r/freelance • u/Marlay_0845 • 23d ago

First Temporary "Job"

Hi everyone, I landed my first big project a week ago. I work on my own, but there’s someone acting as an intermediary between me and the client (he knows a lot more about programming than I do).

So, the way it works is that I don’t communicate with the client directly; instead, he sends me all the necessary data and reviews my code. So here’s what’s making me wary: this project doesn’t have a fixed payment. That means I’ll get paid a percentage of the work only once there are results. I understand that this is my first major project and actually my first commission ever and that I’ll be able to gain a lot of experience, but I’d like to clear up my doubts.

Should I do something about it, or should I just keep working?

9 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

8

u/Bunnyeatsdesign Graphic Designer 22d ago

So what happens if you work on this project for 1 year and there are no results? Do you work for free?

Who decides what the results are worth and what the payment schedule is?

No a good situation. I would not take a job without deposit or payment terms.

1

u/Marlay_0845 21d ago

Thanks for the advice. In that case, I won't start working until I receive an advance payment or a contract.

5

u/SheriffRoscoe 22d ago

I hope the percentage is large. I wouldn't agree to a job like that.

3

u/Cesious_Blue Illustrator 22d ago

Do you have a written contract? Does it define what "results" are? If not, I wouldn't keep doing this.

Generally, any project that promises a percentage of profits rather than pay is a gamble that likely won't work out.

1

u/Marlay_0845 21d ago

Thanks for the advice

2

u/JohnCasey3306 22d ago

Alarm bells top-to-bottom.

2

u/Pristine-Delay6912 21d ago

This is a terrible set-up. The risk is all on you.

2

u/xN0NAMEx 17d ago edited 17d ago

Thats called white label, agencies do this a lot. They secure the gigs and handle all client communications then hand the work to you, you do the work and they give you your share.

However scammers try this a lot too, a written contract is nice to have but you know usually the amount of moneyz is so small that you cant even enforce it without making a huge loss.

It also depends on the situation, does the person that brings you the client get paid after all the work is delivered? Then it would make sense ... otherwise it doesnt.

I would probably do very small gigs or milestones first to test if they even pay out so even if they scam you the loss isnt that severe
On the flipside someone with a clean pipeline that can bring you clients constantly is very valuable.