Freelance vs office. What to choose

Each field of work offers not only its own unique career opportunities, but also different ways of working. Today we will talk about one of the most promising areas — IT. Information technology provides huge opportunities for choosing the way of working — from a standard office or co-working to freelancing. We will try to compare the office and freelancing, as well as find out the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

Portrait of a specialist

The portrait of a specialist largely determines his way of working. Usually, extroverts prefer live communication and rhythm, so they are prone to office work. In turn, introverts like calmness and silence, which allows them to better focus on work. It is necessary to proceed from the individual needs of a person and make a choice between an office and freelance based on them.

Work organization

Organization of work is another important factor. When choosing to work in the office, you need to understand that, most likely, the schedule of the day has already been thought out. Accordingly, the specialist will not be able to influence him. The reason for this may be daily stand-ups, phone calls with clients and briefings.

When working as a freelancer, the schedule is almost completely dependent on the employee, with the exception of scheduled calls with clients (clients can live in different time zones). Some freelancers prefer to work in the evening and at night, while there are those who like to work in the morning. For people with non-standard time preferences, freelancing is the best option.

Office work

Pros:

1. Medical insurance

Most companies provide health insurance to their employees. The company pays all or part of the employee’s health expenses. For some people, this can be a very big plus.

2. Stable income

With a full eight-hour work, a person can count on the fact that he always has a salary. The same amount of money is received every month, so the employee does not have to worry about anything. Regardless of the amount of work done in a month, the rate remains fixed.

Money in freelancing is completely dependent on the freelancer himself, so less motivated people are always eager to get a safe office job. A lot of people just want some stability so they don’t have to worry about paying their bills.

3. Professional communication environment

In the office, a specialist is part of a team of workers who practice their skills on a daily basis. In the process of work, people exchange knowledge with each other. In a sense, the employee creates his own network of people. This results in constant development.

4. Sponsorship of moving to another country

Choosing large companies with offices around the world, a specialist can count on the possibility of moving to another country. Companies such as EPAM or Luxoft transport employees at their own expense. However, in this case, it is important to decide in advance where there is a desire to move, since there are different visa requirements for moving to different countries. For example, for a US L-1 visa, you need to work for at least 1 year in an office in another country. And to obtain a visa to Germany, you need to check the education received in other countries. You can check whether a particular university is on the list of educational institutions recognized by Germany on the website of the German government.

5. Teaching English

Since the main official language is English, many companies offer their employees courses to improve their level or even training from scratch. Today, language requirements are much higher than 5 years ago. This, in particular, is due to the desire of foreign clients to communicate directly with specialists.

Minuses:

1. Work on schedule

The lack of flexible hours is a huge disadvantage. If a specialist falls ill, he will need a doctor’s note to take sick leave. Also a minus is a clear work schedule from 9 to 6. This makes it difficult to plan events for the day, such as visiting the dentist.

2. Limited vacation options

Paid standard leave can be from 1 week to 1 month, depending on the internal policy of the company. This is not always enough for a quality holiday.

3. Dress code

Some companies practice a dress code culture. This is not the biggest disadvantage, but it can affect a person’s right to self-expression.

Freelance

Pros:

1. Ability to live and work anywhere in the world

Unlike an office, freelancing allows you to be anywhere, as long as there is an Internet connection. This may be the optimal solution for people who love to travel and tend to move frequently. You can work near the ocean, in the mountains or near the pool.

2. Free work schedule

The very concept of freelancing comes from the word freedom. Accordingly, this is the freedom of schedule and action. A specialist can plan his working day as he likes.

3. No dress code

The specialist does not need to look formal. It is enough to wake up, make coffee — and work in pajamas all day long. In some cases, this can significantly save money on the wardrobe.

4. Ability to combine multiple projects

When working as a freelancer, you can take on 1 large project or several smaller ones. Everything is limited only by the desire of the freelancer himself. Working in an office dictates the order of tasks and the amount of time allocated to a project. In freelancing, the worker decides everything himself.

5. No travel to and from the office

Working from home saves a lot of time traveling to and from the office. This allows freelancers to sleep 1-1.5 hours more compared to office workers. Extra time can be devoted to home and family: take the child to school or kindergarten, walk the dog, or just take care of household issues. Free time in the morning can be spent on sports, when exercise is most productive.

Minuses:

1. Irregular income

Earnings on freelancing are unpredictable, since no one guarantees a job for a specialist. Money drips only as long as the client needs an employee and has a job for him. The normal state of a freelancer is either thick or empty in terms of orders, with the exception of those who have already set up a constant flow. It can happen that a freelancer makes a ton of money one month and then the next month can’t find a single project. This factor is important to consider, since many specialists, especially beginners, do not expect this.

2. Lack of benefits

The freelancer himself bears all the additional costs associated with both the place of work and the maintenance of health. This includes covering expenses in case of illness, sports, regular internet bills. When a specialist is on vacation, he does not receive anything. There is no paid maternity leave for women. However, if you make enough money, these expenses should easily pay off.

3. Self-organization

Since no one tells a freelancer what to do and when, it is very important that he plans his day correctly and sticks to deadlines. It is important to take care of a stable Internet and a quiet workplace for better concentration.

Conclusion

When choosing a job in the office or freelancing, a specialist must take into account his own goals and individual characteristics. Regardless of the choice, becoming a good employee takes a lot of effort and discipline.

Author: Olga Bagaeva