Note that even on TopTal clients usually prefer full-time contractors.
You might try job boards such as RemoteOk (assuming you don't want to come into client offices) and just reach out to see if a company may be okay with that.
Ask HN: Where are the good platforms for contract work?
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Re: Ask HN: Where are the good platforms for contract work?
#12I've worked with A Team (www.a.team) for about a year now and I've had an amazing experience with them so far. Really interesting projects, good pay and their team is very supportive with getting you up and running. Can't recommend enough
Re: Ask HN: Where are the good platforms for contract work?
#13As a person who is starting a new freelance career in 10 days with 12 years of experience, I’ll keep an eye on the answers in that thread :)
oof. what made you make this jump. I might have to go down this path soon due to family circumstances .
I’ve wanted to do it for a long time (having my own hours, being my own boss, etc.). I’m in a comfortable financial situation, so I can offer myself the luxury of trying, and worst case scenario roll back to a full-time job if it doesn’t work for me :)
Re: Ask HN: Where are the good platforms for contract work?
#14One thing that makes me sad, is the old "contract agent" seems to have gone the way of the dodo.
I clearly remember these folks. They acted in almost exactly the same way as literary or artist agents; searching out opportunities for their clients, and setting up interviews, etc. As a hiring manager, I dealt with them frequently, and had friends that used them.
They used to make a lot of money, because they would charge a percentage of the rate they negotiated for you.
Nowadays, it looks like they have been replaced by "race to the bottom" sites, like Upwork, or these contract companies, that hire you at a fairly low rate, and shop you out for very high rates. You get to "enjoy" the crappy treatment most companies give to contractors, but at rates lower than the employees that sit next to you, shooting spitballs at you.
I encountered this, when working with recruiters, after leaving my last company. The ones that didn't immediately hang up on me, after finding out I was older, started trying to lowball me into being one of their contract shop employees. They would love telling me that I shouldn't ask for too much, "because of my age," before "generously" mentioning that they happen to have a contract shop that would be willing to do me the huge favor of "throwing some work at me."
It's a real slime-pit, these days.
Re: Ask HN: Where are the good platforms for contract work?
#15Hey! I did freelancing for a long time. It takes a while to build up work, but ultimately the only sustainable model is word of mouth. But you have to get your first few clients...
There's lots of ways to build up work, but the way I did it was by creating a few fun projects and blog posts that ended up on HN. Each one had a "I'm doing freelancing work!" ad on them. (You're kinda doing this right now!)
It might not work for everyone, but I had by far the best success by creating something that would intrigue the people I wanted to hire me.
Re: Ask HN: Where are the good platforms for contract work?
#16What are the good platforms? Emailing the CEO of small, local software companies with your experience and your rate. Also, posting your info on the monthly HN Who's Hiring Freelancers post.
What rates are people charging these days?
Re: Ask HN: Where are the good platforms for contract work?
#17What are the good platforms? Emailing the CEO of small, local software companies with your experience and your rate. Also, posting your info on the monthly HN Who's Hiring Freelancers post.
What rates are people charging these days?
See this thread on the topic from a week or two ago. 350 comments
Re: Ask HN: Where are the good platforms for contract work?
#18Don’t use a platform, they’re designed to screw you. Idk where you’re based but it’s best to take on work you can find through people you know (even tenuously). You can usually find work by bugging people you’ve worked with in the past (or if you’re new, friends from university or school). There is ample work to go around, but it’s not out on those boards.
Re: Ask HN: Where are the good platforms for contract work?
#19Best of luck, I recently perused this path and abandoned it pretty quickly. I found a couple of companies looking for contractors that seemed to be a good fit, however, they kept delaying their projects and telling me they'd get in touch in a month or two (presumably over economic uncertainty).
I get the sense that yes, contracting platforms are a race to the bottom, but also this is a pretty bad time to be launching a freelance career.
Re: Ask HN: Where are the good platforms for contract work?
#20Never worked with them but I have with a contractor who had good things to say:
https://www.a.team/
Another route is to apply for full time jobs and ask early in the process if they’ll consider hiring you as a contractor. Give your honest reasons why you want to go this route. If they continue with the interview process, knock their socks off so they can’t afford not to use you at whatever terms you want.