I've had experience as a freelancer for 20 years or so. And I'll tell you this: - Stop putting up with it! Here are the actual problems of the current freelance practice:
1. Most customers want to get a full Facebook clone made over the weekend with a budget of 5 kopecks ("... well, it's not difficult, it's on the framework, just in a couple of days and you will.").
2. The first point directly leads to the phenomenon when freelance, having received a fee for the first stage of the project, and realizing that he overestimated his talents, dissolves somewhere in Nirvana. And the customer brings his unfinished Facebook to the freelance resource again, only the budget and terms: 3 kopecks and 1 day, because, "... well, there's already something done!
3. If not freelance, then a cat? Personally, I, though in a theme for a long time, right now, for a lipstick, nobody but Lebedev's studio from serious web studios and will name. Really, there are no real brands on the market of web development.
4. This point is related to the previous one: actually, there is no market as such. I mean, the market with more or less settled tariffs. There is only an understanding that for the Russian-speaking post-Soviet community, the hourly fee for freelancing varies somewhere between $5-$20 depending on. However, the average customer does not have an understanding of the number of these hours required for this or that typical work. Well, and it is correct, and where would it come from?
Here's some kind of leapfrogging that's been happening for many years among freelancers. And otherwise than "chaos and chaos" it is difficult to call it "chaos".
That is, it turns out that there is no universally recognized authoritative source that could clearly and distinctly convey to the person:
- The Facebook clone is not made over the weekend, and it is not worth 5 kopecks. And if you insist, you will be thrown away, directly or indirectly.
And the mechanism of "safe deal", in the absence of the mentioned source, the situation is not saved. Because this mechanism guarantees protection only from the loss of money. But it does not guarantee protection against loss of time. And this is sometimes even more important, especially when subcontracting.
To solve the problems I see the following mechanisms:
1. The system of public professional reputation, protected from nakrutkirovaniya. They are trying to implement it there, but the cunning Bangladeshi (in all senses of the word) have long understood that it is possible to take not the skill, but the number. And that's why there is a place for twists and turns. And in general, the system based on estimates of only customers - also raises a lot of questions about its fundamental relevance. It is good in conditions when all customers: 1) Real, not virtual, 2) Completely adequate. In general, I would suggest that we should make a rating system among our colleagues. Among those with whom you really worked, and who is ready, based on personal experience, to vouch for the quality of your skills.
2. The next proposal is related to the previous one - to make a system of circular bail. If you have publicly vouched for a person, and something went wrong there - be kind - finish the work that he took up and, for some reason, did not do. Doesn't that make sense? I am sure that such a system will inspire more trust on the part of the customer - he will know exactly what the work will be done properly and on time, or close to it.
3. To make a tariff grid with a good degree of hourly detailing that the customer at once was guided: - Yeah, here the filter on dates to make - it is so much time, but to pull there a template with Zepplin - it is so much time. This is also a plus to trust.
4. Well, and, together, to unpack it all.
I'm trying to roughly describe what a community of freelances organized wisely might look like, not "that's all".
I'll be glad to hear your counter ideas, and maybe even concrete suggestions.