What is freelancing and “informal work”?
How can I get assistance from FreelanceStudents?
How can I edit my registration details?
I am not able to sign in to my account. What can I do?
How can I report abuse to FreelanceStudents?
Students
What are the benefits of internships and freelancing?
How much does it cost to use FreelanceStudents?
The employer wants a quote. What should I charge?
I am not yet qualified. Can I still offer my services?
Why do I get re-directed to Feedburner when I click subscribe?
Employers
What are the benefits of hiring students?
How much does it cost to use FreelanceStudents?
Is there a money back guarantee?
When will my job listing go live?
Why should I post my job listing on FreelanceStudents?
How can I make my listing stand out above the rest?
What if I don’t have a PayPal account?
Do I need to pay students doing work experience?
What type of job ads can be posted?
What happens when an ad expires?
What if I’m not happy with the finished job?
General
Q: What is FreelanceStudents?
FreelanceStudents is the easiest and most effective way for businesses and private individuals (”employers”) to connect with students from across the UK for one-off or short-term jobs. Whether you are looking for skills you do not have in-house, need something done quickly, have a complex job that may span a few months, or just need an extra helping hand, there are many talented and ambitious students interested in working for you. Businesses and private individuals (“employers”) use FreelanceStudents to find, hire and work with talented and ambitious students. Students use FreelanceStudents to meet employers, gain work experience, produce quality work and get paid.
Q: What is meant by “freelancing” and “informal work”?
“Freelancing” is a means to utilise your skills independently and on temporary contracts (i.e. projects or one-off commitments) rather than for a long-term employer.
“Informal work” is a term we use to describe casual and irregular means of generating additional cash e.g. participating in market research (testing a new handset or giving feedback on a new product etc) or perhaps making a TV appearance as an extra.
Q: How can I get assistance from FreelanceStudents?
To send us an email at anytime, please click on the “Contact Us” link on the top right of our web pages.
Q: How can I edit my registration details?
Log into your account and click on the “My Account” link at the top of the page. Underneath the job advert area you will find Account Settings. You can change any of your registration details except for the username.
Q: I am not able to sign in to my account. What can I do?
If you are a new member and have just completed the registration process, you will need to click on the confirmation link that is sent to the email address you provided. Note if you signed up to receive the service updates you would have been sent two confirmation mails:
1. A newsletter confirmation (this was optional)
2. Confirmation of your registration to FreelanceStudents (the mail will contain your password and username)
Links contained within the emails will need to be clicked to activate the service updates and your FreelanceStuents account. If you cannot find either of the mails try checking your Junk Mailbox or your Deleted Folder. Additionally, try talking to your support team, as they may have blocked the mails.
If you are not a new member and have forgotten your username or password, you can recall your details by visiting the sign in page and clicking on the “Forgotten Password or Username” link.
If you are still unable to sign in to your account after following the above steps. Please contact us.
Q: How can I report abuse to FreelanceStudents?
We take the misuse of our services very seriously. Please report any incidents or inappropriate blog comments to [email protected]. For all other queries please contact us here.
Students
Q: What are the benefits of internships and freelancing?
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Build up commercial experience – relevant work will enhance a student’s CV and therefore increasing the chances of landing that dream graduate role.
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Showcase your skills – often students work in part-time roles that have no relevance to their degree. Students will now have the opportunity to utilise their degree related skills.
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Gain extra cash – whether it’s more beer or more books, we understand that student living, although fun, is not free and any additional income can only help.
- Flexibility of working hours – some projects may provide the additional benefit of working in your own time (e.g. web development).
Q: How much does it cost to use FreelanceStudents?
The service is completely free.
Q: Where do I go to sign up?
In the header section you can find a “Register” link which can be accessed from any page. Please click on this link and fill in the short registration form. Alternatively, visit the Job Board area and there you’ll find a button labelled as “Create an Account Today” in the side bar - clicking on this button will also guide you to the student registration form.
Q: If I freelance, what should I charge for my services?
Take into account your experience, your knowledge, your skills, and also research the current market rates charged by professionals. Unless you have substantial experience, charging at the market rate is unlikely to win you much work, so as a starter and student look to quote 10 – 50% below the market rate. If you feel that the employer’s expectations of the fee are unrealistic then negotiate to get a fairer price.
Q: I am not yet qualified. Can I still offer my services?
If your profession requires a certificate, licence, or registration in order to legally practice and you have not yet gained one of these accreditations then the answer is no. This is unlikely to apply to most jobs, but if you have any doubts then carry out some research.
Q: Can students place ads?
As of January 31st 2011, in order for students to place an ad they’ll need to register as an employer.
Q: Why do I get re-directed to Feedburner when I click on “Get Jobs by Email”?
Feedburner is a free Google tool we use to manage our subscriptions and it provides us with an effective means for distributing our jobs. If you ever wish to unsubscribe then simply click on the “unsubscribe” link that is located at the bottom of each distributed mail.
Employers
Q: What are the benefits of hiring students?
- Students are bright and enthusiastic – businesses and individuals gain from getting access to high-level skills and cutting-edge research, and from the input of dynamic and fresh talent.
- Cost effective – businesses and individuals can make substantial savings on the cost of recruiting full-time employees or professional contractors.
- Free marketing – if a student has a good experience with a company they become an excellent “brand ambassador” by telling their friends, family, and co-students.
Q: How much does it cost to use FreelanceStudents?
Employers can post a Free Ad or a Premium Ad. Learn more >>
Q: Is there a money back guarantee?
Yes. If you are not fully satisfied with the response that you received to your listing, please do not hesitate to contact us within 60 days of placing your listing and we’ll issue you a full refund. No questions asked.
Q: Where do I go to sign up?
In the header section you can find a “Register” link which can be accessed from any page. Please click on this link and fill in the short registration form. Alternatively, visit the Job Board area and there you’ll find a button labelled as “Create a Job Today” in the side bar - clicking on this button will also guide you to the student registration form.
Q: When will my job listing go live?
Your listing will appear live as soon as the payment has been completed, this usually takes a few seconds after payment. Checks are carried out on adverts so please ensure that your ad conforms to our advertisement rules.
Q: Why should I post my job listing on FreelanceStudents?
We take pride in offering a targeted approach to finding ambitious students and graduates. By focusing on this niche market, we attract quality candidates. Besides this, we promote FreelanceStudents on many leading related websites where targeted candidates frequently visit. Additionally, we promote all listings to thousands of readers via RSS feeds, Twitter, email or RSS alerts and affiliate websites.
Q: How can I make my listing stand out above the rest?
We offer two upgrade options to enhance your listing: “Company Logo on Sidebar” listings rotate your company logo in the sidebar throughout key areas of the site (including the home page), and are linked to your listing; “Featured Ad” listings appear at the top of the job list for a minimum of 3 days. All these options appear on the create a job page and you can select the ones that you need at the time of posting your job.
Q: What if I don’t have a PayPal account?
You can make credit card payments through PayPal without having a PayPal account. You may use all major credit cards via Paypal which safely handles all billing processes.
Q: Do you send invoices?
Yes, you will receive an invoice by email as soon as your listing has been processed.
Q: Do I need to pay students doing work experience?
We strongly encourage employers to pay a wage that is in line with the value of the intern’s contribution. Employers should ensure that any internship that is offered complies with the minimum wage law. If an intern is effectively performing as a “worker”, then in most cases they will be entitled to be paid at least the national minimum wage.
However, in some limited circumstances, employers may wish to offer unpaid internships. Before you decide to offer an unpaid opportunity, make sure you have taken account of the guidance on minimum wages. It will then be for students to decide whether the benefits and value of taking up the internship outweigh the fact that it is unpaid.
Useful information on work experience/internships and NMW can be found at http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/workexperience&internships
Note: Genuine volunteers do not have to be paid the national minimum wage as they are not “workers” under the national minimum wage legislation. Just calling someone a “volunteer” does not mean they don’t have to be paid the national minimum wage. It depends on the circumstances under which they are engaged and whether or not the arrangements mean they are a “worker” for national minimum wage purposes.
Volunteers are people who are under no obligation to perform work or carry out your instructions. They have no contract or formal arrangement and so can come and go as they please. They have no expectation of and do not receive any reward for the work they do. A reward is not restricted to simply being a payment in the form of money but can be something like the provision of benefits or training.
Where a volunteer incurs costs in the course of their work it is possible for such expenses to be reimbursed and not treated as a reward as long as the payment is reasonable in the circumstances of the arrangement. Reimbursement of reasonable out of pocket expenses alone is unlikely to change an individual’s status to one of a worker. You may prefer to reimburse only expenses actually incurred and many volunteers prefer this. http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/volunteering.
Q: How do I place an ad?
Once logged into your account you will find two ways to place an ad: (1) In the side bar there is a button labelled “Create a Job Today” (2) Click the “My Account” link in the header and underneath the My Job Advertss title, you will find a green “Place a Job Ad” link.
There is also a quick route to the job ad form; click on the green button labelled as “Place A Job Ad” in the sidebar when on the Job Board page. Login via this method will bring up the job ad form immediately. Ensure you provide a clear description of what you need done as this will attract more quality applicants.
Q: What type of job ads can be posted?
Jobs have been posted that range from graphic design and web development, to photography, translation, writing, and even DJs and bands! There’s no real restriction, we simply want to provide students with an opportunity to apply their skills by working in roles that provide real and relevant work experience. Please see the Job Advertisement Rules prior to posting any job.
Q: How can I cancel an ad?
Once logged into your account click the “My Account” link at the top of the Job Board area. On the particular job you would like cancelled press the “Cancel Job” button.
Q: What happens when an ad expires?
Once the time has elapsed on a job, it will show as “Expired” in your account area and a notification is sent to your contact email address. The job can be edited and re-posted if no suitable applicants have been found.
Q: What if I’m not happy with the finished job?
Discuss your concerns with the student and see if the issue can be corrected. Remember that many students will be taking their first step on to the professional ladder and may need some guidance.
