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Freelancer jobs in Germany – How to find projects and assignments
The search for suitable jobs in Germany can be different for you as a freelancer. Numerous industries and fields of activity open up a variety of exciting and well-paid projects for you. However, the exercise of a freelance profession is also associated with legal requirements. For example, there is a ban on advertising for certain professional groups. The legal definition of your freelance activity is decisive in this respect.
Legal framework for freelancing in Germany
In Germany, freelance activities are recorded in §18 EStG (German Income Tax Act) and §1 PartGG (German Partnership Company Act) and are not subject to the German trade regulations. This includes independently exercised scientific, artistic, literary, teaching or educational activities. As a rule, freelancers do not have to pay trade tax in Germany, but the final decision is up to the tax office based on your activities.
Why is a distinction made for freelancers?
The reason for the differences is the consideration of the recipients of the trade tax. It is paid to the respective cities and municipalities in Germany, which in turn use it to maintain the infrastructure with public transport or road construction. In the case of freelancers, it is assumed that they use the existing infrastructure little or not at all for the exercise of their professions. For this reason they are exempt from trade tax.
The design of the activity is decisive for the classification as freelancer
The sole designation as a veterinarian, for example, is not sufficient to be classified as a freelancer. Here a clear distinction must be made as to whether you as a veterinarian yourself only administer medicine and thus your task is complete. It is though common practice for veterinarians to also distribute medicine for animals in their daily work. In this case the trade regulations would come into force and taxes would have to be paid.
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Freelancer versus self-employed person
What is the difference between a freelancer and a self-employed person in Germany?
The term “freelancer” is borrowed from Sir Walter Scott’s novel Ivanhoe. In the 1820 book, freelancers are equated with the medieval mercenaries. Differences are mainly due to the choice of job and the obligation to follow instructions. Freelancers can be involved in their projects for a certain period of time directly at a local company and are then subject to the obligation to follow instructions. This is usually not the case with self-employed persons. In everyday life, however, both terms are often used synonymously.
Fiscal classification with competent advice
Many remote projects and jobs are on a fine line when it comes to being considered a freelancer in Germany. Especially journalists, IT freelancers and artists can very quickly fall victim to a wrong assignment and then have to pay trade tax. In order to avoid this in advance, competent advice from a lawyer or tax consultant is recommended. In this way, questions that arise can be clarified before the expensive additional payments to the tax office flutter into the house.
Separable mixed and inseparable mixed activity
If a clear classification for your work as a freelancer is not possible, there are also the variants “Separable mixed activity” and “Inseparable mixed activity”. If the freelance and commercial activities can be easily separated, the pure freelance activity can be exempted from the tax burden. In the case of an inseparable activity, everything falls under the German Trade, Commerce and Industry Regulation Act. An example of this would be a plastic surgeon who sells implants and then performs the operation himself.
Journalists have to be creative in freelance jobs in Germany
For example, journalists may also face the challenge of having to register a trade. The decisive factor is how creatively you as a journalist work on your projects. The strict processing of the client’s specifications with little creative input can be called a trade. The more creative variety your texts have, the higher the probability of being classified as a freelancer in Germany.
What are, according to the German law, liberal professions and in which branches are they to be found?
- In Germany, self-employed persons are mainly found in the health sector, such as self-employed doctors, self-employed veterinarians, self-employed dentists, self-employed alternative practitioners, self-employed physiotherapists, self-employed midwives, self-employed curative masseurs and self-employed psychologists.
- Another professional field has a context to the topic “law”. There you can find self-employed lawyers, self-employed auditors or self-employed tax consultants.
- In the free economy, you’ll find freelance engineers, freelance architects, freelance commercial chemists or freelance pilots.
- The creative and humanities professions are home to freelance journalists, freelance photo journalists, freelance interpreters and freelance translators.
Find freelancer jobs in Germany online
Find freelancing jobs on a freelance platform
As a freelancer you have all the possibilities to find a suitable job in Germany online. When registering on a freelancer website, the chances of finding lucrative jobs for self-employed people increase with the creation of a profile. In this way your visibility on the net increases and you can draw attention to your skills. German companies can use various options to recruit freelancers for a project or assignment locally or remotely. Communication can be easily arranged via our freelance portal. The tedious acquisition process can be omitted in this context if you establish yourself as a freelancer on the platform with very good recommendations as the duration increases.
Self-employed persons are proven experts
Self-employed persons have a great advantage over freelancers in the narrow sense – they are considered to be proven experts in certain fields and have enjoyed excellent training. As a rule, self-employed persons have completed a course of study specifically in order to be able to work in an occupational group. Outstandingly trained journalists and certified translators can list their exceptional abilities and skills in their profile on the portal and thus specifically point companies to them. This distinguishes self-employed persons from freelancers who often work as career changers in the industry.
Very good ratings increase the chances of freelancing jobs in Germany
Contracts for the self-employed can be negotiated directly with the companies. After completion, recommendations from former clients or team colleagues on your profile are very advantageous. Together with your expertise, they will help you to generate further assignments. As a proven expert in your field, you can also assign yourself to a higher fee segment. For example, when writing texts and translations, excellent specialist knowledge is an advantage. With a higher word or text price, you can better finance your independence as a freelancer.
Large selection of companies with interesting assignments in Germany
The large selection of companies represented on our freelance platform opens up very good prospects for you. You have the possibility to be placed on projects in Germany on site or remotely. Your job title as well as the information about your skills can increase the attractiveness and findability of your profile. Many German companies explicitly want to take on an international orientation and are looking for appropriate native-speaking experts in this context. As a translator, for example, this opens up many opportunities for interesting freelancer jobs in Germany.
What industries are looking for freelancers in Germany?
- The “Building Industry” with architects and real estate agents is a lucrative and versatile environment for freelancers.
- The “Education” area with lecturers and teachers is available for private lessons or at adult education centers.
- The “Healthcare” sector with doctors, wellness and fitness freelancers is well represented.
- “Art & Culture” is selectable with many professional subgroups.
- “Marketing & Advertising“, “Design” as well as “Translation & Localization” are industries that have become more and more popular in the recent past and are experiencing high demand for freelancers.
- The branch “Law & Legal Advice” is one of the best known among the freelancers.
Freelancing in Germany: recognizing trends and progress
Latest trends must be recognized by freelancers
With supporting companies, your own foresight goes hand in hand. It is always important to keep an eye on the latest trends and developments. Several times a year, there are drastic changes in numerous industries that need to be captured by you. Artists or designers have to deal with the fact that many websites are almost exclusively used on mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. Accordingly, design is an important factor in achieving good usability. To anticipate customer wishes in advance and then to implement them precisely, requires daily involvement with your work.
Technical progress – being able to keep up as a freelancer
Technical progress is unstoppable. Accordingly, as a freelancer you must always keep your eyes open. Architects have to know building materials and processes, translators have to make do with the latest tools or doctors have to apply the most advanced treatment methods. Standstill is absolutely obstructive when looking for a job.
Work remotely as an international freelancer in Germany
Find remote freelancer jobs in Germany
If you are looking for a job in your city of residence or in a specific city, you can indicate this in your profile. Metropolises like Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt have a variety of attractive job offers for freelancers in Germany. Cities like Stuttgart, Hamburg and Hanover also have attractive jobs for freelancers in various industries. If you are looking for your chance to work remotely for a German company, you can explicitly state this. International projects in particular enjoy an excellent reputation among freelancers because of the variety.
Negotiate fees and earnings for assignments fairly
Merit is an important element in the life of a freelancer, after all, it is important to demand the appropriate fee or hourly rate that is really fair for the services to be rendered. As a proven expert you should not hide your skills under a bushel and you can set your fee accordingly. However, fairness is the highest commandment, because excessive prices can be harmful for you in the end. The better your reviews are and the better your reputation, the more lucrative the assignments can be for you. To get started, your goal must be to get as many very good reviews as possible in order to position yourself better.
Which hourly rates and fees can I ask for in Germany?
How much you can earn on a freelancer job in Germany is entirely up to you. To start with, you can orientate yourself on the prices of the competition and should generally choose a rather moderate price segment. With increasing duration and successful assignments you can adjust your requirements accordingly. An important indicator for the choice of the hourly rate is your industry, which you have chosen as a freelancer. Each of them has a different price segment, so freelancers in the areas “law & legal advice” or “health” can hope for higher fees in Germany. Translators or journalists sometimes have to struggle with the fact that the power of the word is not given adequate recognition. Here it is important to put oneself in a good negotiating position and convince clients of one’s excellent skills in order to stand out from the crowd.
Further education and training as the key to success
For attractive freelance jobs, comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge is required. Although you have enjoyed an excellent education, you can by no means rest on your laurels. Whether you are a translator, journalist or architect – further education and training is the key to a successful existence as a freelancer. Especially in a time when numerous companies are tackling digitalization, current developments must not be allowed to be overslept. Journalists have to deal with the processing of texts for the internet, architects have to learn how to use the latest software or translators have to familiarize themselves with the latest tools or content management systems. The requirements grow from year to year and standstill in this context is synonymous with a lack of jobs.
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Find the right freelancing jobs in Germany by registering on our freelancer website
Saving yourself the tedious acquisition process in the search for attractive freelancer jobs in Germany and at the same time building up an excellent reputation – this plan can be easily realized by registering on our German freelance platform. A meaningful profile with your special skills and recommendations from previous clients opens up the possibility of being booked by German companies for projects. Your evaluations in combination with your expertise will help you to secure further assignments.
We support you with our know-how and a wide range of freelance jobs in numerous industries or fields of activity in Germany. In addition to a local focus of projects, our website also allows you to find international clients. You can choose from assignments in Munich, Berlin, Hamburg or abroad. Take the chance to open up completely new job perspectives as a freelancer.
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