Selling Services as a Freelancer

OzLance doesn't condone the $1 an hour culture of other freelance sites because we know better than anyone that you get what you pay for. At OzLance we expect freelancers to charge a happy medium. As freelancers generally have minimal business overheads like advertising and staff costs, rates tend to be lower than mainstream consulting firms but should also reflect your skills and qualifications. See our pricing guide for more information.

Joining, quoting and getting hired are free, and OzLance takes no commission on your work. The site is paid for by clients who feature a project for $9.90 so it's seen sooner.

OzLance is focused on providing a high quality alternative, for both clients and freelancers. Being part of the OzLance Freelancer family means providing high quality work, meeting deadlines and being an all round great professional.

We encourage you to ONLY apply for jobs you are confident that you can complete well and in the time allotted. As suitable jobs are booked into the OzLance system, you will receive an email notification inviting you to review the job and apply if suitable.

Clients post jobs in these occupations, and the list is always growing.

• Software & Web Development
• AI, Automation & Data
• IT Support & Infrastructure
• Design & Creative
• Video, Audio & Photography
• Digital Marketing & Sales
• Writing, Content & Translation
• Business, Finance & Legal
• Admin & Customer Support
• Engineering & Architecture
• Printing, Manufacturing & Production
• Other Services

Quoting per job encourages the quickest, most honest and cost effective deal for the client and the freelancer. The key to getting a fair rate for the job is to accurately estimate how long the entire job will take to finish. If it seems impossible to estimate, you may ask the client to break the job into several parts and list them separately on OzLance for you.

At OzLance we aim to deliver best fit applicants, meaning fewer "time wasters" for clients and fewer competitors for you. OzLance uses specific job categories so that only those with relevant experience can apply. This cuts out the 100 time wasters you would otherwise compete with.

Chances are it will be soon, our list of occupations is growing all the time. In the meantime, choose the closest category, or Other, for your skills.

You'll work from home but on some jobs, you may be asked to attend a meeting or training session on site. This is rare and should be disclosed before you are engaged, and a suitable fee should be negotiated.

You'll be paid directly by the client, usually by bank transfer or PayPal. We recommend using PayPal as a secure method of online payment. You are encouraged to request a deposit before commencing a job and progress payments if the job is going to continue on for a long period. All financial arrangements should be negotiated and put in place before you commence work. You should do your very best to adhere to all timelines and benchmarks set at the beginning of the job to ensure payment is made without dispute.

OzLance is all about improving working conditions for freelancers and standards for clients, we welcome only those who share this philosophy.

We have a loyal and happy community of freelance workers. We don't take a commission from them, or push them into very low wages. If a client requests you work outside of OzLance (that is, never "agree" to the engagement on the OzLance system), you should consider three things.

• First, the client may be dishonest and you will put yourself at risk of not being paid.
• Second, OzLance costs the client nothing to use, so ask yourself why they want to avoid it. Clients who cut corners here often expect unreasonable hours for less money. This is the exact culture we are trying to change.
• Third, when discovered, your membership to OzLance will be permanently revoked, so you are taking all of the risk with no benefits.

While the terms of a Non-Disclosure Agreement differ from job to job, generally, by signing the form you are legally agreeing to keep any and all details of the freelance job to yourself. There are real penalties for breaking the agreement as it is a legally binding document.

We cannot recommend strongly enough that you negotiate all details of the job before commencement. This should include milestone and time schedules, deposits, progress payments and final payments all before commencing work. You should then do your best to adhere to these work schedules.

Upon request, you should provide the client with work samples, references and qualifications (you may wish to remove personal information from your resume before providing it to clients) so that the client is satisfied that you are the right person for the job.

Always provide a work sample for approval at each stage of the job so that there is an agreed standard of work. Update the client and inform them of any delays as soon as possible and wait for progress payments before moving to new job stages.

Ensure all payments are made through a third party payment system such as PayPal so that dispute resolution services are available if a mutually satisfying solution cannot be reached.

OzLance exists to give both clients and freelancers a fairer alternative so we will do everything possible to ensure the reviews on our site are accurate. If you feel you've been unfairly reviewed, please contact us at admin [at] ozlance.com.au with all your supporting evidence and we'll see what we can do.