As Americans continue to struggle in a sluggish economy, many news organizations are reporting on the boom in freelancing. ABC News has recently run an article defining the “10 Best (and Real) Work-at-Home Jobs” that many Americans are finding to be very lucrative. The appeal of “being your own boss” has always been a major part of the American Dream. But the United States is not the only country to see a huge boost in freelancing.
The Huffington Post UK is reporting a massive surge of freelancing in Britain as well. In America, Freelancer.com is a major player in the world of online freelancing. According to their website, they offer “hundreds of thousands” of freelancing services every day. But Freelancer.com is not exclusive to the United States. They also offer a UK Division . Even though both countries speak the same language, there are many cultural differences that make a UK branch of the Freelancer site very appealing to our friends “across the pond”.
For example, in America, local law enforcement is referred to as “policemen”. In the UK, they are called “bobbies”. Americans use “elevators”. Brits use “lifts”. But this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Those looking to hire freelancing professionals in the UK might prefer to hire their own countrymen for many reasons.
According to the Huffington Post, a UK-site called “ PeoplePerHour ” is a leading freelancing force in Britain. The Post’s research shows a huge increase for freelancing particularly in the northern area of the country and in Scotland.
“Head of the top 10 table is Manchester, which has a population of over 500,000, and used to have a thriving textile industry. Over the past 12 months, Manchester has seen its freelancer population nearly treble, rising by 175% in the past 12 months.”
Other freelancing sites such as Fiverr , oDesk and Elance are also reaching out abroad. Fiverr, for example, places the individual flag of the freelancer’s country-of-residence directly in the seller’s profile along with the name of their country and a map of the location, making it easier to select freelancing professionals with a desired language skill set or dialect.
So, it appears as if the freelancing boom has gone global. And Freelancer.com is reaching out to the Mother Country by offering a separate location on their website to help freelancers in the UK connect with their fellow countrymen.
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