Trying to Find Work On Upwork – the cons

The work marketplace and platform Upwork shows promise in the beginning, but it is rather a daunting platform for those without a specific degree of skill.  If you’re freelancing and just looking for part-time work, for example, if you’re a writer and want to write articles, e-books of 20,000 words or more, for low pay (on average $400 per e-book, and Upwork takes a 20% cut, so you’re left with $320, works out to $0.02/word, far from a fair rate of at least $0.10 per word).  Even if you’re applying for proofreading work, it is still increasingly difficult to find work, at least in my 2 months already on the platform, even now as a paid / paying member.

What’s worse is there is a lengthy sign up process, you have to approved, but there are some perks, including being able to your profile as a Digital or Online Portfolio of sorts. But all in all, it seems only highly educated people with Master’s degrees are getting editing or proofreading work.  So is it worth paying for your Upwork membership? At this point in time, I’m not sure. But there are alternatives to Upwork.

The pros of working on Fiverr

But that being said, are there any other freelancer platforms that promise a bit of an easier deal? Well, for one, there is Fiverr.com.  For starters, it’s a free platform.  And signing up to Fiverr is easy. You simply enter your details and you can get work right away, by posting gigs, so no vetting process. Upwork also offers a free basic plan, but with limitations. So, back to Fiverr.  Though no one is guaranteed getting work or jobs, it’s still worth trying to post some of your gigs. You can charge fair fees too, for example I’ve noticed freelance writers posting blog writing services for $70 per 500 word article, which is a far cry from the average $5.  But if you are a Native English Speaker, you can charge fair rates since you probably know what you’re doing. All in all, when comparing Fiverr to Upwork, at this point in time I’m keen on working on Fiverr. It’s simple and easy to use platform shows promise, and time will tell.

Sign up to Fiverr Learn for courses that can help fast-track your freelancing career. More to come in a future article.

Sign up to Fiverr Business for agencies or if your freelancing business is taking off.

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