It’s being called the “Freelance Revolution” and what is that exactly? Well, if you are a regular visitor to this site, you’re probably part of this. If this is the first time, you’re visiting, then you’re probably thinking of jumping on this bandwagon yourself. It’s all about working at home!
I am a part of this revolution. And precisely because as a stay-at-home mom, I wanted to transition to being a work-at-home mom. I wanted something that would enable me to use my talents and abilities. I wanted to do something that would enable me to contribute to the income of our home, you know, not having to run to hubby for every little monetary need.
And you know what, I found it. In the form of Upwork, one of the biggest freelancing sites in the world. I’ve been working at home as a transcriber via Upwork for a little under two years now and have never looked back.
What is Upwork?
Upwork was founded in 1999 and is an online marketplace. It has over two million registered freelancers and over half a million clients. On March 9, 2014, Upwork announced that freelancers had earned over $1 billion. We are talking about big business!
With the advent of the Internet, came the opportunity to make money online and the chance to work at home. Well, many scams have come up promising you that you can make money overnight. Don’t fall for the scams. Upwork provides a chance to do work – legitimate work at that – and get paid for it.
Let’s take a look at why I love this site. Hopefully, at the end of it, you’ll be itching to sign up and start working too.
1. A Wide Marketplace of Jobs
Upwork provides the opportunity to meet up with different clients. With over 500,000 clients, there are numerous jobs being posted every hour. Whether you’re into graphic design, video editing, article writing, transcription, software development, etc, there are clients who are looking for contractors who can offer such services.
2. Excellent Customer Service
Upwork has excellent support staff as far as I’m concerned. Every time, I have had an issue, they have responded professionally and fast to my queries. Don’t misunderstand though, I haven’t had serious issues but the few time I have needed help, I have been sufficiently helped.
3. Escrow System
Upwork has an escrow system in place. If I may put this in a simpler way, it simply means insurance. Once you have been awarded a contract by a client for a fixed-rate job, Upwork recommends that the client releases escrow. Here’s an example: If you’ve been awarded a contract to do logo design for which you are charging $50, the client is expected to release the $50 to Upwork. This means that you, as the freelancer will be able to work comfortably knowing that once you have completed the project the client will have to release the money. It is therefore recommended not to start working on a project until the client has funded escrow. Really, it’s for your own good. There are also hourly jobs, for which there is the Work View feature. This means that the clients are able to see that you are working on their project as a screenshot is taken periodically. Getting scammed on Upwork really is not easy.
4. Connects
This is the Upwork “currency” or shall I call it legal tender? A freelancer is given 40 connections each month. That means that to send your proposals or to bid for jobs, you need connections. Most jobs will cost you one connection. However, you can get more than 40 connections if you upgrade from the free membership to the individual membership. I like the fact that there is a limit to the number of connections freelancers get. That ensures that freelancers are more careful about the jobs they send proposals to.
5. Skill Tests
It is highly recommended that you take tests before you start sending proposals for jobs that you might be interested in. If you do well on them, you’ll be miles ahead of your competition. No need to sweat it out though. If you fail any test, you can always re-do it later. The tests are timed but as the tests are open books, it means that you can Google up the answers. To start off, I recommend you take the English test, which ranges from the English UK and US basic English spelling tests, vocabulary tests, etc especially if you’re into article writing.
Conclusion of Upwork
There are some pretty awful reviews on Upwork on the net and I can’t quite get it. As I stated earlier, I’ve been working for this site for a little under two years and I’ve absolutely enjoyed it. For one, I have never been scammed. I have been paid for every single job that I have done.
There needs to be a bit of wisdom applied though. Check out client reviews before you send your proposal. Make sure the client has a verified payment system and that they give good feedback to the contractors they hire: at least most of the time.
I personally have no qualms with Upwork. I’ve enjoyed the opportunities therein that have allowed me to work at home. I’ve had continuous work but then I’m pretty aggressive when it comes to bidding for jobs. I have no regrets. And my final three words for you: Try it out.
Please sign up for Upwork to get access to several freelance work-at-home jobs, tasks, and assignments.
If you are having trouble getting freelance work from Upwork, make sure that you read this article for more tips.
2 Comments
name · at
Upwork was under a different name back when I started some years ago. Not all of my experience was positive nor negative. Decent clients were hard to come by and when you think you came across a decent one you soon discover they aren’t what they say.
Community members were trying to ensure and explain to clients that the lowest bid isn’t always the best but many go that route. Even when they get rid of the bad eggs they come back again under a different name.
Don’t get me wrong, Upwork had loads of potential but there were times many were left wondering what the true bottom line was if any. All-in-all this is a suitable platform to work from since some categories fair better than others.
As for the Tests, only take them if you feel you need to.
Christopher Binns · at
Upwork rejected my application. I have superior writing capabilities and access to online databases like EBSCO Host. I could have brought excellent writing and content creation skills to the platform yet they rejected my application because they have too many writers. How is that possible? Why not let employers decide? I guess I should have lied and showed myself to be less capable of delivering quality writing and online content. Don’t waste your time with Upwork!