Freelance vs. In-House: Choosing the Right IT Support Path in London

Recently, freelancing has been a topic of many professional conversations for the right reasons. Freelancing is an increasingly attractive route for IT support professionals who want to become self-employed or are searching for an alternative to a career within the confines of a company. But does this mean that freelance work is necessarily the right career path for IT support? With IT Support Jobs growing rapidly, what benefits do full-time positions offer?

The entire IT support landscape has changed significantly in the last two years, leading to a significant change in how people work and how companies use freelance IT support services. To better understand what makes people choose freelance or in-house work or even switch jobs between the two, we've listed all the pros and cons of both career paths. Whatever your chosen speciality, the technology offers incredible flexibility and possibilities, allowing you to find the one that works best for you. Check out some options here and help us make the best decision.

Freelance IT Support Jobs

When you work as a freelance IT support, your responsibilities will be more extensive, and you will need to be quick and meet the needs of the specific project you are working on. These roles are perfect for those who want to expand beyond a specific IT support branch and want extensive experience in this area.

Pros:

Cost-efficiency: With the highest hourly rates in the United States at around $70, independent development remains a more affordable option than hiring development agencies. Prices drop even further if you rent in Eastern Europe.

Specialised skill sets: Most freelancers are highly specialised in one area and are therefore hired by companies They need more internal experience. Freelancers can become experts in their chosen field.

Freedom and flexibility: You decide your schedule because you are the boss. If you do not want to work on Thursdays and Mondays but feel like working during weekends, that is okay. Do your best work in the morning.

Direct communication: There is no intermediary between you as a customer and a developer. You can communicate project specifications, requests and changes directly to your developer.

Availability: IT support jobs typically work a standard 8-hour workday. Freelancers can work on your project whenever you need them.

Control over earnings: You can set your own rates and payment schedules, i.e. They charge the rates you choose.

Cons

Reliability problems: due to personal circumstances (p.(e.g. illness) or irresponsibility can cause a freelancer to withdraw from their project, and there are few, if any, ways around this.

Security: You must know that sensitive data and valuable project information you entrust to a freelancer cannot be protected as effectively as when working with in-house teams.

Language barriers: When freelancers need better English skills, communicating with them can be problematic. Cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings in the future.

Quality assurance issues: If you're not a programmer, there are fewer ways to ensure a freelancer does good work.

Stress: You're suddenly responsible for your brand's marketing, finances, and projects with little to no guidance from your colleagues or boss. This, coupled with the pressure of maintaining a complete client list, can cause stress.

Lack of benefits: You don't pay any money if you don't work. In the world of freelancing, you don't get paid, so there are no paid vacation days or sick days. And you won't have employer-sponsored health insurance if that's important to you.

In-house IT Support Jobs 

Choose to work for an IT support company. You'll be able to specialise and focus on becoming a well-rounded IT support professional by becoming part of a larger team with specific people responsible for each role. When you do In-House IT Jobs, you and your team can move to different departments and constantly work on different projects.

Pros 

Stability: Instead of searching for clients and requesting new orders every month, you will perform specific tasks for a single company while enjoying the enviable job security that self-employed people cannot boast of.

Benefits: As an internal employee, you receive paid vacation days, sick days, maternity/paternity leave, and any other benefits the company offers its employees, such as B. health insurance.

Efficient crisis management: It is easier to mobilise an internal team to deal with emergencies than independent employees spread across the world.

Homogenous working: In-house IT Jobs are likely to have the same cultural background, minimising the risk of conflicts and misunderstandings within the team.

Scheduled pay: You will receive a salary, which means you can have peace of mind knowing you will receive the same monthly salary and will not have to work weekends or nights.

Cons 

Communication: Project and account management must be high to ensure effective team communication of ideas and tasks. Recruitment is very time-consuming and resource-consuming. You have to find someone who can take your job and give them a workplace along with equipment for work.

8-hour workday: Any emergency can wait until the next business day. If it happens before the weekend, it's even worse for you.

Report to someone else: You will need to report to another person or people, which can be a big adjustment if you have previously worked independently.

Additional tasks: Even if you have been hired to perform a specific role, such as IT support jobs, you may be asked to perform additional duties that go beyond your job description and skills.

Gone are the days of working on the beach during the week and having lunch with your parents. In-house IT jobs mean you'll be expected to keep consistent hours and be available, even when working