How to Find Freelance Work From Home Jobs in Australia
Over 4.1 million Australians are currently working as freelancers — that’s roughly one-third of the country’s workforce. Furthermore, another 746,000 people have traditional jobs and do freelance work on the side to earn extra income. Two-fifths of these people report flirting with the idea of full-time freelancing, too.
Since this data was released, freelance work has become even more popular in Australia thanks to the fallout from the 2020 pandemic. Are you interested in finding freelance work from home jobs in Australia? If so, continue reading.
This guide outlines the benefits and challenges of freelance remote work. It also provides insight into how you can find freelance work from home jobs and explains Australia’s top 5 freelance remote positions.
5 Benefits of Doing Freelance Work from Home Jobs in Australia
For those who are on the fence about pursuing freelance jobs from home in Australia, understanding the benefits of this type of work may persuade you to make the leap. Here are 5 benefits that remote freelance work has to offer:
1. Schedule Flexibility
A mere 3.5 per cent of Australians say they want a fixed work schedule. The majority of Australians want more flexibility, and doing freelance work from home jobs is one of the best ways to get it.
When you’re a freelancer, you get to set your own schedule and work when you’re most alert and productive. This could be early in the morning, late at night, or anytime in between. As long you meet your deadlines, it’s up to you!
2. Location Flexibility
When you live somewhere as beautiful as Australia, it can be extra-hard to stay inside all day and work in a stuffy office. If you’re a remote freelancer, you don’t have to do this.
Most freelance remote jobs can be done anywhere that has a good wifi connection. This means that freelancers can work almost anywhere they want — the comfort of their own home, a patio at a coffee shop, a beachfront resort — the choice is theirs.
3. Higher Earning Potential
Some people find that when they ditch their 9-5 corporate job and choose to freelance instead, they eventually start to earn more money than they would have if they’d kept their old position. This is especially true if they live in a place like Sydney, Melbourne, Bondi Junction, or another city that’s known for being lucrative for freelancers.
This has a lot to do with the fact that freelancers get to set their own rates. This means they can charge what they’re worth, and they don’t have to worry about negotiating a salary with a boss — although they may have to do some price negotiations with clients, especially at the beginning of their freelance career.
4. Client Flexibility
When you’re first launching your career as a freelancer, most people agree that you should work with anyone who wants to work with you. Over time, though, as you begin building your brand, you can start to be more selective with your clients.
This allows you to only work with those with whom you really want to partner. As a result, you may feel more satisfied with your work and have a better attitude about your job.
5. Work-Life Balance
A lack of work-life balance is a serious issue for Australians. In fact, the number of Australians who work very long hours is higher (13 per cent compared to 10 per cent) than the global average.
If you want to create more balance between your work and personal life, switching to freelance jobs from home might be more beneficial. This gives you more time to spend with your loved ones, more control over your schedule, and less stress related to commuting, office politics, etc.
5 Challenges of Doing Freelance Work from Home Jobs in Australia
While there are plenty of benefits that come with working freelance jobs online from home, there are also some important challenges to keep in mind. Here are 5 of the most noteworthy ones to consider:
1. Client Communication Frustrations
An article published in the Sydney Morning Herald explains one of the top frustrations for freelancers has to do with difficulty communicating with clients. This is particularly true when it comes to communications regarding money.
Some clients are slow to respond to invoices and may take longer than you’d like to pay you for your services. This can be difficult to handle, especially when you’re a new freelancer and are trying to build a strong client base.
2. Isolation
For those who are used to working in a busy office, switching to freelance work might feel a bit lonely at first.
As a freelancer, you’ll need to be more intentional about building socialisation and time outdoors into your schedule. Otherwise, you might catch yourself experiencing a bit of cabin fever or feeling lonely while you work.
3. Loss of Benefits
When you stop working a full-time job and become a freelancer, you will give up a lot of the benefits that are offered to traditional employees.
For example, you may miss out on paid vacation time, paid sick days, and maternity/paternity leave. You’ll need to bulk up your savings and set aside money each month to account for these things and make sure you can take time off when needed.
4. Constant Client Sourcing
As a freelancer, you can’t let yourself get too complacent when it comes to promoting your business and sourcing new clients.
You need to be committed to making people aware of what you offer and encouraging them to invest in your services. Otherwise, you may find yourself struggling to bring in enough income and keep your business afloat.
5. Taxes
Finally, freelance workers in Australia have to take money out from every cheque they earn to pay taxes.
If you make more than $18,200 in a year, you’ll have to pay taxes — the specific percentages will vary depending on your total income. Furthermore, if your income is higher than $75,000 per year, you’ll also need to pay a 10 per cent Goods and Services Tax.
Figuring out taxes as a freelancer can definitely be a hassle, so it’s good to work with an accountant to avoid penalties and fees.
How to Find Freelance Work from Home Jobs in Australia
Are you convinced that working freelance jobs online from home is a good option for you? If so, here are 5 strategies you can utilize to find openings that align with your interests and skills:
Look at GrabJobs
Kick-off your freelance job search journey with a visit to the GrabJobs or app.
GrabJobs is a free tool that helps you look for all kinds of jobs, from full-time salaried positions to freelance and contract gigs.
No matter what kind of job you’re trying to find, you can easily narrow down your search with filters for things like location, salary, job type, and experience requirements. With so many filters, you can quickly find matches that are right for you and apply for your dream position faster than ever.
In addition to simplifying the job search and application process, GrabJobs also provides users with a variety of resources to increase their chances of being selected. This includes guides on resume writing, upskilling, choosing the right job search platforms, and more.
Search Other Job Sites
GrabJobs is an excellent starting point for your online freelance job search. There are other sites worth checking out, too, including a variety of sites geared specifically toward freelancers. This includes sites like WeWorkRemotely, FlexJobs, Upwork, and Fiverr.
These sites are not just useful for freelancers who are trying to connect with clients and advertise their services. They also help you gain more insight into how you can promote your services. For example, you can see what other professionals in your field are charging and what kind of work they’re doing that you might want to start offering.
Search Online Classifieds
Many online classified ads, such as GumTree, are good places to look for freelance work from home jobs, too.
Lots of businesses will post classified ads when they’re looking for help with a specific project — such as filming a marketing video or writing an eBook — but don’t want to hire a full-time or part-time employee to assist them. If you check out these ads regularly, you can learn about these requests and respond to them before anyone else.
Remember, these ads get updated daily — or sometimes several times per day. It’s important to check them often so you can be alerted to new opportunities as soon as they go up.
Join LinkedIn
It’s a lot easier to find new clients and build your business as a freelancer if you have access to a strong network of entrepreneurs and other freelancers. One of the best ways to build your network in 2022 is through the social networking platform LinkedIn.
LinkedIn allows you to chat with all kinds of professionals and promote your services to those who are most likely to invest in them. You can also join groups that are specifically for freelancers like you so you can share tips, bounce ideas off one another, and learn about new opportunities.
Use Other Social Media Sites
Other social media sites can be just as beneficial as LinkedIn for sourcing clients and building your brand as a freelancer. There are lots of Facebook groups you may want to join, for example, to connect with and learn from other freelancers in your industry.
You can also use social media sites to let people know that you’re a new freelancer looking for work. You never know when one of your friends might need some graphics designed for the business or help with data entry.
Top 5 Freelance Work from Home Jobs in Australia
Australia’s millions of freelancers are earning a living doing all kinds of work. However, some freelance work from home jobs are more popular than others.
The following are the top 5 remote freelance jobs in Australia:
It’s 2022, and social media has been around for over a decade. However, some businesses are still trying to figure out how to use platforms like Facebook and Instagram to market their products or services. This is where a social media specialist comes in handy.
Social media specialists (also known as social media consultants or social media marketers) can help businesses level up their marketing strategies. They create content for social media — including putting together infographics, writing captions, editing videos, etc. — and monitor analytics to help businesses improve online performance.
To be a good social media specialist, you must be knowledgeable about social media. You must also be creative, good at managing your time, and good at communicating with clients to understand their brand and create content that aligns with their mission and values.
This is a challenging job, for sure, but it also pays well. The average salary in Australia for a social media specialist is $75,646 per year.
Even if you don’t have a lot of job experience or a lot of hard, technical skills, you can still earn a good living working as a freelance remote worker. One of the best jobs to consider if you want to do freelance work from home is a job as a virtual assistant.
Virtual assistants are freelancers who work alongside professionals and help them do their jobs as efficiently and effectively as possible. They handle many of the same tasks that a receptionist or personal assistant would — this includes things like data entry, sending and responding to emails, scheduling appointments, making travel arrangements, and making and responding to phone calls.
The average salary for a virtual assistant is $51,745 per year. Depending on the person for whom you work and the specific skills you bring to the table, though, you may be able to earn a lot more.
A content writer is a digital marketing professional and a valuable asset to any business’s marketing team. Content writers often work on a freelance basis, creating content of all kinds (everything from social media captions to eBooks) to help businesses expand their reach, provide value to their audiences, and gain credibility.
The best freelance content writers have extensive writing skills and are able to adapt their tones to meet different clients’ needs, goals, and branding guidelines. In addition to being skilled writers, they also are good at managing their time, meeting deadlines, staying organised, and communicating politely and professionally with clients.
The average salary for a content writer in Australia is $68,662 per year, so this is a great freelance job for those with a writing background to consider. It also provides a chance to develop valuable professional skills and experience that they can take with them to other careers in the future.
These days, many tech professionals work remotely as freelancers. This includes software developers.
Software developers are responsible for creating all kinds of computer programs for their clients. They have an in-depth knowledge of various programming languages, as well as extensive computer and mathematical skills.
Freelance software developers are detail-oriented, creative problem-solvers, and they’re good at managing their time and communicating with clients, too, to ensure they’re completing projects according to each client’s needs and vision.
The average salary for a software developer in Australia is $98,736 per year, so this can be a very lucrative opportunity for freelancers with the right skills to consider.
If you’re a creative person with a passion for marketing and design, a job as a freelance graphic designer might be the perfect fit for you.
Graphic designers are responsible for designing all of the images that make up a business’s brand — this includes the logo, the sign that goes outside of their store, the graphics on their website, the infographics they share on social media, and more. As long as they have access to the right programs and tools, graphic designers can easily work from home and act as their own boss, completing projects for clients located all over the world.
To be a good graphic designer, you must be creative and understand how to use programs like Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. You must also be detail-oriented, an active listener, and an effective communicator. The ability to manage time and meet deadlines comes in handy, too.
On average, graphic designers in Australia earn $73,817 per year.
Find the Best Freelance Work from Home Jobs in Australia Today
Are you ready to try your hand at doing freelance work from home? If so, use this guide as a template to help you begin and get the most out of your freelance career.
If you’re not already using GrabJobs to aid in your search for freelance work from home positions, now is the time to start.
Check it out today to see for yourself how easy it is to search for openings, get in touch with businesses from across the globe, and find work.
