Anyone use rentacoderOR getafreelancerto get work

[icarus]

I started doing small jobs on Rentacoder a few weeks ago, mainly for ir35. Yes, it doesn't help directly with your other contracts, but don't people say that you have to "build up a picture of being In Business On Your Own Account"? RAC jobs at least do that. As for the money, you'll be lucky to make the minimum wage, at least at first. After I had done a few jobs and built up a bit of a profile (getting some good ratings) I found that people were slightly more forthcoming and I managed to charge a little bit more. I also think it is good practice for your work estimation skills.

The biggest benefit by far was when I did a job for a guy who happens to be in the UK. He gave me a follow-up job - this time at a UK daily rate and once again 100% non-IR35 (purchase order, fixed price, work from home, etc).

[jkoder]

You can earn more working at McDonald's than you can as a coder on one of these sites. It wouldn't even appeal if you were a student but only if you were from a country such as India or Czech Republic. You often see people requesting a full website with a PHP backend for about 300 USD. Usually they link to another site and say "I want it like this" and the quality they expect and content as well as functionality would take you months to achieve and require you to have good skills in many areas. There might be some half decent jobs but not many in my experience and if you look at jobs which have bidding history you will see that the lowest price always wins, the people listing the jobs don't actually care if you are any good and will do a good job.

The only way you can make any money using these sites if you live in Western Europe or the USA is to act as a middle man and outsource your own work, but then you have to spend the time finding good people the other end and it's really pot luck.

[Robwg]

Quote:
Originally Posted by YHB
would be good for IR35 as the role would put you outside/or the alternate clients bit

WARNING - the above post has no basis in facts.

Although the extra work wouldn't help the IR35 status of your main contract (apart from circumstancial stuff) - I fail to see how any of the work you get om rentacoda would be judged inside IR35.

[Ruprect]

would be good for IR35 as the role would put you outside/or the alternate clients bit

WARNING - the above post has no basis in facts.

[Robwg]

I heard that if your skills were of the sort you couldn't really learn at home (e.g. Oracle etc.) you had a better chance as the self taught bunch weren't interested.

I have thought about doing it as a side line.

[YHB]

would be good for IR35 as the role would put you outside/or the alternate clients bit

[Spacecadet]

I just wondered if anyone had any experience of using
rentacoder.com OR getafreelancer.com.

Have you been successful with it ?

or is everything bid down by students and low-cost region players ?

Surely thats the point? I don't want to go paying huge amounts for someone else to do my work

[d000hg]

I just wondered if anyone had any experience of using
rentacoder.com OR getafreelancer.com.

Have you been successful with it ?

Done a bit, only while looking for better sources of work.

or is everything bid down by students and low-cost region players ?

Mostly, yes. But lots of the low bids are by people who bid on everything with the same stock bid text "my company can do this with much quikness we are all pro coders". I believe if you persist, there are good projects to be had at reasonable rates, but you'd have to spend time weeding out all the dross. I don't think you'd end up making as much as most of the contracts working at £300+/day but you could make a reasonable amount, and land some large projects, if you like the idea of being even less tied down than a normal contractor.

[DiscoStu]

Much cheapness, plenty quickness.

[DimPrawn]

or is everything bid down by students and low-cost region players ?

Yes it is.

You'd make more doing a paper round.

[VectraMan]

I've looked. Expect to be offered $500 for 3 months work.

[FarmerPalmer]

I just wondered if anyone had any experience of using
rentacoder.com OR getafreelancer.com.

Have you been successful with it ?

or is everything bid down by students and low-cost region players ?