What is freelancing and “informal work”?
How can I get assistance from FreelanceStudents?
How can I edit my registration details?
How can I report abuse to FreelanceStudents?
Students
What are the benefits of 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?
How can I get involved with the forums?
Employers
What are the benefits of using a student freelancer?
How much does it cost to use FreelanceStudents?
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: 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 support@freelancestudents.co.uk. For all other queries please contact us here.
Students
Q: What are the benefits of 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?
To sign up as a student on FreelanceStudents, visit the Job Board area and there you’ll find a button labelled as “Get an Account” in the side bar. Alternatively, click on the “Sign In” link in the header and follow the instructions to sign up for an account.
Q: The employer wants a quote. What should I charge?
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?
Yes. Once logged into your account you will find two ways to place an ad. 1. In the side bar there is a button labelled “Place a Job Ad” 2. Click the “My Account” link in the header. On the account and underneath the Job Adverts title, you will find a grey “Place a Job Ad” link.
There is also a quick, direct route to the job ad form; on every page outside of the job area section there is a green graphic in the side bar labelled as “Get Started”. Clicking on this graphic and signing in on the page that follows, will bring up the job ad form.
Q: Why do I get re-directed to Feedburner when I click subscribe?
Feedburner is a free Google tool we use to manage our subscriptions and it provides us with an effective means for distributing our blog content. If you ever wish to unsubscribe then simply click on the “unsubscribe” link that is located at the bottom of each distributed mail.
Q: How can I get involved with the forums?
To starting using the forums, you’ll need to be a registered member of FreelanceStudents – you can register here. Once you have an active account, you can begin participating in the forums. Please visit the Forums FAQs for more detailed answers on using the forums.
Employers
Q: What are the benefits of using a student freelancer?
- 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?
The service is currently in a BETA version (in non-techie speak this means a trial) and during this time posting ads is completely free for employers! Once the BETA period comes to end, we will be charging for the placement of ads. This will alllow us to continually improve the website’s functionality and our services.
Q: Where do I go to sign up?
To sign up as an employer on FreelanceStudents, visit the Job Board area and there you’ll find a button labelled as “Sign Up” in the side bar. Alternatively, click on the “Sign In” link in the header and follow the instructions to sign up for an account.
Q: Do I need to pay students doing work experience?
Government legislation in respect of the National Minimum Wage means that UK employers can no longer offer unpaid work experience, unless they are offering it as part of a course placement.
In national minimum wage legislation there is a specific exemption for “workers” who are students undertaking work experience lasting up to one year, as part of a UK further or higher education course. Otherwise, students are entitled to be paid at least the national minimum wage in the normal way including when they are:
- studying at non UK educational establishments,
- doing work which is not a specific requirement of their course, or
- doing work which is a requirement of their course but which lasts longer than one year.
- 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 “Place a Job Ad” 2. Click the “My Account” link in the header. On the account and underneath the Job Adverts title, you will find a grey “Place a Job Ad” link.
There is also a quick, direct route to the job ad form; on every page outside of the job area section there is a green graphic in the side bar labelled as “Get Started”. Clicking on this graphic and signing in on the page that follows, will bring up the job ad form. 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 a DJ! 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.
