Price range difference between Entry Level, Intermediate, Expert?

[tanya-mikhaylova]

Hi Upwork Community!

With the new fees for connects and most jobs being 6 connects instead of 2, we all have to be very careful when deciding which jobs to apply for. ( Where are the 1 connect jobs??)

When clients post a job, they can select between Entry Level, Intermediate, and Expert level of freelancers. Are they shown an average price per hour that corresponds with these levels?

I feel like many select Expert level but are wanting to pay $20/hr.... which is misleading because no one who is an Expert in something would be willing to work for that rate. (At least in a niche skilled category.)

Also, if there is no price range listed, I have no way of guessing if they really are wanting an Expert and are willing to pay for that, or if they just put Expert because why not... A lot of clients don't have a hire history so I can't see what they have paid to other freelancers before.

I don't feel that it is not fair to ask freelanceres to pay $.90 for a job they have no hope of getting because the client has a very specific price range in mind that does not correspond to the desired experience level they selected.  

[m_sharman]

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Tatyana M wrote:

Also, if there is no price range listed, I have no way of guessing if they really are wanting an Expert and are willing to pay for that, or if they just put Expert because why not... A lot of clients don't have a hire history so I can't see what they have paid to other freelancers before.

I don't feel that it is not fair to ask freelanceres to pay $.90 for a job they have no hope of getting because the client has a very specific price range in mind that does not correspond to the desired experience level they selected.  

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Everything you say is accurate, and it's something which becomes easier over time - understanding whether a client will pay your rate or not. Some job posts do have price ranges now, presumably entered by the clients, which is helpful. When considering whether to apply for a job, or accept an invitation to interview, I look at the rates paid this client paid (assuming there is history) for services I consider "comparable" to what I do. If the rates are very low, I don't apply or decline.

The more time I spend on Upwork, the more I see the "preferred" dynamic is for the market to sort itself out.  Yes, it will be painful in the short term, and possibly midterm, but my hope is that this ultimately elevates opportunities for the clients and freelancers. 

[ru-entranslation]

I have seen a few jobs posted that pay either on "commission only" basis, or $3 an hour, which in all these situations, it still costs 6 connects to place a bid.

That is not right for a freelancer to bid 6 credits for gigs that are only on commission, or pay $3 an hour. These type of projects should be listed as 1 connect only, since that:

A: For commission only gigs, there is no guarantee that a freelancer will be paid at all; And

B: Low rates of $6 an hour or less are not worth the time in placing a bid for 6 connects, regardless of the clients' history (I have seen the same sutuation on client postings who have NO hire history and/or no verified payment

Upwork needs to screen the postings rather than assuming that each project is going to cost 6 connects to bid. It is a waste of time for the freelancer to bid.

[tanya-mikhaylova]

Hi Anna!

Thank you for your reply! I am actually not bothered by jobs that state that they will pay $6/hr. I simply don't bid on those and don't spend any connects. However, the problem is for hourly contracts where the price range that a client wants to pay is not shown and they have no history of upwork. You can spend 6 connects on a job proposal that asked for an "expert " freelancer, but you might not know that the client actually have a very low budget. 

I just think it is a very simple change Upwork can make to have a large impact for both clients and freelancers. When the client posts a job, show an hourly price range that corresponds to experience level they select, based on the field of work. (Design, Accounting, etc. ) (Upwork has a TON of data they can use to figure out those ranges.)