By Mashum Mollah
Even though most people start at their desk jobs with excitement, that excitement soon dies down as they get into the routine of how things are done. For some people, boredom kicks in and with it a great dissatisfaction with their jobs. These are the kind of people who begin looking for other opportunities where they can chase after their dreams and passions and dictate their own work hours. Freelancing offers them these opportunities, but they will only work for people who are disciplined, resourceful, confident and have good people skills. Here are 10 of the top freelance jobs in Singapore:
- This is one of the best paying opportunities out there. It is a job that one can do on a part-time or full-time basis. In fact, there are some full-time tutors who earn 6 figures annually. Since most parents want their children to be tutored for success, they are willing to pay well if they can see their child’s improvement. Tutoring primary students can pay $20 per hour on the low side, while secondary students will pay $25 per hour. Tutoring upper secondary students are higher at $40 per hour on the lower side. Tutoring JC students is even more lucrative at $50 for each tutoring hour as a minimum. Ex-MOE teachers can charge from $75 up each hour, and group classes are even more lucrative.
- Driver for hire. With ridesharing being so big in Singapore today, one of the ways to make money on the side or to work full-time is to be a Ryde or GrabTaxi driver. By signing up with one of these companies, the driver can check their app to know where passengers may be close by and pick them up to drop them off wherever they need to go. How much one makes will be dependent on how many rides they go on, and what times they choose to offer their services. It is best to carry out some research on how to maximize on this to make the most money possible. The driver should remember to factor in the cost of petrol, car maintenance, and the company’s commission when calculating profits.
- Wedding photography. A man or woman who has an interest in photography, and is good behind the camera should consider this as a freelance opportunity. If he or she is starting out, then the best thing would be to find couples that are looking for a relatively cheap option. As he or she gains experience and perhaps takes a class or two, they can begin to charge a little bit more. Professionals take between 8 and 10 hours working at weddings, before going into the work of editing and printing pictures for their clients. They charge between $1500 and $3000. Source for clients on social media and have a website where people can look up the services offered.
- People who enjoy blogging and article writing should consider doing that as freelancers. The scope of work is wide, and one can choose between writing SEO articles and blogs, and other types of articles like magazine pieces. The most important thing is to get started and then grow his or her portfolio, such that he or she can take on a variety of assignments. Some clients will pay per word, while others will pay a set rate for the work. $0.05 per word is the average rate. There are different sites offering these opportunities including freelancer.com, guru.com, and more.
- Web designing. IT people have one of the best opportunities when it comes to freelance jobs. Most startups and SMEs such as Lending Bee who provides fast personal loans in Singaporedo not hire in-house web designers but prefer to outsource this work. One needs to build a great portfolio to market him or herself in this industry. Additionally, the person should be willing to do some new work and try out new designs. Self-taught people also stand a chance of success, but this takes excellence in technical mastery and design skills. A basic website with 5 pages can fetch as much as $2000 – $3000. Freelancer websites offer these opportunities that he or she can bid for.
- Tour Guiding. Those who have been in Singapore for many years, or are natives and are well versed with the various sites and tourist attractions, have an opportunity to work as tour guides. To do this job, he or she will have to get the necessary license. It is issued by the Singapore Tourism Board and allows one to work part-time, or full-time as a guide. He or she will be required to take classes before acquiring the license, but this is good because it acts as a sieve only allowing the very determined to go through. Professional guides charge between $250 and $600 for a tour that lasts 4 hours.
- Swim Instructor. Anyone who knows how to swim, have good technique and confidence and freelance as a swim instructor. The Swimming Teachers’ Association and Sport Singapore offer an instructor course that he or she will need to take prior to taking on the job. Hourly rates range from $15 to $20 for each person when offering group classes, and if it’s an individual class, then he or she can charge even more.
- Managing Social Media. This opportunity is awesome for people who love to analyze data and strategize based on what they find. A freelance social media manager helps businesses get more followers on social media by analyzing the data and then creating posts, as well as graphics that can help prompt those people into visiting the company website or inquiring about their services and products. Depending on the business one is working with, and the scope of work, it is possible to earn as much as several hundred dollars to several thousand every month.
- Online Translating. This is a lucrative opportunity for those who are multilingual. Websites like upwork.com offer these opportunities and assignments are paid between $20 and $1500 depending on how much work needs to be done. Assignments are available and can be completed on weekends whenever one has spare time. Since they have deadlines, it is important for the person to commit to a turnaround time that they can comfortably adhere to.
- Pet sitting. Animal lovers have a great opportunity with these jobs where they get to walk dogs or offer pet sitting services to a family that is going away on vacation, or an individual who will be away on business. The job entails walking the pets, cleaning them, playing with them, and grooming them. When starting off, he or she can offer the services to family and friends, or they can also register their services with an agency. Two of the best-known pet sitting agencies include Pawshake and Pet Buddies. Pay for this kind of work tends to range between $10 and $45 an hour.
Freelancing involves putting one’s name out there and building a portfolio and a reputation for good work. With time, the freelance can begin to command better jobs and better pay as he or she perfects their skills and services offered. All in all, freelancing can be very lucrative.
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