Freelancers - who are they, and where did the word come from?

More often you can hear this phrase: "I work as a freelancer!" And although literally a dozen years ago such a profession did not exist in Russia, today it is not such a rarity. Therefore, for those who ask the question: "Freelancers - who are they?" - and this article is written.

A bit of history

If you translate this word into Russian, then the answer to the question: "Freelancers ... Who are they?" - there will be a strange combination that sheds little light on the above question. After all, the English word "freelancer" means "free spearman" or "hired, free spearman". We can not define the word in the detachment of neologisms, because it originated in the time of Walter Scott. For the first time, "freelancer" appears in his novel "Ivanhoe". Here's a new word for you! And indeed, originally it was the medieval mercenaries who were called "freelancers". Who are these, our modern "free spearmen"?

Modern meaning

It would be more correct to call such an employee a "franker", since there are practically no spearmen today. The first part of the word means "freedom, will" in translation. It is she who is fundamental. So, freelancers - who are they? The answer can be briefly: they are people working remotely, for whom there is no obligation to personally visit the workplace (office, office) and a clear schedule of work. Some of the explanations indicate that freelance implies a temporary workload. However, this is no longer an indisputable fact. Today, there are a lot of Internet exchanges, sites where long-term contracts are concluded with freelancers, "free spearmen" can be registered at the place of residence as an emergency or IP, pay taxes and so on.

Free Artist

Even before the penetration of the Internet, "free artists" began to appear in all spheres of our life-people of creative professions who did not want or could not serve in any particular place. And it was not only people engaged in fine arts, that is, not only artists or sculptors. This included writers and poets, musicians and composers, singers, dancers, architects and representatives of many other professions. Of course, not everyone is able to create for the sake of art alone. And to be sure that your work will be in demand, bought out and give a good, and most importantly, a stable income, it is impossible. And often the geniuses who set foot on this path died in poverty, never realizing the glory and not having received the recognition of the people. Perhaps the most stable position was occupied by a freelance journalist, with whom there was some kind of agreement, but a contract.

Stability of the current freelancers

But time flows, and everything changes, often - for the better. Today, in order to become a freelancer, you do not have to be a genius. It is enough to know your business in perfection, be able to work on the Internet and be a responsible person. You can offer through the Internet or a newspaper the services of a book designer in an editorial office, a printing house or an individual, provided that there is artistic talent. You can contract to perform proof-reading work or provide an interpreter if you have the knowledge of the language. The freelance programmer, the creator and developer of sites, the administrator and the moderator, the rewriter and the copywriter is extremely demanded today. Even without knowing absolutely nothing, you can become a freelancer and earn some money only by regularly giving answers to different forms on the Internet or simply "poking" buttons, going to the specified sites in order to increase their attendance. It is difficult to agree that this work is not complicated. But a regular income, even a small one, will not be enough for anyone.