Leapforce

geministar2008

Hey all im a newbie to all this... just wondered what is the difference between leap force and lionbridge?? Can you apply for both? Is one preferred to another? Any info or experiences would be great to hear
Thanks everyone :-D

ALIBOBSY

rachelja wrote: »

Fingers crossed for you Have you been with them long?

This is the end of my first 6 months so we will see.

Ali x

Bizzie_Lizzie

geministar2008 wrote: »

Hey all im a newbie to all this... just wondered what is the difference between leap force and lionbridge?? Can you apply for both? Is one preferred to another? Any info or experiences would be great to hear
Thanks everyone :-D

Hi geministar

I've worked for both LF and LB so within the bounds of the non disclosure agreement I'll give you my views. Please bear in mind that it's over a year since I worked for LB so my information may be out of date. (You might find it useful to ask this question in the LB thread if you haven't already done so.)

Both orgainsations are offering the same work but they approach it in different ways. However, the rate of pay they offer is equivalent.

With both organisations you are a self employed contractor and will need to register as such with HMRC. LB will only give you an 11 month contract but apparently will sometimes approach people after 12 months to invite them to reapply. LF will give you a contract for 6 months at a time but will renew this if your performance is acceptable. (I've been renewed twice despite having some low quality scores and missing the minimum number of tasks requirements for several months now.)

LB is based in Eire so queries are answered in Eire/UK office hours, and payment is made in euros. LF is based in the US and works on PST so there is a time lag - payment is made in US dollars and is made more speedily than LB.

LF is geared more towards its US raters but things are changing - I have a feeling that they only started recruiting in the UK at the start of 2013 and have been since then building up their support mechanisms for all raters. I personally preferred the LB support mechanisms particularly as it gives a feeling of community I don't get with LF.

On balance I prefer LF for the faster payment turnaround and the rolling 6 months contracts. If LB moved to 6 month contracts I'd go back to them though.

You could apply for both but not at the same time as they have a way of knowing (don't ask me how because I don't know). The exam is the same for both. I'm glad I worked for LB first as it gave me the support I felt was lacking with LF - if I'd started with LF I think I'd have been feeling a bit lost. As it was, I already knew what was expected and was content to just carry on.

Finally, although there has been a lot of work available recently this isn't always the case - so don't go into either thinking there is a steady income available. It's better to look on it as an additional and handy supplementary income.

Bizzie_Lizzie

Good luck Ali - I have just had my second renewal despite some bad reviews and certainly not meeting the minimum task requirement since I picked up another job that means I can only do LF at weekends.

geministar2008

Thank you bizzie lizzie. Hmmm decisions decisions. Which one to apply for. Ill do some more reading. Any other experiences or opinions.... please let me know x

kratosthegreat

geministar2008 wrote: »

Thank you bizzie lizzie. Hmmm decisions decisions. Which one to apply for. Ill do some more reading. Any other experiences or opinions.... please let me know x

You can only do 20 hours per week with Lionbridge. You can do unlimited hours with Leapforce.

geministar2008

thank you kratosthegreat i think i'm angling more to Leapforce....

Ghost_2005

When there is a lot of work available, LB will sometimes offer a bonus for doing extra hours (and allow you do more than 20 hours). When there isn't much work on, you might struggle to do over 20 hours anyway.

caitchbee

Bizzie_Lizzie wrote: »

I personally preferred the LB support mechanisms particularly as it gives a feeling of community I don't get with LF.

Do you not use chat? I find that provides a sense of community and stops you feeling like you are doing it alone, even if you just lurk.

And yes you are right - LF first recruited UK people in Feb 2013.

venetianlagoon

So, what does the job entail? I have a friend who would be very interested in this. Do you need a degree? Do they check your qualifications/is there a degree field they favour?