Maybe some of you would jump off their feet when they hear somebody claim that he/she works in the comforts of their homes as freelancers. Well, let’s face it, with the continuing instability of our present economy, anyone would be truly convinced to work at home if given the chance and get paid for their skills.

But, do you know that there are also disadvantages if one chooses to work at home? Here are some of them for your enlightenment:

1. No fixed income

Freelancing work is mostly per project basis so your source of income is not fixed, compared to someone working permanently in a company. Working at home doesn’t promise a steady flow of income. You may accept a workload depending on your employer’s budget at the moment and when the project finishes, then you are back to zero again in looking for another work assignment. The best advice here is accepting projects when they keep pouring on your plate, grab all these opportunities and try to keep a balance to meet all your deadlines. This will also help you save for the rainy days when freelance work is limited.

2. No benefits

Working at home as a freelancer has no benefits at all. Unlike if you work in an office as a regular employee, getting benefits like sick leave, annual vacation leave with pay or other health benefits. In case you have to be confined in a hospital, you have to shoulder all the expenses if you work as a freelancer, unless you have medical insurance plan, which might cover some of the cost.

3. Working alone

One of the freelancer’s pitfalls is to face the reality of working alone or on your own if you choose to do it at home because no employer will be directly supervising your every move as you start your work. Since, no one will be reminding you about what task needs to get done right away, you tend to become too relaxed with your environment, forgetting your deadlines and spending most of your time lounging, lying on your bed or binge watching on Netflix. Proper discipline and strong will power are the tow best traits to posses to keep you ahead of your freelancing career.

4. Additional skills required

Since you will be working mostly on your own at home as a freelancer, there is a need for additional skills in areas like doing your own financial assessments of your actual earnings and filing your own taxes. If you are just starting this online career, you need to have some background in accounting to help you balance all your finances.

The above lists of disadvantages are some of the actual experiences of some freelancers. You may have your own concerns about the freelancing career and the best move is weigh all the positive and negative points and from there come up with better working strategies, if you decide to pursue a freelance career.