Developers

Can you freelance as a developer?

Yes! In fact a huge number of developers, coders and software engineers are self-employed, working as contractors for larger businesses, working directly with clients to develop applications, software and websites.

Benefits of freelancing as a developer

• Flexibility & Autonomy – you set your own schedule, choose your projects, and work from anywhere.
• Higher Earning Potential – you can often earn more per hour than a salaried developer, especially if you specialize in high-demand skills.
• Diverse Projects & Clients – you get to work on a variety of projects, keeping things interesting and expanding your skill set.

Risks of being a Freelance Developer

• High Competition - there are lots of freelance developers, and you might be competing with people globally - which can be a challenge
• AI is a growing challenge - the risk of AI taking away roles from the developer/software engineer is a potential risk to be aware of
• No Investment in new skills – you’ll have to fund your own investment in learning and development, to stay relevant and competitive

What are the top roles as a freelance developer?

According to hightekers, the most in-demand roles for freelancers include work as data scientists, data engineers, back-end and full-stack engineers, react developers, cybersecurity experts, testing and automation engineers, and cloud architects.

There’s an increasing number of roles in the AI/ML space, and mobile and application software engineeers are in demand - but what AI does to the software and developer industry will be something worth keeping an eye on, especially with tools such as Cursor, and no-code platforms changing the entry levels for creating software.

How much can you make as a freelancer developer?

Day rates will vary by role, experience and industry, but the average day rate, according to IPSE for a Programmer or software development professional is £575, and for developers according to YunoJuno see between £330-£490.

It’s important to check various sources of day rate benchmarking - some good sources include:

• arc.dev
• Contractor UK
• Malt

Where can you find work as a developer?

Finding work as a freelancer is an essential part of the job, so make sure you’ve got a good strategy in place, seeking work directly with clients, working with recruiters, browsing freelancing marketplaces, and joining communities and jobs boards.

Some of the leading spaces and places to find work as a freelance developer in the UK include:

• gun.io
• arc.dev
• gigged.ai

You can also find work on platforms like Fiverr, Upwork and LinkedIn.

What support communities and groups exist for freelancer developers?

There a lots of great communities for freelance developers, some focus purely on freelancing, others on developers generally.

There’s a brilliant resource to find UK developer communities here: devitjobs.uk/community

Six tips for getting started as a freelance developer

1. Be clear on your niche - what areas of specialism are you going to focus on and offer as a freelancer? Most people looking for developers will search for specific skills, so being clear on what skills you offer is essential.
2. Understand your budget - make sure you’ve done the work to plan a personal and professional budget, to set your day rates, to know how much you need to make as a freelancer, and have an emergency fund, for when you’re not busy.
3. Ask fellow freelancers - join communities to ask other freelancers about being a freelance developer. You’ll learn more from spending time with others, than any article or resource.
4. Build up your leads and network - don’t wait until you start freelancing to put out the feelers, start having conversations about possible work now, as it can take some time to find roles
5. Understand contracts, and worker status - many developer roles are often contracted, rather than freelancing, which has an impact on your tax. Get up to speed on things like IR35, contracting and umbrellas.
6. Keep learning - technology skills move quickly, and if you’re not investing in learning new skills and new technologies, you might be left behind. Make sure you’re exploring new trends and topics as they arise.