How to work freelance if you're not an US citizen?

[Katze_E]

Hi guys!

First of all, I am sorry for such a newbie question, but here it goes:
How can I work for a decent freelance company, like Demand Studios, if I’m not an US citizen?
I’m currently unemployed, and I could really use some cash right now. I’m willing to burn my neurons if it helps me pay the groceries at the end of the month. I have great investigative skills, a university degree, lots of hobbies to talk about… But I don’t live in the USA, so it gets really hard.
Are there any tips I could use? Any light at the end of the unemployed tunnel?
Thank you very much!

[WildScribe]

Demand studios is not a freelance company, it is a content company, and no, they do not employ non-US citizens. Magazines, however, usually don't care where you're from as long as you can write excellent English.

[Blue236]

Your best solution is to seek out private clients. They typically pay higher and usually don't care that you are out of country as long as you can write decently in English. You might check out local publications such as magazines.

You don't need a content mill to write. You can also set-up your own website, hook into one of the literally hundreds of ad sites like google adsense, become an affiliate to sell certain products and generate income for your own niche site. Granted it does take time to do all of this but the profits are 100% yours.

Oh sorry, I keep wanting to add things. Most of the content mills you might have been able to get on with are on the verge of dying with the algorithm changes. A lot of them either don't have work or are ditching writers.

[Bushrat]

I would try pitching to magazines. Much better pay.

[Katze_E]

Thank you for taking the time to answer me!

Pitching magazines seems a great idea, and it's definitely in my to-do list. But I thought content sites were easier to break-in and to have the pro of a constant pay-check. I guess I was wrong, I'm glad I asked!

About Google Adsense, I'm not planning to set it up on my blog, I believe it's too personal to generate any decent income.

Thank you again for the tips, they were very valuable to me. :)

[Domoviye]

Thank you for taking the time to answer me!

Pitching magazines seems a great idea, and it's definitely in my to-do list. But I thought content sites were easier to break-in and to have the pro of a constant pay-check. I guess I was wrong, I'm glad I asked!

About Google Adsense, I'm not planning to set it up on my blog, I believe it's too personal to generate any decent income.

Thank you again for the tips, they were very valuable to me. :)
Get some good social networking, a Facebook page, basic writers blog, possibly twitter and Linkedin. These will help people looking for a writer notice you.

[WildScribe]

Get some good social networking, a Facebook page, basic writers blog, possibly twitter and Linkedin. These will help people looking for a writer notice you.

It can't hurt, but I've been working freelance full time for 5 years, and I've never gotten a job through social networking. Through referrals, yes. Through queries, yes. Through my web site? No. I have it, and I update it, and I feel it works well as a portfolio, but people seeking writers just have to raise a hand and the writers come flocking; they don't generally start a desperate search through Facebook.

[scottVee]

Hi EEV. Your blog is certainly sincere, and personal. I would recommend that you fix the paragraph layouts and check for typos if you're going to use the blog as a business card of sorts.

It's hard to make suggestions about career moves and markets without knowing what kind of writing you do. I see you have a novel in the works, but if you write fiction, then "pitching magazines" is not relevant -- for short fiction, you just submit it to the magazine and wait for an answer. To find magazines, use a site like duotrope.com - it's easy and as stated, most zines are open to content from anywhere in the world.

If you write non-fiction, maybe break it down into several topics that interest you, areas that you have experience in and want to write about. Then you can look for magazines on those topics. For short filler pieces, just send it. You only have to query ("pitch") long involved articles; though of course read the guidelines of eeach potential market, those words and rules are what apply to them.

Google Adsense has pros and cons. It can make a trickle of income, but also drives people off your site (often with competing content) and can be distasteful to your readers. Unless you're getting hundreds of hits a day, it's probably not worth it.

Your latest blog post about whether you're "good enough" is stuff we all go through. You just have to go ahead, regardless of the uncertainty, largely not caring what people tell you, because most of what people say is just babble.

Just some scattered thoughts. Cheers.

[Katze_E]

Thank you again for your thoughts!
Fox, I'm still skeptical about Facebook and Twitter, I don't see much use for them at this point of my career. Perhaps I'm wrong, and I've been thinking about it - it's good to have your name out there.
Thanks, Scott, about the advice about the blog. I've been using it as a tool to learn more about blogging, and yes, I won't use Adsense on it, it just doesn’t make sense. For what I've been researching, the income is minimal. As paragraph's layouts, do you mean indentation? Blogger won't allow it :Shrug: As for typos... I try to avoid and fix them always, but I know I still have work to do in this area.
What do I write? Well, I write fiction and short stories, and also things I have knowledge about - psychology, relationships, health living, etc. I believe I could write for trade mags to start with. I've been reading Jenna Glatzer's book and there's great advice there I'm tempted to follow. And I'll definitely check out duotrope.com, thanks!

[NewKidOldKid]

Internet Brands and Wisegeek both take international writers. Content mills have their pros and cons but you are right that it's a more steady paycheck than querying magazines and hoping one will assign you an article. In my opinion, it makes more sense to try a bit of everything at the same time, especially when you're just starting. I've never believe a blog is useful as a "business card." Too personal, too informal. I don't think it would impress an editor. Just my opinion, though.

ETA: I freelance full-time, so it can be done. You just need to build up on it.

[lastlittlebird]

The content mills are not the best option but they are an option. Internet Brands is scaling down, however, so it might be difficult to get a look in there.
WiseGEEK is an option (although they are very very picky), as is Brighthub, or if you are interested in writing articles for residual income (income from ads and affliate sales), Suite101, Squidoo, and others. Squidoo is particularly open to people using affliate links.
Writing for Suite101 and using their forum and tutorials has made me a better writer.
It's true that more and more content sites have meant fewer views and less income per article.
But a relatively sure-fire $10 per Brighthub article while you refine and polish a piece for a magazine is better than nothing (and US$10 can translate to more depending on what country you live in)
Writing for 'content mills' has kept me afloat at times.

I have a squidoo page with a bunch of sites that accept non-US writers... sorry if it is a self promotion, but here it is (http://www.squidoo.com/notanamericanfreelancer). Actually I need to update it.

PS Demand Studios, up 'til recently at least, was accepting UK and Canadian writers.

[SpiderGal]

I live in India, and have been freelancing on and off for US publications. Writing for the American market may seem like a daunting task if you're outside of North America, but if you do your market research and come up with awesome ideas, it is only a matter of time you'll start making decent income.

[bravelittletoaster]

I got involved in freelance writing by starting at Demand Studios, but then I went on to set up profiles at guru.com and elance.com. These are platforms that connect clients (people who want writing) with providers (people who write). Elance has been the most successful for me. It can be tough to be a newbie on there, but once you get that first job there's usually repeat business and recommendations to help you. Definitely try elance if you want to be a freelancer!

[veinglory]

Plenty of content sites like Demand do not require you to be a US citizen. Although it can simplify things if you get an ITIN number.

[Cleopatra Jones]

You definitely can get work without being a US citizen or living in the USA. I'm a US citizen but based in Paris. I write for both print and online magazines all over the place. I also have private clients for press releases, web content, etc. The cool thing about freelancing is that there's an enormous amount of flexibility as to how and where you can earn your keep!

[Ulee_Lhea]

In addition to mags and websites (good options), you may be able to pick up some close-to-home commercial work. Most cities around the world have services and organizations targeted to English speakers. Some ideas:

* International hospitals / health systems
* Relocation companies
* International schools
* English-language magazines and publishers
* Business organizations (AmCham, BritCham, AusCham, etc.)
* Real-estate companies
* Hotels and resorts (especially if you can find an independent one)
* Sports clubs/Gyms
* NGOs

I didn't do commercial freelancing when I lived overseas, but I have a Canadian pal who made good money doing just that in Asia. PM me if you want his info. He would probably be happy to share how he got started.