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  >  Life   >  Freelance vs Employee: The Pros and Cons

Working as a freelancer or an employee, which is better? Of course, that depends entirely who you ask. Both have their perks and their drawbacks, so if you’re deciding between the two it’s important to weigh up the pros and cons. Perhaps you’re currently freelancing and considering applying for a permanent position somewhere, or maybe you’re tired of the constraints of employee life and are feeling like the grass is greener on the freelance side. Before making your decision, here are some things to consider. 

 

Freedom and flexibility

If you value freedom and flexibility in your work days and your approach then freelance is likely to be a good fit for you. From choosing your own hours to accepting the clients that you feel are the best fit for you, there’s much more freedom compared to working as an employee. While you do still have a ‘boss’ in a sense since you’ll have to work to your clients specifications and timeline, these will all be agreed by you in advance. Working a 9-5 job or shifts just isnt for everyone, by freelancing you have more control over your working hours and days and generally the way you go about things. This means you can work to suit your lifestyle or preferences. For example, maybe you’re a night owl that prefers to get things done in the evening, or maybe you have childcare commitments to deal with during the day or weekends. Working as an employee will almost never afford you this kind of flexibility, you will have to tailor your life around your job rather than the other way around. 

 

Regular income

One of the biggest benefits of working as an employee over being a freelancer is the regular paycheck. Knowing that you have this set amount of money to rely on each week or month can be fantastic for peace of mind. As a freelancer you’re at the mercy of your workflow, and because of this you’ll need to budget for quieter times. As an employee there are a number of other perks such as pensions, sick pay and holiday pay that you just dont get as an employee. If you’ve been freelancing for a while but applied and got the job at a company as an employee then this is something that will feel like such a luxury. You definitely have more security and peace of mind compared with freelance life. 

 

Working from home

Before the pandemic, working from home as an employee was relatively rare, however things have changed now. With that being said though, as an employee you still might have to commit to going into your workplace for a number of days each week or month depending on what’s expected of you. As a freelancer you choose where you work from and so this is still a perk. Particularly during these turbulent times when many are worried about the virus. 

 

Freelance or employee, which would you prefer? If you’ve done both, what advice would you give to others who are in the process of deciding?

 

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