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The Difference Between Freelancing and Telecommuting

Written on July 13, 2009 by Will Irvin

Filed Under: Working To Live

For those who are new to this whole freelance working movement, you may easily confuse the terms “freelance” and “telecommute”.  They are often used interchangeably, as incorrect as that may be.  However, knowing the difference will help you be more efficient in your job search, and finding the right combination of the two will gain you the maximum freedom in your working life.

Freelancing

For a detailed description of freelancing, see Jimmy Irvin’s article “What is Freelancing?” To sum up freelancing, it is the practice of performing work for clients on an as-needed or contract basis.  You are not a permanent employee of the client.  You are being hired to perform a job (or group of jobs) for an agreed-upon rate of compensation, after which the client may or may not hire you for other jobs in the future.  Your performance on the first job will have a lot to do with this.  The client’s need is the other big factor.

Telecommuting

Telecommuting is the practice of performing work remotely for either your employer, whom you work for full-time, or for your clients, for whom you perform work on an as-needed basis as described in the paragraph above.  Working remotely simply means that you are not physically in the office to perform the work, and you submit the final product via a direct connection to the company’s (or client’s) network, or you send it via email, or some other means of electronic transmission.

The Ideal Situation

There are many freelance jobs that do require you to be present in the office (or at least that’s what the client requires of you).  Jimmy Irvin has been working for many years in the software industry in exactly this capacity.  Despite his attempts to convince his clients that it wasn’t necessary, he has almost always been required to be present in the office to do his job.  Likewise, when I was employed full-time as a Product Engineer, a large portion of my job could have been performed remotely.  There are in fact many jobs which you can perform remotely (possibly including your current job).  Ideally, you would be able to find a job as a freelancer, and have the flexibility to work remotely, freeing up your time, freeing up your resources, and saving you money at the same time.  This combination is what has made freelance writing so appealing to me.

Learn the difference, and be aware of it when searching for jobs.  If you have no desire to change jobs, see “Negotiating Remote Work Arrangements” for tips on how to turn your current job into a telecommuting job (at least part of the time).  If you are also a freelance writer like me, see “10 Places to Find Freelance Writing Jobs” for the latest postings in this field.