Freelancing. For some, it is a side hustle; for others, it is a career.
When a company outsources employees or hires freelance candidates from abroad we always talk about the benefits they’ll receive: Cost-friendly expertise, bilingual staff, improved workflow, greater flexibility, etc…
We offer great benefits to the companies that outsource their services with us, and that’s something we hold with great pride. However, today I want to change the article’s focus and talk about our people, workforce, and beloved freelancers.
The truth is that being a freelancer in Latin America is no easy feat. Being an expert in your area and offering your services to international companies is not something that anyone can do, even more in the realities that many Latin American countries endure.
Many different Latin American countries endure difficult political and general situations. However, since our company is mainly based in Venezuela I’m going to put a particular focus on our freelancers.
Being A Freelancer In Venezuela: Is It Worth It?
There are many hardships when it comes to being a freelancer in Venezuela, and many aspects that you must consider.
1. Do You Speak More Than One Language?
Venezuelans are native Spanish speakers, and even though English is taught in schools from a very young age, it is sadly not a language that most Venezuelans master. Venezuela is ranked #73 out of 112 countries on the EF English Proficiency Index 2021 (EF EPI). This means that Venezuela has a low level of English proficiency, even among other Latin American countries.
It is not typical for regular Venezuelans to speak English; that’s why we are proud of the people, specifically our freelancers, who go one step further into mastering one or two other languages aside from their native ones.
Learning a new language is to invest in yourself, and your future. It’s something that will never be frowned upon.
2. Do You Have The Right Equipment?
Depending on your area of expertise, you might only need a functional laptop to be a freelancer. As Venezuelans, we know how to do high-quality work on underperforming laptops.
Most Venezuelan designers, editors, developers, etc… When beginning to offer freelancer services, face the frustration of knowing that they can do so much more in less time if they have the right equipment: A better laptop or PC, stable internet connection, and any other tools that they might need.
When starting as a freelancer, you don’t start with the equipment you need but the one you can afford. And living in a country that doesn’t have a stable economy sure doesn’t make it any easier to try and save money to improve your equipment.
However, although hard, we are not saying it’s impossible. It’s possible that, after improving your own work and persevering through hard times, you can start to invest in better equipment, better internet connection, and better tools.
Our own company is proof of that, and that’s why we don’t want our freelancers to undergo the experiences we had, we support them by providing them with the top-notch equipment needed for their work, whether is laptops, cameras, headphones, tablets, etc.
We care for our freelancers and ensure they work with the best tools to give the best results.
3. Are You Prepared For Any Inconvenience?
One of the hard truths about living in Venezuela, specifically in Maracaibo, is the current electrical problems. Most areas suffer from daily 4-6 hours of power outages. This means that if you are not prepared, you can lose progress on your current work, get disconnected from important meetings, damage your equipment due to electrical malfunctions, etc.
The Venezuelan freelancer has to be prepared for any inconvenience and buying all the tools needed to effectively survive 6 hours without electricity while working demands a big investment.
The regular Venezuelan household doesn’t have the commodities to ensure high-quality remote work, that’s why we’ve made it our duty to help Venezuelan freelancers improve their work by providing our freelancers with not only the equipment but also a place to work free of electrical issues that are open 24/7.
This Is What Freelance Latam Can Do For You
We want our freelancers to improve, not only their professional skills but also their quality of life. By being a freelancer with us we’ll:
- Provide you with the necessary equipment and tools for you to work in the best conditions.
- Provide you with a healthy workspace where you can focus and don’t have to worry about any inconveniences such as power outages, lack of water, etc.
- Provide many internal services such as food deliveries, transportation, snacks, etc.
- And if you need to improve your English skills, our partners, Appointpros, have special deals for our Freelancers.
We are proud of the huge effort our freelancers have made, and we believe said effort should be rewarded. That’s why we strive to improve ourselves every day so that we can keep offering better benefits and deals to our freelancers.
Believe me when I say that what you just read is just the tip of the iceberg.
See more articles by Ender Cárdenas.
