Over the years I’ve used all sorts of freelancers.  Whilst nothing beats having a real live person sat in the same room as you, you’ll usually pay handsomely for the privilege.

Off-shore outsourcing online is nothing new, it’s been happening since the 90s.  More recently in this century it’s become apparent that countries such as the Philipines, India and China offer highly-skilled freelancers at a fraction of the cost. And in al sorts of areas, writing, graphics, video production, programming, marketing, telemarketing, etc etc.

The leader in this field is Elance, you post a project, people respond, you pick one, they do the work, and you pay ‘em.   It’s fine, but there’s lots of other alternatives too, with less projects, and hence cheaper prices.

I recently found a post on the Warrior’s Forum suggesting the use of Craig’s List for finding freelancers.  It said post in the actual city you want people to apply from, eg Delhi, Mumbai, Manila, Shanghai.

So I did this, I posted with my requirement (I was looking for writers), and literally within minutes I had people applying.  And they carried on applying for the next 48 hours until I deleted the ad.  There were dozens and dozens of applicants.

You’re going to have to do some filtering, so make it easy: in your ad, ask for a resume and samples.  That’s the first test, if they don’t send what you ask for, delete.

Next, send them a list of questions, and ask them to produce a simple sample of the type of work you need (if possible).  This two stage process will sort the men from the boys, and the best people will rise naturally to the surface.

Best of all, no middle man, no posting costs.  And so rapid, I’d got someone hired within a few hours of posting.  (If you’re reading this, hello!  You’re doing a great job!)

And the cost?  A few US dollars an hour.  The differences in our economies suddenly comes to light, what is way below our minimum unskilled wage in the West is a decent skilled wage in these Eastern countries.

Some people suggest you hire freelancers and hire them out to other people for more than you pay, effectively becoming an agency, and getting your work done for free.  That’s fine if you’ve not got any resources and you’ve can be bothered to manage that whole thing, but remember, you’re supposed to be running a business, focus on that real business, not on earning a few extra quid on the side.

What’s your experiences on out-sourcing off-shore?  Post a comment below and let me know.