Job offer via message

[#1]

Hi,

Have just been offered my first job but this has been done via our messaging back and forth. He has not booked me offically. How can I send him any work if he has not confrimed this via contracts? We have also agreed a price that is different from the budget that he had orginally started from. He has sent over the script and "is looking forward to hearing it all". 

Totally new to Upwork and confused how it all works! Do not want to send him the VO's via messging. 

Any advice welcome. 

[#2]

Messaging is not an actual job yet. 

The client needs to send you an offer and after you accept, the job actually starts.

Do not do any work or send anything via message before you have a contract.

When you do and the work is done you will ask for payment and send the work.

[#3]

Great thank you! I will advise him!

[#4]

Hi Katharine Sarah,

Anneli is right. We encourage freelancers to start working on a project once they already have accepted a contract with the client. Please go through the guides, tutorials, courses, videos, Help articles and Community discussions compiled in this thread, designed to help new users get started on Upwork. 

[#5 · Accepted solution]

Katharine - 

1. Clients answers all questions and sends all files and materials to you so you can look over the work and make sure you are able to complete the job. You should have all the information and all material needed to start working.

2. Clients sends you offer through Upwork. You can either click on accept (if you agree on all the terms) or decline it (if you don't agree on the terms)

3.  Make sure clients account is verified

4. If this is an hourly job, download and install and use the Tracker. Make sure you annotate the screen shots it takes.

or

4. if this is a fixed rate job make sure client FULLY funds escrow for the amount of the entire job or for the amount of each milestone as they come up BEFORE YOU START WORK

After all the above is done. start working.