Becoming a Freelancer in Singapore
Image by Austin Distel
In the previous post, we talked about freelancing in general. You can be a freelancer anyway. Now, let's focus on the freelancing landscape in Singapore.
Content:
1. Why should you be a freelancer?
3. Where are you going to get job opportunities?
4. Do you need to prepare a contract?
5. How much are you going to charge?
1. Why should you be a freelancer?
You need the extra income.
Let's be honest - the cost of living is relatively high in Singapore. You want to earn the extra income to live comfortably, or maybe you have a few mouths to feed in your family. It may also be the case that you are currently jobless, and you decided to be a freelancer and do some odd jobs to get you through the days.
You want more opportunities.
Your work is not offering you the opportunities that you want. For example, you are a software engineer, but you want to be a photographer too. What is a better way to explore your creative interest? One option is to be a freelance photographer. You can enjoy the stability of your full-time job and explore photography as a sideline.
You want to build up your portfolio for future work opportunities.
You have recently learnt a new skill and made up your mind on a career switch. However, you do not have relevant experiences. You can opt to do a few freelancing works and build up both your portfolio and resume. At the same time, you can also decide for yourself if the work is for you before you commit to a 180 degrees change.
2. What skills do you have?
Ask yourself the above question and determine the type of services you can offer. Are you good at drawing? You can be an illustrator. Are you good at pronunciation and have a good voice? You can be a voiceover artist. Do you drive and own a vehicle? Maybe you can consider being a Grab driver or provide food delivery services. Do your relatives and friends like to ask you to bake their favourite cookies? You can bake and sell cookies as a sideline. The opportunities are endless.
"Hey, I want to be a freelancer. So, what do I do next?" - You
Here come the challenges.
3. Where are you going to get job opportunities?
Here are some ways that you can get job opportunities.
Family and Friends
They are usually your first pool of customers. Most of the time, they will support you. However, you have to remember that they may not be your recurring customers. They are just helping you to kickstart your sideline project.
Send cold emails, responding to job advertisements, etc.
You can do this step while your family and friends are supporting you. It sounds easy, but most of the time, you may not get a reply. You will learn to face rejection. Continue to press on!
Publish your services on freelance websites such as Fiverr.
If you are new to the game, it's good to put yourself out there to get more work. You can learn to deal with clients, build your portfolio and gain more exposure.
Referral
Clients get referred to you via word of mouth. If you are a budding freelancer, focus on getting more work from other channels first. Always do a splendid job for your clients, then there is a good reason for them to refer potential clients to you.
4. Do you need to prepare a contract?
Yes, this is to safeguard yourself. Clients have to cancel the job halfway through the project due to unforeseen circumstances. With a contract, you can seek partial payment from the client.
So, what is a contract?
A contract is like a promise between you and the client that is enforceable by the law. Both of you have to keep to the promise. If either one of you fails to keep to the promise, the other party is entitled to legal redress.
For example, client A agrees to hire you for a piece of commission work. Both of you have discussed the details - such as payment, deadline, delivery services, etc. It is better to have it written contract than a verbal one because it is easier to show the proof.
What can you put in a contract?
Names of the parties - mainly the client and yourself
Project details such as the scope, deliverables, delivery details, deadline of the project, etc.
Payment amount and mode. Please include the terms and conditions such as the percentage of partial payment when a job is cancelled at different stages, terms of payment, etc.
Copyright ownership. In most cases, you own the copyright to most of your work unless it is written in the contract that you are transferring ownership to the client. You are the copyright owner of any work that you produce.
Confidentiality. Sometimes, you are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Disputes resolution. It is advisable to set out in the contract the organisation that will act as the middle person if there is a dispute. However, you may want to note that hiring a professional is not cheap.
5. How much are you going to charge?
This is a tricky question. The charges vary. You have to do some research to know the market rate. More importantly, if you are new to the field and do not have a concrete portfolio, you may have to do a few low paying jobs to get a foot into the industry. There are times when you need to do a few free jobs to get the experience, testimonials, etc. You can start small and increase your prices as you get better.
6. Do you need to register your freelancing business?
No, you do not need to register your business. You can run your business under your full name, as per your NRIC, and you are a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident. As a budding freelancer, you can run the business under your full name and keep the business expenses low.
For example, your full name is Tan Ah Bee. You can run a freelance business as "Tan Ah Bee". You have to register with BizFile if you wish to name your business as
Ah Bee Tan
AB Tan
AB Tan Design
However, I recommend that you run the business under your full name until you have a more stable income, then you can consider if you want to convert into a sole proprietorship or a company.
7. Should you be a freelancer?
Now that you have a better understanding of what you need to do if you want to be a freelancer. You may start to wonder if you can be one. It's important to ask yourself if you are ready to go through the obstacles that come along the way. You have to motivate yourself during the early stages of this journey. Most importantly, you must have sufficient savings to tide you through your days because you do not have regular income every month. Even if you are not confident to be a freelancer, you can opt to do this as a sideline on top of your full-time work.
Here is some information that you might want to read up on too.
Law Society Pro Bono Services - Advocates for the Arts
To all creatives, this document provides information about copyright matters or dispute resolutions.
I hope this post gives you a clearer picture of freelancing in Singapore.
x, Esther
Share this post!
