Good for: Freelancers to list their services and be contacted by clients
Disciplines: Creative and non-creative

Fiverr is a freelance marketplace that covers the fields of design, digital marketing, writing, photography and more. Freelancers don’t apply for jobs directly, but rather, list their services for interested clients to contact them. It’s best for smaller and more specific gigs – like designing a logo or editing an article – and uses a verification process to ensure the legitimacy of buyers and sellers.

Check it out here.

Good for: Freelancers to find longer term and more specialised projects
Disciplines: Creative and non-creative

Upwork is an online marketplace for freelancers that contains both one-time gigs and longer-term projects across a wide range of industries. After setting up a profile, freelancers get to bid for jobs, pitch their projects and reach out to recruiters. If you tend to collaborate with other freelancers, you can even create an agency to present your group as a single organisation to clients.

Check it out here.

Good for: Freelancers to take on work by the hour or project
Disciplines: Design, digital marketing, writing, videography, photography

With the aim to provide flexibility around work, PeoplePerHour is an online platform that matches freelancers to opportunities by the hour or by project. Every application to join the platform is reviewed by their moderation team and their community is open to both freelance veterans and novices. Once approved, you’ll be able to access a wide range of projects and work with clients from around the world. As always with taking on work for new clients, some online research or background checking is advisable.

Check it out here.

Good for: Accessing job listings based on specific skills
Disciplines: Creative and non-creative

Freelancer provides access to a global marketplace of opportunities spanning nearly all industries. Each field is then broken down into subcategories so that you can find jobs that are most suited to your skill set: for instance, under ‘Design and Media’, they have listings for everything from ‘3D Rendering’ and ‘Kinetic Typography’ to ‘Character Illustration’ and ‘Furniture Design’.

Check it out here.

Good for: Finding community and jobs as a female creative
Disciplines: Social media, design, marketing, PR, copywriting, HR

Founded in 2017, Freelancing Females is a community platform that supports women who are creatives in the freelancing space. A paid membership will get you listed as a directory member, added to a Slack channel and given access to workshops – but their jobs board is free to check out and adds about a hundred new listings a week.

Check it out here.

Good for: Searching for a wide array of creative opportunities
Disciplines: All creative

While Behance is known as a creative network for showcasing your portfolio of work, they also have a jobs board with a specific tab just for freelance work. Both members and non-members of Behance can access the page, but they recommend filling out a profile to show your work experience, as well as creating an account to track the jobs you’ve applied for.

Check it out here.

Good for: Finding jobs and taking part in design contests
Disciplines: Graphic design

A global platform that connects designers and clients, 99design is a marketplace for freelance design jobs that span various industries and styles. Freelancers can either work directly with businesses on one-to-one projects, or submit their concepts to daily design contests and stand the chance to work with a client if they win. Remember to be wary of completing unpaid work for design contests that don't provide payment for every entry.

Check it out here.

Good for: Discovering opportunities through community
Disciplines: All creative

The Dots is known as a networking platform for creatives, but they also have a thriving jobs board with a specific tab for freelance roles. However, members also tend to post about ad-hoc projects and seek out collaborators on the community forum – so, much like the industry itself, finding opportunities here doesn’t just come from the jobs board, but also through networking and connections.

Check it out here.

Good for: Finding jobs in the film and TV industry
Disciplines: Film, TV, branded content

Connecting freelancers and companies working in TV, film and branded content across the UK, Production Hive has listings from nearly all departments – including camera crew, costume and wardrobe, as well as script writing. Upon registering, freelancers can create a profile, upload their CV and reel, and start browsing for opportunities.

Check it out here.

Freelancer Guides
Are you freelance and looking for more guidance? Check out more resources below.

• A guide to setting up as a freelancer
  
• A guide to finding clients as a freelance