With concerns about the rising cost of living in Malaysia, it might be time to consider freelance work. It’s not easy to actually find these jobs locally, if only because many companies rely heavily on word of mouth to discover talent. For those of you who are unlucky enough to lack these social contacts here are three websites that might just help you get that extra income.
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Freelancer
As the only international freelance website with a presence in Malaysia, Freelancer.com might be the best place to start looking for those side jobs. A benefit of using this service is that potential clients have to put the payment into the hands of Freelancer when they post a job. This means that you are guaranteed to get paid. Payment is also doled out according to preset milestones, so employers can be certain that their requirements are also met.
Freelancer.com is currently partnering with MDeC for the Micro Sourcing to Generate Additional Income for the Low Income Household project in Malaysia. So it has at least some measure of official recognition.
oDesk
The largest freelance community online has the benefit of also being the most popular. Most of the jobs listed originate from the western side of the world. However, oDesk listings tend to lean towards technology based work that can be accomplished by anyone with an internet connection.
Behind oDesk is an automated time tracking system, so that freelancers can be paid by the number of hours they actually work. This also means that freelancers won’t have to worry about tracking their time and can actually get work done. The system also automatically hands out payment weekly, so the only thing standing between you and your extra cash is, well, you.
Skillpages
Based on social networking, Skillpages is a little less structured than the other two alternatives. It involves listing your skills and hoping someone notices you (although you can browse and bid for jobs). It also allows your friends to recommend you list of skills in a manner similar to how Facebook allows you to like statuses. Naturally, this works best if you have a large network of friends who are also using the service. There are fewer safeguards in place for ensuring that freelancers and employers don’t screw each other over, so this might require a little more caution to use.
The best part quality that Skillpages has is its integration with Facebook and Google+. Which makes it easier to pop in and look for jobs while simply browsing the web. It also has iOS and Android apps for getting freelance work where ever you are.
