bobby12 0 Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Anyone here working freelance? I am thinking about going into freelance web development. I want to live in Nagano but there`s no jobs for my line of work there, so freelance seems like a possible solution. I am thinking to start building up clients while working full time, getting prepared, then moving into full time freelance 6 months later or so. If no jobs come in, I figure I can always get eikaiwa work to keep things ticking over. I heard you can claim money back for all kinds of things like your PC, apartment etc. Link to post Share on other sites
Jynxx 4 Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Expect to be paid late depending on the industry you work for. Advertising, being the worst, you can wait up to 6 (usually 3) months till you get paid after service. Also, you might find that you have to entertain your client out of your pocket. You are expected to understand Japanese business culture. note small business have different mindset from corporate. Also the industry you work for have their way of doing things which they consider the "norm". Good luck Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 It's tough bobby12 - have been trying to get on the freelance web design side myself - be prepared to be told that your sites you design aren't "quite what they are looking for". Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Jynxx, please share more of your experiences. I am a naturally gifted photographer with all the gear and I think I can be a David Bailey. But I need some incentive to do this part time. Link to post Share on other sites
Jynxx 4 Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 thursday, definitely you need a incentive to do it. So, we are talking about motivation and money. Take David Bailey for example. When I saw his photos of his girlfriend/wife in ' 78, I thought " Geez. this guy is really into his girl, almost perverse obsession " That was it. His B&W printing was no way in top noch. Diane Arbus -my heroine , for the love of humanity and beauty of her personal subjects (others would have considered them freaks) she wasn't so hot on printing and technique but her photos!. Unless you have that - That love, passion, that transcend technique/technology, a 4yo child is more gifted than most of us. Give them a throw away camera and will shoot a more interesting pic than you or muika. If the scenery is beautiful, the image is pleasing, anyone can take a nice pic that most of us will say " Geez, you are a good photographer, gifted, blah" Nice to have positive support but most people are like first year art students they don't know how to take crits (criticism). So, I ask you, what is it that you want to capture about the photo you are making ?. Be it sports (ie; ski, surfing), mountains... you have to understand the subject first. meaning a person who practice that activity is more likely to be a better photographer and will be appreciated by those who share that passion. OK, money. mate, for all the photos I made, I can say that Kodak made a lot of money out of me. If you want to make $ out of photography the chances are - Fashion, Food, Product advertising. Fashion- if you are not successful by mid 20's forget it. Most of us retire at 30 and become an art director. Product advertising - Jewelry, Autos ... highly technical, need studio experience, an eye for detail that most of us will not measure up to. Real pro. That leaves food. Still you really need an eye for it. but unless you are working for a grog company shooting cocktails (liquid in a glass is VERY difficult) it can be done. We are talking about lighting, here. In the old days we were called "lighting cameraman" You want to be a PRO, be an assistant to a good photographer and/or work in a studio and prove to your boss's boss (clients) you are good at it. You know how it works, They see how you work. You don't get to work in that industry coming out of college/art school majoring in photography. In your case, or others who want to break into the industry I suggest: 1) Organize an exhibition. You will have to pay for the gallery and exhibit quality/size prints. 2) Self publish a photo book 3) Get at least 500 photos and take it to a stock photo company 4) Do your rounds to publishers/ magazines/ ad company Alternatively, You are an artist and you use a camera as a medium. I will refrain from going into art theory 101. I will remind you about a saying from my time " When you kick a stone in Shinjuku, more likely it will hit a photographer " I really dig what HS is doing. He has it in a nutshell. It's what you do with the photos. He carries the tradition of what the japanese call "kami-shibai" picture story telling. Photojournalism. Remember - photography tells about YOU. not only the subject matter but you. Link to post Share on other sites
Ctrl-Z 0 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Friend of mine, very talented he is too, is trying to survive doing what you suggest bobby down in Hiroshima. Having a difficult time of it too from what he has been saying, thinking of going back to salaried work. Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 re. photography - what people do not realise is that printing is an art in itself. Ansel Adams could take a piece of crap negative and make a beautiful print out of it. Vice versa, he could give you one of his negatives and when you print it it would look like crap. Photography is a misunderstood art form I think, people think it 'just mirrors reality' and is not expressive which is completely not the case. Back on topic - I stumbled across a gaijin IT freelancer in Okinawa. He has made about 4 pieces of software that are quite specialised (translation industry) but cost around $100 a licence. I figure he makes at least $500 a week off the software. On top of that he does support for the software and EN-JP technical translation. From his blog, it seems his kids are in international school so he must be doing OK, and living in paradise! He is kind of my idol at the moment. Link to post Share on other sites
Ctrl-Z 0 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Well there's always going to be stories like that isn't there. And probably many many more that are less attractive. But hey if you can get that idea and do it well and sell it well, good on you. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Jynxx, thanks. Interesting and insightful. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Bobby, I have read about quite a few stories about developers doing the Apple Apps store. They right some simple applets for the Iphone, publish and even for 99cents per download, they are getting rich. Could be a real earner if you've got the imagination. Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 Mobile is not my thing at all. I haven't even had a mobile for the past 3 years! Of course I do see great potential there, but I think I missed the boat anyway. I considered getting into mobile development back in 2002 and I remember feeling even then I was behind the game. If Google gets its way then everything is going to be very standardised and cross- platform anyway eventually. Link to post Share on other sites
Jynxx 4 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 bobby, if you are already teaching eikaiwa, why not teach web development ? Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 I dont teach eikaiwa, I'm a web developer/project leader/business analyst type salaryman! Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 I think I know the guy in Okinawa or have at least heard him speak at a translation conference. I don't know how much money there is in small companies developing translation assistance software because its use is often client-driven. Translation agencies or documentation departments specify what the translator has to use. Sometimes its a condition for getting the job. For that reason, translators will tend to use established software like Trados or at least something that is compatible with its databases. Developing software could be a massive salespoint for a translator though, basically a big sign that they do know the field they are translating in. I've been translating freelance for about nine years now. Its a bit slow at the moment, but I've not done any sales promotion in years because I never needed to before. With the economy the way it is, perhaps its not the easiest time to get work in, but I'm sure something will turn up if I knock on enough doors. Its true that you can claim for part of your home, computers, phone etc. as expenses. You can also employ your missus as an OL. She can still be a dependant if she's on one million yen or less. Working freelance is a very established pattern for translation, so its not so difficult to know how or where to sell your services. Maybe its trickier for web development. I don't know much about it, but I guess you'd have more appeal if you could package it with other services like design, translation, localization, database development, marketing etc. A one-stop shop basically. I suspect there is a lot more to making a successful website than simple coding. Even if you end up doing such other things yourself, you should make it clear that such things are services that are being provided. It should get you kudos points at least, if not more pay. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 teaching web development is a LOT harder than teaching English. Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 There are many translators plying their trade here and I heard it is a bit competitive in terms of pricing, but once established and you have a niche then I guess it will work. My company for example will only use one JP-EN translator as she worked here for a few years and knows the specialist lingo. If she is busy, we just wait. For web work, there seems to be a few freelancers and small businesses around doing english websites for jp businesses, and helping foriegn companies to do emarketing/website in Japan. I haven't studied it in detail but it doesn't look saturated at all to me. If you get a niche like 'ryokans' or something and build a portfolio, maybe a portal site, then I guess theres plenty of customers to cold call. The problem with web work is that the job scope is always hard to set. Customers dont know what they want, and dont understand issues like SEO etc, so you have to educate them in detail and handhold a lot. Its not like translation with a simple in-out process. Link to post Share on other sites
Hokkaidough 4 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Quote: If you get a niche like 'ryokans' or something Don't particularly want to sound negative, but be prepared to work for peanuts and bang your head against the nearest wall a lot. And as you said, a large number of people simply do not know what they want or the actual work involved/value of it. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Well, if your company is prepared to outsource translation work to a former employee, maybe its not such a big step in logic for them to oursource web development to another former employee, i.e., you. Some former employers don't outsource at all, or not to people who've quit. The "ryokans" comment alone suggests that you are prepared to go out and create work for yourself. In translation, that's how you get good rates. If you just apply to agencies that recruit a lot (especially at easy-to-find places online), you'll end up being offered low-paid work. Such places are always recruiting because of high turnover of staff. You're just another number to them. You're much better off beating them, i.e., going direct to the type of companies that (find it convenient to) order work from them, than joining them. Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 I am probably going to move back to the UK shortly, however freelancing will probably be my only way back should it become necessary. That or eikaiwa...maybe I can learn to love it :S Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 If you're good at what you do and can learn how to sell yourself, go for it! If you just want some income to start with and your own kids are in hoikuen/youchien or shougakko, it shouldn't be too difficult for your missus to set up a few kids' English classes via the other mothers. The optional English class at my daughter's kindy works out at 1500 per kid per lesson with a Japanese teacher. Forty kids a week at that and you have typical eikaiwa money for far fewer hours. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Not Singapore anymore Bobby ? Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 Nah. I've been considering everything the last few years. Oz -> USA -> Singapore -> current idea is UK. Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Feelin' restless there bobby? Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 Well, I just knew that this place wasn't a long term solution, so I have been eyeing up other possibilities and saving some dough on the strong yen in the meantime. Kid are getting older though so need to get out before they turn into little kansai-ben thugs. Link to post Share on other sites
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