People Per Hour: My Story

This bears updating for all would be freelancers. I've done quite a bit of work on PPH over the past 3 years and have clients which started off on there. I also work with other freelancers who started off there as well.

When I started off it was competitive but a good UK freelancer could still get work, it's since become far harder and that's not just due to the level of competition but more the quality of buyer using the service. In fact there are several issues:

1. It has now become dominated by sellers from low wage economies some of whom may be great but some are not - one of my fellow freelancers spends her time often sorting out the mess made by some of these freelancers. The quality in my own field - design is being seriously diluted buy some of these 2.

2. The better clients seem to be leaving the site as quality in design and other areas is moving elsewhere.

3. There is a lot of fake work and I suspect some freelancers are even using the work of better freelancers to bid.

4. Some South Asian freelancers are now using fake UK IPs and listing themselves as being UK based as buyers have started asking for UK only freelancers.

5. I've not had a problem with payments yet but I do know that a lot of freelancers and buyers have and it does seem to be increasing.

6. Looking on PPH at individual jobs freelancers from India and Pakistan now dominate and I suspect they are not necessarily individuals but 'farms' of people which are being paid as a group.

Is it worth it for the UK freelancer? As a main source of income. No.

It may yet start to work better but they may have to get a hold on a few things:

1. Fraudulent behaviour and plaigarism.

2. Think about introducing regionality so it can work for freelancers in the UK.

3. Be about quality.

Until then I can see an end where the site becomes about outsourcing to India and someone comes in with a better place to pick up freelance work in the UK.

Thanks for your update, I've just submitted my application to PPH as a 'seller', i.e. Freelancer. Having had my time wasted on Freelancer.com I was hoping I PPH would be a better platform. Based on your update it looks like it is going down the same path as Freelancer.com, which is sad.

I"m begining to wonder if there are any sites out there for Freelancers and clients to find each other without being fleeced or undercut by cheap bids and incompetent work.