Teenius

Freelance writing has really kicked off in the last couple of years, with thousands of people all flocking to make some easy dollars online. This recent surge has brought in writers from all parts of the globe, all writing at different abilities.

As a native English speaker, I’ve never found myself struggling to find freelance writing jobs, and that’s not me trying to sound big headed… that’s the truth. I do, however, recognise that for writers with English as their second language getting jobs isn’t so easy, and that’s where this article comes in. Just follow the following tips and I can almost guarantee you’ll be getting some well paying gigs in no time.

Improve Your English
I know what you’re thinking, it does sound rather hard, doesn’t it? Well, that’s your first mistake. I find a lot of the non native English writers have poor language skills, but it is very easy to improve. Go on the internet and find some eBooks written by native English speakers, and then just read them. Even if you don’t fully understand some of the language, the bits you do understand should allow you to work out what those tricky words are.

Now, I know this next point isn’t always practical, possible or affordable, but if you can then I recommend you get some English lessons. A few hours a week with a qualified teacher could drastically change your writing skills, thus landing you a load of great jobs.

Networking
This rule applies to all freelancers and is the best way of getting jobs in my opinion, whether you’re a writer or a designer, networking is sure to land you some great gigs. To give you a quick introduction to networking, it basically consists of making friends with other people that could help you out in the long run. So, if you’re a writer, make friends with people who need lots of writing done for them.

You can do this in so many ways, whether it’s social networking sites such as MySpace, Twitter and Facebook, connecting with potential clients over internet forums or commenting on loads of other blogs related to writing or blogging, the possibilities are endless.

Networking is great for getting jobs, but it’s also a great way of relaxing, especially if you’ve just written some articles or come in from a long day at the office!

Don’t Overcomplicate Things
In the past I’ve hired a lot of writers, some native English, some not. The thing I pick up on with the vast majority of non English writers is that they try and overcomplicate things: a HUGE mistake.

So, what exactly am I on about?

Well, when you write articles you’re looking to connect with the reader, but if you’re using long words that aren’t usually used, you’re bound to confuse the reader who’ll probably end up clicking off the page. When you write, you need to do it in a manner that is easy to understand, as if you’re having a conversation. Using long, fancy words isn’t common practice in a conversation, so why do it in your articles?!

I could go on forever, but I think I’ve highlighted the main three points. If you feel I’ve missed anything out, please feel free to leave a comment or contact me by other means. Thanks for reading!