Because online freelancers are in front of their computers most of the time, people may wonder if we ever get to socialize. The answer to that is a resounding “YES!” And we do it online too.
When we are too busy and our schedules don’t match for an actual meetup, we meet online for our ChatUp Sessions. I recorded our last ChatUp to give you a preview of the exchange of ideas that happen during meetups, whether offline or online, in our freelancing community. This time, we met to discuss a hot topic from Hubstaff’s recently published 2017 Freelancing Trends survey. The study shows that freelancers in the Philippines earn the lowest average hourly rate compared to 4 other countries.
Key Topic
How do you feel about this stat that shows Pinoy freelancers charging the lowest rate? What can YOU do to change this?
Average freelancing rates by country:
- Great Britain: $46.54
- Canada: $40.17
- United States: $37.87
- India: $19.12
- Philippines: $11.72
What Freelancers Think
Naturally, the initial reaction is to raise rates and charge at par with freelancers from other countries but in the ChatUp, we examined the bigger picture. Listen to fellow freelancers as they share their perspectives.
- Daise, who shared this report with me, is an online business manager. She started with a low rate but did her part by studying and upgrading her skills. After gaining more knowledge, she increased her rates. For Daise, everyone has the chance to charge more, as long as you have the right skills set.
- Charlie, a motion graphic designer freelancing since 2008, gave a piece of good advice for finding clients. He encourages Pinoys to look for clients who know the value of the services that freelancers are providing. This is in reference to clients who bid for the lowest prices in various freelancing platforms.
- Althea, a virtual assistant, made a good point that charging low is possibly deeply rooted in our culture and that a change of mindset is what Pinoy freelancers need.
- Nix, our go-to guy for all things digital marketing, reminded us to take a step back and reevaluate our next steps. Because Pinoys are the least paid, some might take this as a sign to raise prices. However, remember that we need to have the skills to back it up, otherwise, we will hurt the reputation of all Filipino freelancers.
Watch the recorded video or listen to the podcast to hear more insights from Herlene, Ginger, Alex, Chichi, X, Rita, Julius, Sam, Randall, and Ems. You’ll also get more tips on how to find clients and how to set the right price for your services. Now that our aim is to have the right mindset coupled with outstanding skills, we are all hoping that next year’s report will show higher figures for Filipino freelancers.
PS. If you want to be part of inspiring and enlightening discussions like this, join our Facebook Group at www.freelanceblend.com/blenders and check the pinned post on how to join our chatup group in Messenger.
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