, whereas the latter is solely attributed to verbal communication.
Verbal contracts are a bit of a gray area for most people unfamiliar with contract law —which is most of us, right?— due to the fact that there's no physical evidence to support the claims made by the implemented parties.
When is a Verbal Agreement Legally Binding?
For any contract (written or verbal) to be binding, there are four major elements which need to be in place. The crucial elements of a contract are as follows:
- Offer and acceptance: An offer is made and accepted by another party involved in the agreement;
- Consideration: The involved parties must exchange something of value (money, a service, time, etc), this is known as consideration;
- Intention and certainty: All parties must fully understand the terms of the contract and intend to make a legally binding agreement freely; and
- Capacity: The parties must have the capacity to legally enter into the contract; they're above age and of a stable mindset.
Therefore, an oral agreement has legal validity if all of these elements are present. However, verbal contracts can be difficult to enforce in a court of law. In the next section, we take a look at how oral agreements hold up in court.
How strong is a verbal agreement in court?
Most business professionals are wary of entering into contracts orally because they can difficult to enforce in the face of the law.
If an oral contract is brought in front of a court of law, there is increased risk of one party (or both!) lying about the initial terms of the agreement. This is problematic for the court, as there's no unbiased way to conclude the case; often, this will result in the case being disregarded. Moreover, it can be difficult to outline contract defects if it's not in writing.
That being said, there are plenty of situations where enforceable contracts do not need to be written or spoken, they're simply implied. For instance, when you buy milk from a store, you give something in exchange for something else and enter into an implied contract, in this case - money is exchanged for goods.
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get started nowWhen are verbal agreements not enforceable?
There are some types of contracts which must be in writing.
The Statute of Frauds is a legal statute which states that certain kinds of contracts must be executed in writing and signed by the parties involved. The Statute of Frauds has been adopted in almost all U.S states, and requires a written contract for the following purposes:
- The sale of real estate or vehicles
- Real estate leases lasting longer than one year.
- Property transfer following the death of the owner.
- The case of a party agreeing to pay debt for someone else.
- Any contract that requires more than a year to fulfil.
- A contract involving and exceeding a specified amount of money (which varies by state).
Typically, a court of law won't enforce an oral agreement in any of these circumstances under the statute. Instead, a written document is required to make the contract enforceable.
Contract law is generally doesn't favor contracts agreed upon verbally. A verbal agreement is difficult to prove, and can be used by those intent on committing fraud. For that reason, it's always best to put any agreements in writing and ensure all parties have fully understood and consented to signing.
How are Verbal Contracts Enforced?
Verbal agreements can be proven with actions in the absence of physical documentation. Any oral promise to provide the sale of goods or perform a service that you agreed to counts as a valid contract. So, when facing a court of law, what evidence can you provide to enforce a verbal agreement?
How can you prove an oral contract?
Unfortunately, without solid proof, it may be difficult to convince a court of the legality of an oral contract. Without witnesses to testify to the oral agreement taking place or other forms of evidence, oral contracts won't stand up in court. Instead, it becomes a matter of "he-said-she-said" - which legal professionals definitely don't have time for!
If you were to enter into a verbal contract, it's recommended to follow up with an email or a letter confirming the offer, the terms of the agreement , and payment conditions. The more you can document the elements of a contract, the better your chances of legally enforcing a oral contract.
Another option is to make a recording of the conversation where the agreement is verbalized. This can be used to support your claims in the absence of a written agreement. However, it's always best to gain the permission of the other involved parties before hitting record.
Written vs Verbal Contracts: What's the Verdict?
Fundamentally, most verbal agreements are legally valid as long as they meet all the requirements for a contract. However, if you were to go to court over one party not fulfilling the terms of the contract, proving that the interaction took place can be extremely taxing.
So, ultimately, the question is: written or verbal agreements?
Any good lawyer, contract law firm, or legal professional would advise you to make sure you formalize any professional agreement with a written agreement. Written contracts provide a secure testament to the conditions that were agreed and signed by the two parties involved. If it comes to it, a physical contract is much easier to eviden in legal circumstances.
Freelancers, in particular, should be aware of the extra security that digital contracts may provide. Many people choose to stick to executing contracts verbally because they're not sure how to write a contract, or they think writing out the contract terms is too complicated or requires expensive legal advice. However, this is no longer the case.
Say hello to digital contracts
Today, we have a world of resources available at our fingertips. The internet is a treasure trove of invaluable information, platforms, and software that simplifies our lives. Creating, signing, and sending contracts has never been easier. What's more, you don't have to rely on a hiring a lawyer to explain all that legal jargon anymore.
There are plenty of tools available online for freelancers to use for guidance when drafting digital contracts. Tools like Bonsai provide a range of customizable, vetted contract templates for all kinds of freelance professionals. No matter what industry you're operating in, Bonsai has a professional template to offer.
Benefits of written contracts
A written contract makes the agreement much easier to prove the terms of the agreement in case something were to go awry. The two parties involved can rest assured that they're legal rights are protected, and the terms of the contract are sufficiently documented. Plus, it provides both parties with peace of mind to focus on the tasks at hand.
Create Professional Contracts with Bonsai
Bonsai's product suite for freelancers allows users to make contracts from scratch, or using professional templates, and sign them using an online signature maker.
With Bonsai, you can streamline and automate all of the boring back-office tasks that come with being a freelancer. From creating proposals that clients can't say no to, to sealing the deal with a professional contract - Bonsai will revolutionize the way you do business as a freelancer.
Why not secure your business today and sign up for a free trial?
Join 500,000+ freelancers using Bonsai's free contracts & invoices.
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