The Freelance Scenario in India is still not as rosy as it seems

A decade or two ago, one would have related the term “freelancer” to someone in a creative field like media, advertising, interior designing or photography. Not so now. Worldwide trends for freelancing show a lot of difference especially in the past five years. We find many mainstream professionals in Marketing, Management, Information technology and Education, quitting their white collar jobs and turning to entrepreneurship or freelance.

Cut to the Indian scenario. There are millions of freelancers in this country, most of them part timers wanting to supplement their regular income. Some enterprising professionals are venturing into freelancing or “Consultation” as they prefer to call it. The move, more often than not, is premeditated, with the person opting to be his own boss, not finding adequate job satisfaction or wanting flexibility in work hours. If the individual is a professional with years of experience behind him, and opting to become an entrepreneur mid career, he is aware of the financial investment risks involved and accepts it. He is willing to face the pain of failure if it happens. He has probably saved to compensate for the oncoming financial insecurity. And if his business plans do take off, his success could reach heights.

 The picture of a full time freelancer, not necessarily an entrepreneur who does not invest anything except his time and expertise, is, however, not as rosy as it seems. The freelancing trend in India is comparatively nascent, an organisational mess and fraught with risks. Hurdles appear at every step and if this adventure into the world of freelancing fails, going back to a well paid job may prove to be slightly difficult.

The journey faces its first hurdle in the family.

 “How are you going to manage the day to day expenses without a steady income?”

This is the normal question asked by any Indian family member, in whose mind the twin factors of job security and monthly salary remain too deeply ingrained for him/her to accept the freelancer’s baggage of financial insecurity.

The second hurdle makes its appearance in the social and business circles. A freelancer, unless already respectfully established, has to work doubly hard and generate quality output to establish his credentials. Gender inequality also exists in most spheres. Employers generally seem to think that women, especially those with young children, who take the freelance route are not committed enough towards their work, and should be paid less than their male counterparts, whereas the opposite may be the factual truth. Bidding wars and cut throat competition are common. A steady flow of assignments may be hard to come by. A freelancer’s quality credentials are suspect if he under quotes. But if he sticks to his price, he may lose out on some prestigious projects. However, every established freelancer would advice not to compromise on pricing and quality, as in Indian circles, the ‘word of mouth’ recommendations still play a huge role in landing assignments on your lap.

As it is, the freelancer worries about the inconsistencies of cash inflow with some busy months followed by a lean patch when one is waiting for some project to materialize. Added to this, the vicious red tape involved in lengthy negotiation with bureaucracy leading to delayed payments can be extremely frustrating to say the least. 

Thankfully, not all companies are the same. There are a few who pay well and promptly, but they are significantly few in number. It pays to make a note of these and serve them with increasing frequency. You can search for specialized work assignments in freelancing websites, but the success mantra has to be research. Research the credentials and authenticity of a prospective job giver, before you approach for a job-work. There is no specific law relating to freelancers in India. Hence the benefits and privileges available to employed personnel cannot be availed by them. Everything depends on the contract that is entered into between the individual and the organisation.

The employer though is in a win-win situation.  When the company hires a freelancer, they are saving on so many counts, no health benefits, no provident fund, no gratuity, bonus payment or leave salary, no training cost. But the freelancer loses out on all these benefits. Hence, he/she should ideally take all these factors into account before quoting a price for his/her expertise.

But the scenario is not totally grim. Silver linings do lighten up the horizon if you keep in mind that facing a talent crunch and perennial job rotation antics of good employees, companies are scouting for genuine talent on the freelance screen. You have to note, however, that every employer is different. His requirements are different. You will have to keep updating your skill and knowledge in the field of your expertise. You may have to spend from your own pocket for training and updating your knowledge.

But if you are able to take it as a challenge, then you could be a huge success.

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