12 Best & Easy Freelance Jobs for Beginners

Do you want to make some extra cash in a side hustle? Here are some easy freelance jobs if you are starting freelancing.

Did you know that freelancers in the US earn up to $1 trillion? Imagine millions of people sitting at home, making more money than most workers make while working a nine-to-five job.

Do you want to get started with this life and build a freelance career? Luckily, beginners can do some easy freelance jobs without much prior training or knowledge. You merely need to brush up on some basic skills or learn a new – and very easy – one for these jobs.

Easy & Best Freelance Jobs for Beginners

Let’s discuss some freelance jobs for beginners that you can start doing today.

Freelance Writer

Everyone can write – at least to some extent. Most freelancers start with writing; the niche is one of the most populated freelancing markets.

You can write anything from an article like this to a news story for a local paper. For freelance writing jobs, you don’t need an exceptional talent or degree. Sure enough, you must know how to string sensible sentences together and be able to engage your audience. Depending on your interests and writing level, you’ll find a gig on Fiverr or Freelancer.

For starters, you may get paid around $10 to $15 for an article. You can increase your hourly rates or take up assignment-based projects once your profile grows.

Some senior writers charge up to $150 for a 1000-word article.

How to Start:

Freelance writing jobs are everywhere today, but there is a lot of competition, so you’ll need to find a way to stand out. You must have a portfolio to start your career as a freelance writer. It doesn’t have to be a Bronte masterpiece, but you should at least have a few articles to show your skill to potential clients.

Start by making a personal blog and writing articles on your preferred niche or topic. Do your research and curate well-written articles. Then, set up your profile on any of the best freelance sites for beginners and start pitching to clients.

If you still don’t know where to start or need a boost, take a free online freelance writing course to get a sense of direction.

Online Surveys

Filling out online surveys is among the easiest freelance jobs since it does not require any skill. All you need is a reliable Internet connection.

However, surveys are low-paid jobs, and you’ll get $1 to $2 for filling out a single survey. Typically, it takes a few minutes to complete a survey, but you’ll only be allowed to fill in a certain number daily.

Keeping this in mind, we’d say online surveys are not a replacement for your current job. Instead, you can use these gigs to earn some extra coffee or gas money.

For this type of job, you can avoid freelance job sites and solely stick to online survey platforms.

How to Start:

Sign up for a survey site and set up your account. Then, start completing surveys. If you want to make the most out of this job, ensure you reach your daily limit.

Some websites only let you withdraw money once you’ve reached a certain amount. For instance, you can only cash out from Survey Junkie once you’ve earned $10.

See Related: How Much is $45,000 Per Hour?

Video Captioning

Thanks to the ever-growing digital community, the number of easy freelance jobs has risen significantly in the past few years. Today, we have thousands of YouTube videos to be captioned, which have been translated into many job postings by people looking to hire freelancers.

In this job, you have to write captions for the audio on the screen. Although sounding easy, this work is a bit tricky. Along with writing the captions, you must ensure they are in sync with the video.

Depending on which platform you work on, you’ll get anything from $0.40 to $0.50 per minute of video captioning. The amount may be higher if you caption important videos like documentaries or commercials.

It might not seem like a lot but let’s do some math here. If you work 10 hours a week, you’ll earn anything from $250 to $300. That makes over a thousand dollars per month.

Of course, it won’t pay the bills, but it can help.

How to Start:

Since you don’t need a skill, you can start with video captioning today. Sign up on a freelancing site that offers video captioning work. A reliable website in this regard is Rev.

For most websites, you’ll have to pass a captioning test before you’re allowed to work on the platform. Once you do that, find clients and make a bank.

Freelance Editor

Like writing, freelance editing is also considered one of the easiest freelance jobs for beginners. It’s a broad category that includes everything from editing blog posts to e-books. You may stick to a specific niche if you have a particular interest or educational background.

For example, if you’ve studied literature or history in college, you can take up editing work for research papers and books in those categories. As a beginner, you can set your rates by judging the market on the platform that you’re working on.

However, if you’re confused, use the freelance rate calculator to determine the amount you should charge your clients. Even as a novice, you can earn a few hundred bucks for editing a book.

How to Start:

You can either start by working as a freelance writer and then branch out to editing or directly start as an editor. Learn sentence structure, word order, and word choice by reading regularly. You can take short editing courses online to hone your skills.

Once you’re prepared, start looking for clients on Upwork or Indeed, as you’ll find long-term contracts here. You can also contact your local publishing houses, libraries, and newsrooms to look for work.

Initially, work may be slow because people want experienced editors to check their important writings. However, if you stay persistent, gigs will pour in quickly.

See Related: 5 Key Pros and Cons of Freelance Web Development

Teach a Language

If you’re multilingual, or at least bilingual, you have a shot at an easy freelance job. Being a native speaker, you can teach English to foreigners online. Alternatively, if you’re fluent in in-demand languages like French and Spanish, you can earn money teaching them to locals.

You can conveniently earn up to $30 per hour, depending on your student and language. Since English is a common language, the market is already saturated with English teachers. If you know another language, it will help you stand out.

See Related: Tips to Prepare for your Toptal Freelance Interview

How to Start:

First off, you must be fluent in a specific language. No, you can’t teach Spanish to people online just because you took an extra Spanish language course in your senior year.

If you don’t know another language, stick to English. Then, sign up for a language teaching website, pass the test, and find students.

You can also look for people around you who may want to learn the language you’re interested in teaching. For example, someone in your school might be going on an exchange program to France and want someone to teach them basic French.

Similarly, you can go to mixed communities in your locality and find people who may want to polish their spoken English.

See Related: Freelance vs Self-Employed

Translation

Again, if you know different languages but are uncomfortable teaching, you can work as a translator. Your job will include translating various documents, including articles, instruction manuals, scripts, etc.

Since the translation industry is bigger than ever, getting a headstart is easy. You can earn between $20 and $30 for an hour of translation.

However, if you’re experienced or have to translate an important document with professional jargon, you’ll be paid more.

How to Start:

To start your journey as a translator, you must be fluent in two or more languages. After that, take a course to learn how you can make your career as a translator.

If you have a degree in a specific subject, it can help you land high-paying translation jobs.

For example, if you’ve studied law or business, you can translate legal or organizational documents for multinational companies.

Along with paying you more, they also hire you long-term. Thus, you have job security as a freelancer, even for people who want to know how to be a freelance illustrator. If you’d rather do gig-based work, find translating jobs on freelance sites like WriterAcess or Guru.

See Related: Best Freelance Writing Jobs

Simple Graphic Design

If you’re interested in graphic design, you’ll find many simple tasks you can complete for other people. Most people don’t have the time or skill set to create logos, business cards, flyers and posters, banner ads, and website graphics. This is where you come in.

If you want to be a freelance graphic designer, one of the best entry-level jobs for beginners is designing social media graphics for companies that want their pages to look interesting but don’t have the time or money to hire someone full-time.

It’s also worth noting that if your aim is simply to earn some extra cash while getting your feet wet as a new freelancer, then this might be all you need until something more substantial comes along – which often happens once clients start recommending you!

Retail Arbitrage

If you love shopping or have a knack for finding quality pieces at nominal prices, this is the best freelance job. Admittedly, it’s not exactly online since you’ll have to visit stores, but all your business operations will be on a website or social media page.

Since the clothes and accessories will be your finds, you can price them however you want. In this particular job, you’re working for customers rather than clients.

How to Start:

Visit thrift stores or vintage shops near you. They always have good stuff in stock, including limited edition pieces for which people are ready to pay a lot.

If you have an eye for statement stuff like brand logo T-shirts or concert merch from three decades ago, you’ll earn enough from this job to pay for necessities.

Set up an account on resale sites like Depop to find customers easily. Ensure you take nice pictures of the items and write the size, conditions, and brand in the description. Alternatively, if you have a large social media following, you can set up a shop on Instagram and start selling there.

You can keep all the earnings for yourself on your site or social media page. In contrast, Depop and other resale sites will charge you a certain fee on each sale or take a fraction of your earnings.

PPC Marketing

It sounds fancy and complicated, but PPC marketing is among the easy freelance jobs beginners can earn. You see ads pop up while you look through your friends’ Instagram stories, right?

Well, someone needs to create and manage them. If you know how to make and work with spreadsheets, you can earn up to $25 an hour in this field.

However, if you want to earn more, take an online course to learn PPC marketing. Currently, there’s a shortage of skilled people, and the competition is low, so employers are willing to pay a higher amount.

How to Start:

The first step is to learn PPC marketing by watching video tutorials or taking a course. Then, reach out to local businesses to get some experience. Once you’ve got a decent portfolio, apply for higher-paying projects.

See Related: Fiverr vs Freelancer

Freelance Virtual Assistant

According to “The Week,” virtual-assistant technology is now available to millions of Internet users worldwide. Over 1,000 of this material may be found through UpWork, while another 45,000 can be found on Freelancer.com and over 5,015 on People per Hour.

Assistants are excellent for those who need administrative help but want to make money online. This is frequently connected with home-based occupations.

As a result, the firm looks for free professionals in desktop applications such as Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint instead.

As for what you need to be a virtual assistant:

• You should have a solid foundation in basic writing skills—you’ll be communicating with clients over email or chat, so it’s important that you can write quickly and clearly.
• You should also have good organizational skills (it’s not easy organizing someone else’s schedule).
• You should also be able to work from home on your own schedule. It’s a great option for stay-at-home moms or dads who want to make some extra cash, as well as for people who want the flexibility of working from home but don’t want to start their own business.

The most important thing to remember as a virtual assistant is to be a good listener. You’ll be taking notes for clients and building their schedules, so it’s important that you can listen carefully and focus on what they’re saying without getting distracted by other things going on around you.

Data Entry Jobs

Data entry is the most common freelance job for beginners. It’s important to pay good attention to detail and be accurate. You’ll often be typing out data from documents or websites into a database, so if you’re looking for a job where you can just sit back and let the computer do all the work (or if your keyboard isn’t capable of doing any more damage!), this could be it!

Can I just say how much I love these data entry jobs? They’re great because there’s no need for creativity or research; copy-paste whatever comes your way into Excel or another database program. And hey—you don’t even have to turn on your computer! Just sit back with a cup of coffee and watch as text scrawls across your screen at lightning speed.

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User Experience Tester (usability researcher)

User experience testing is the process of testing a product’s user interface to identify areas that can be improved. You don’t need a degree to become a user experience tester—just some basic knowledge of how websites work and what makes them easy or difficult to use.

You’ll also want some familiarity with user research techniques, such as card sorting and remote usability testing. If you have these skills, then all you need is an online platform where you can the best freelance jobs in this field; all of the sites below are places where I’ve found UX testers working:

1. UserTesting
2. TryMyUI
3. Userfeel
4. UsabilityHub

Once you become more experienced, you can charge more for your services and may even be able to land a full-time job as a user experience tester. There are plenty of entry-level freelancers that have made this into a successful full-time freelance business.

Social Media Management

If you’re looking for a way to break into the world of freelancing, becoming a social media manager is a great place to start. If you’ve ever wondered how people get paid to post on Instagram or Twitter, this is your chance.

It can be tempting for beginners to think that all social media jobs are the same and require little skill. However, there’s a lot more to it than just posting pictures on Facebook and ensuring people know when your favorite band is touring (although those things are definitely part of this job).

If performed correctly, social media management can be an essential part of any business’s digital marketing strategy—and, therefore, extremely beneficial for everyone involved. A social media manager position can either be one of the easiest freelance jobs or the hardest, depending on your clients and their expectations.

To find these freelance jobs, search online for companies that offer them in your area (or remote areas) and then apply.

How to Find Freelance Jobs

Freelance life is a great way to earn money, but it’s not without challenges. If you’re tired of working for corporate America and want to forge your path, read on!

Know your worth and don’t feel guilty about it.

You should know your worth and not feel guilty about it. If you’re a great worker and have been for a while, chances are someone will come along and offer you more money. That’s how it works in this industry—good companies want good people, they want those people to be happy, and they will pay them accordingly.

It’s easier than ever before to find out what other companies are paying their employees; check Glassdoor or Comparably for salaries at similar companies in your area (or even if there isn’t anything like that near you).

Not only should you ask for what’s right for yourself now, but you should also think about what might happen in the future so it doesn’t catch anyone by surprise when promotion time comes around again!

Make your hours, but keep them consistent.

While many will tell you that the freedom of being your boss is a major benefit of being a freelancer, it can also be one of the most difficult factors to manage. When you have no one but yourself to answer to, no one checks up on whether you’re actually working during business hours or taking days off when they shouldn’t be.

To avoid falling into this trap, it’s important that you set your own rules and stick by them—but make sure they’re reasonable!

For example, keep all phone calls short (no more than 30 minutes), take breaks every hour or two, and don’t work past 7 p.m. unless necessary. These guidelines will help prevent burnout and give you time for other things in life besides work.

Use a contract.

A contract is a document that allows you to define the scope of your work, set expectations for yourself and your client, and protect both parties’ interests. It can also serve as a deterrent for clients who might otherwise try to take advantage of freelancers (e.g., by taking more time than agreed upon).

Contracts can help protect both sides from legal issues in case the project goes poorly or if one party decides not to pay up after the fact.

Take advantage of social media.

Social media is a great place to connect with potential employers, and a huge part of that is showcasing your work. Here are some ways you can use social media to find freelance jobs:

• Use Twitter to find people who might hire you
• Share your work on LinkedIn
• Post about opportunities on Facebook
• Connect with freelancers in Facebook groups

Use a portfolio website to highlight your work and set up a blog with your work to show off your writing skills.

Don’t Give Up.

The biggest mistake a freelancer can make is giving up too early. If you have not found a job in the first two days, don’t worry—it will come. If you haven’t found a job within two weeks of searching, that doesn’t mean it will never happen. The most important thing is to keep trying and don’t give up!

The second worst thing about giving up too soon is that it can leave you without any income, which may result in further discouragement and even harder times ahead. This can spiral into debt or other financial problems; since money is so tight already when starting as a freelance writer (or whatever field you choose), this should be avoided at all costs.

Don’t give up two days into it.

You’re not going to make a lot of money right away. You may struggle for months before you make your first dollar. It’s important to remember this and be patient with your freelance career because if you give up at the first sign of difficulty or frustration, you’ll never find jobs that pay well or allow you to work remotely.

You need to remember that it takes time for clients to see what they’re paying for—and if they can’t see it yet, they won’t be willing to pay any more than they already are (even if your value is very high). Even the easiest freelance jobs take some time to get going and establish your freelance career.

Don’t give up two weeks into it.

You may not hear anything back once you send out a few job applications for a while. Companies can get back to you in days, weeks, or even months. If this happens to you, don’t give up.

You will probably have to apply for many jobs before finding one that suits your situation. And when it finally does come through, don’t think, “Well, now I’ve got this job, so my search is over!” That would be silly! Keep on looking and applying until something better comes along!

Don’t give up two months into it.

It’s easy to become discouraged when you don’t get a job immediately. Finding the perfect position can take weeks or even months, and some people will give up before that happens. But if you want it, keep trying until you find something that suits your skills and interests. Don’t give up on yourself!

Get a website, even if it is makeshift at first.

You should have a website. It is easy to set up and maintain, and having a website is an essential part of being taken seriously as a freelancer. Your site can showcase your portfolio, skills, experience (by writing about it), or even introduce you to potential clients.

If you’re not sure where to start or what platform would work best for you and your business needs, check out some of these helpful articles:

You can be successful if you are persistent and focused

You can be successful if you are persistent and focused. Freelance work is competitive, so it’s important that you stand out from the crowd. Don’t give up; don’t be afraid to ask for help.

If a job doesn’t seem right, try something else (but learn from your mistakes). Don’t be afraid to fail—it’s part of the process!

Best Freelance Job Sites to Find Work

If you want to make money as a freelancer, there’s no shortage of sites where you can find work. However, not all of them are created equal. Some sites allow for more professional and higher-paying jobs; others may be better suited to lower-paying gigs.

However, finding easy freelance jobs is relatively simple; you just need to find the right place to look and ensure they have many jobs for you to choose from.

We’ve compiled a list of the best websites for finding freelance jobs based on their popularity among users and their track record in the industry:

• Upwork (formerly Elance) – The largest online marketplace for remote workers with over 12 million freelancers and over $1 billion paid out each year. You’ll find everything from web design to accounting services here—including many opportunities in specialized fields like data analytics or legal research and writing services. This site also offers its own payment processing system called Upwork Payroll so that your client is billed directly through this service rather than being sent an invoice by email or letter postmarked by your bank account number (which could be vulnerable).
• Fiverr – A unique platform where sellers offer small projects starting at just five dollars each! These can range from creating designs for social media pages, such as Facebook cover photos or Twitter headers up to creating full email blasts featuring multiple images at once.
• SolidGigs – SolidGigs is the place to go if you’re looking for freelance writing, proofreading, editing, and design jobs. They’re a bit more expensive than some of the other sites on this list but still offer competitive pay for each job completed. It’s also one of the few sites that regularly post jobs for writers specializing in certain fields such as health care or technology.
• FlexJobs – FlexJobs is a great place to find both writing and design jobs. They also offer remote jobs for proofreading and editing, but the majority of them are for writers.

You’ll also find plenty of opportunities for writing and editing jobs, as well as voice-over work. Fiverr has an excellent reputation for providing fair prices and high-quality work from its users.

Online freelance websites and marketplaces like these are great places to start your search because they provide a wide range of options in one place—some even allowing you to set your rates. It’s a reliable spot to start your freelance career.

How can I start freelancing without experience?

Freelance work without experience is not impossible if you do your homework. Read job listings carefully and think about what you can offer that will set you apart from other applicants.

Check out these sites for freelancing jobs:

• Freelancer.com,   67,342+ jobs
• Linkedin’s “Jobs” board,  4363+ jobs
• Upwork.com,  1 million+ online jobs

You can always find freelance opportunities on social media channels by uploading a professional profile picture with the skillsets highlighted to convey professionalism or following relevant pages to tap into potential leads or projects.

How much money can a freelancer make?

Your freelance earnings depend on how effectively a professional sells their work. Low-level clients are frequently the source of earnings for inexperienced freelancers with no marketing experience. The pay of similarly skilled freelancers in this field varies by location.

This can only be seen by competent freelancers. Salaries differ considerably. Therefore, I have outlined a summary of pay below. This is the typical BASE compensation.

On average, an entry-level virtual assistant can start from $10 per hour to a senior at around $20 per hour in this area of work. However, virtual assistants can make more money than that as they build their freelance careers.

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Final Words

If you weren’t previously considering joining the freelance market, start considering it now. According to experts, by 2030, 80% of the global workforce could comprise freelancers. You don’t want to miss out, do you?

In this guide, we’ve discussed easy freelance jobs for beginners that you can start with little to no skills. Plus, we’ve mentioned the best freelance sites for beginners to land clients and kickstart their careers.

With this information and guidance, you’re all set to earn some extra cash for your shopping sprees, paying utilities, or a full-time remote work business. Get started today!

FAQ

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