In days of yore, a free lance was an independent knight that did not owe allegiance to any one lord, and as such could be hired or commissioned by anyone. Assignments taken by these independent knights were accepted as Quests, in which the relevant problems of the day were tackled - the normal run of the mill dragon-slaying, Giant-submission, Damsel-rescuing, Grail-seeking sort of tasks.

All the greatest and most noble achievements have been done by Free-Lancers - because they are the best of the best, and are allowed to work the best way they know how.
 
 

Benefits and Productivity

It is an established fact that freelancers and telecommuters average about 30% more productive. Why? Mainly because they are happy. They are able to work at their own pace, in an environment of their own choosing, free from the pointless and distressing daily pressures of office politicking and territorial wrangling that seems to take up so much of our lives. Freelancers are also the most cost effective. They use their own office furniture, stationery and computer equipment. They look after their own HR, administration, taxes, employee benefits, leave, and all the other cost draining hassles of a full time (or even temporary) employee.

The internet has opened up massive opportunities in sourcing of freelancers from anywhere in the world. The time differences between South Africa and - say - the United States means that work can literally be completed overnight. All interaction could reasonably be done e-mail and/or telephone, making international boundaries meaningless.

Currency differences are, however, a major benefit to anyone hiring from any of the First World Nations. With the South African Rand running in excess of 6 to the US$, high quality SA skills will come at a very competitive price to anyone operating outside of South Africa.

Ethics

As with any decent professional, Alex Hughes lives by a code of ethics. Any client retaining me can be assured that:

• Always do the best for and by my Client
• Always to respect Client Confidentiality
• Never to 'load' time or expenses
• Never lie to a client
• Take full responsibility for all my work
• Never take on an Investigation Assignment that is already a foregone conclusion.
• Always behave with professionalism and integrity at all times.

For further information, please contact me on [email protected]
See my entry also on the  World Wide Freelance Directory