Gain experience as a freelancer both during and after your studies
Freelance work
Gain experience as a freelancer both during and after your studies
Freelance work
Pros and cons
Freelancing gives a lot of freedom, but can also be challenging, as you must work yourself to get assignments, and you rarely get a close work relationship with those you collaborate with, because you are typically not there for that long. However, you can build a large network more quickly.
Is it the same as being an entrepreneur?
As a freelancer, you are not necessarily an entrepreneur because you do not necessarily have the growth, development, and scaling of a business as your purpose. Your agenda is more about deciding your own tasks and not being "bound" to one workplace.
If you are interested in entrepreneurship, you can read more about your options at AAU Student Entrepreneurship
What does it mean to be a freelancer?
- When you are a freelancer, you act as a small private company (a kind of one-man consultancy) and solve small or large tasks for companies and organizations.
- You are not employed and permanently attached to one workplace.
- You will typically be employed on a contract basis, based on a fixed task or a fixed timeframe. When the task is solved and the contract fulfilled, it is on to the next task, perhaps in the same company, but most often in a completely different place.
Where can I find freelancing assignments?
There are several options for finding freelance tasks:
- There are freelance job portals. Here you can register with a profile and bid on tasks that match your skills.
- Networking and recommendations are also a good way to come into play for freelance assignments.
- On LinkedIn you can:
- Make it clear in your profile that you offer yourself as a freelancer and within which task fields.
- Use the function "interested in," where you can define what you offer services within, which makes it easier for others to find you.
- Share some posts where you give examples of tasks you have solved or can solve.
However, don't expect the offers to roll in from day 1. It takes sustained effort before big results show.
What do I charge for my services?
If you use a job portal for freelance work, there is often a proposal for a price (either an hourly rate, monthly salary, or fixed price for the task). You can use that as a guideline for what price you can set.
You can also check the salary level for the industry and type of position you work in. Many trade unions and social security funds have a salary calculator you can use. Then you can calculate backwards from there.
Remember that there is a difference between whether you have to settle with or without VAT, depending on whether you have a VAT number.
For example, if an IT employee normally receives a monthly salary of DKK 42,000, the converted hourly salary will amount to approximately DKK 262. The hourly price for the freelance consultant will therefore, as a starting point, be calculated at DKK 262 x 2.5 = DKK 655.
If the tasks you are bidding for are of the nature of student assistant tasks, you should set your price accordingly.
Conversely, don't go for less than you're worth either. If you solve a task that the company will alternatively employ a graduate to solve, then you are fully entitled to take full price for the solution of the task.
What do I need to know before I start?
Get a guidance session with AAU Career
Throughout your time as a student at AAU, you can get free career guidance on everything to do with your career. You may be in doubt about what you can do with your education, how you can put your competencies into words, or perhaps you need professional eyes on your CV.
Contact the career counsellors and have a chat about exactly what you need.