Learn how a Virtual Private Network (VPN) on your Mac can help you find more freelance work.
The contemporary world of work is increasingly shifting towards remote and freelance opportunities, thereby making digital tools more critical than ever. One such tool that stands out in this domain is a Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN is an essential tool that boosts your online privacy, secures your digital activities, and allows you to bypass geographical restrictions and internet censorship. But how can a VPN help you find more freelance work? In this article, I’ll explain how using a VPN on your Mac can increase your freelance job prospects.
VPN stands for ‘Virtual Private Network’, and it allows you to set up a protected connection even when using public networks. VPNs basically disguise your identity online by encrypting your internet traffic. This is turn makes it much more difficult for anyone to track you online and access your data.
Think of it as using a secret tunnel for your internet traffic, keeping it safe from prying eyes. As a freelancer, setting up a VPN on your Mac will help you access freelancing websites without country bans and IP restrictions. Here’s everything you need to know.
Their secret weapon: A reliable VPN (virtual private network).
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a secure tunnel between two or more devices. A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and routes it through a remote server, hiding your IP address and location. This makes it difficult for third-parties to track you online or block your content.
A VPN is especially useful for remote workers and freelancers who often need to access sensitive information or bypass government censorship. A good VPN will keep your data safe and private, even on public Wi-Fi networks.
A VPN is a secure way of accessing freelancing websites without country bans and IP restrictions – a welcome encouragement for any freelancer. Instead of worrying about not being able to browse job listings or send in a proposal, you can focus on crafting attention-grabbing pitches and let your virtual private network take care of the rest.
Examples of Freelancing Websites Restrictions
Several kinds of freelancing websites impose IP restrictions and country bans that vary in nature. Below are some examples.
1. HireWriters
HireWriters is a** freelance writing platform**operated by a company called Moniker Online Services LLC since 2012. It connects freelance writers with clients that need the following services:
- Blog posting.
- Rewriting/Proofreading.
- Ghost Writing
- Product listings/descriptions
- Copy Writing
- Email swipes
However, HireWriters only accept writers from English-speaking countries. It also indicates that its project listings are only accessible to native writers.
Thus, the site has a pretty strict geo-filter for writers, not only manual but also technical. If you try to sign up as a writer from an IP that is not from one of the allowed countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, United Kingdom and the United States) you’ll be automatically denied access.
This can be a setback if you’re a native writer living outside of any of the eligible countries or can match a native writer’s tone, style, and grammar on any given day. Fortunately, you can use a VPN to connect to a server that’s located in any of the eligible countries and make an account on HireWriters.
For example, if you’re based in India, Pakistan, Philippines or an African country, you can connect to a server located in the United States before accessing the site. The connection would also transform your Indian IP address to a US IP address.
2. Upwork
Upwork accepts freelance applicants over the age of 18 from a multitude of countries, but individuals or businesses in a few nations are not eligible to utilize the platform or register for accounts. Additionally, the company says there may be other nations it does not service at the moment. Interested freelancers in these areas will be unable to make an account.
Even if people from these restricted countries manage to register an account – during travel, for instance – Upwork will suspend their account when they log in using an internet service provider from their home country.
Once Upwork suspends an account, it does not allow the holder of that account to work on its platform again ever.
Aside from imposing direct bans on specific countries, Upwork is known to frequently suspend accounts from non-native English countries like Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. While some freelancers do violate Upwork’s policies, many experience platform restrictions and account bans without a genuine reason.
Incredibly, many of these bans and restrictions can be avoided with a virtual private network. Connecting to a VPN server in a native English country should give you access to the full suite of Upwork’s services. Plus, it may also minimize the chances of your account getting suspended just because you’re from a non-native country.
3. Constant Content
Constant Content (CC) is a supplier of high quality prewritten and custom articles. With a roster of 100,000 writers working on projects for as many as 50,000 clients, you may find yourself writing for customers that range from independent bloggers to large corporations like Target.
Founded in 2006 and located in Victoria BC Canada, Constant Content is known as one of the higher paying content mills. But higher pay comes with a price…
They’re also known as having very strict quality standards and being difficult to get hired.
As a Constant Content writer you’ll be able to work on many projects including (but not limited to)…
- Blog posts
- Newsletter editorials
- Articles and Listicles
- Copywriting and Copyediting projects
- SEO (search engine optimized) content
- Press releases
- White papers
- Technical reports and tutorials
- Product descriptions
However, Constant Content mostly accepts freelancers from the US, UK and Europe. Those living in places where English is spoken as a second language, like Southeast Asia, can find it hard (if not impossible) to get approved by Constant Content.
For those interested in finding freelance work on Constant Content, a VPN adds an extra layer of protection by switching their IP address to a native English country’s IP. If you can pass the grammar test, submit noteworthy samples, and get other bits and bobs right, there’s a likely chance that your application would be accepted. Once your application has been accepted you can begin selling your content.
Other Benefits of Virtual Private Network
In addition to offering unrestricted access to freelancing websites, a VPN also goes a long way in protecting your privacy. Reality is, privacy is a big challenge, and your credentials can be easily spoofed when you are using the internet. Anyone from curious people and government organizations, to marketing firms, can easily find your location, address and even bank account number with minimal hassle and you may not know about the theft of our information.
A VPN ensures that any information you transfer of the World Wide Web is encrypted. It does that by hiding your personal computer’s/mobile’s location and IP address. This is particularly crucial when using an insecure or public network to keep anonymous from prying eyes. Furthermore, you also get the ability to send anonymous emails and link to other digital properties without a third-party knowing who posted the link.
It’s possible to get started with a free VPN, but we strongly recommend against. Free-for-all virtual private networks can keep track of and log all your activity – the exact thing they’re meant to offer a safety net against. Worst of all, many of these free applications can sell your data to third parties, with some going as far as to monetizing your sessions (that’s why those ads pop up all the time).
Essentially, industry-leading virtual private networks like ExpressVPN, NordVPN and Surfshark are more stable, faster and reliable than their free counterparts. They don’t place limits on the data you’re allowed to use and shield your activity with top-grade encryption. It costs extra, but you get what you pay for. Bypassing restrictions while keeping your privacy intact require a lot of dedication and resources, and reliable VPN providers do just that for a mere $10 or less.