Why Being a Freelance Outsourcee Just Doesn't Work for Me

Somehow I've gotten myself wrapped up with an outsourcing service that pretty much drives me batty. Most of the projects that are forwarded to me for consideration by this outfit fall into one of two categories: 1) they have absolutely nothing to do with my areas of expertise; (I originally signed up with this company for educational math projects, yet I'm routinely forwarded opportunities for ESL/reading passage writing, areas in which I have absolutely NO experience) or 2) they're just Craigslist postings recycled and sent along to me as job possibilities...but of course at lower rates than I could secure by responding personally to the ads (and in quite a few instances I've already done just that).

So anyway, I'm getting really irritated by all these useless "opportunities" that are filling up my inbox. I'm reminded of this fact today when I get this email: "The pay on this may or may not be in range for you….this is a proofreading project for a major publisher…see attached docs and below details for more information." The job descriptions then go on to say that they pay $1.25 to $1.75 per proof page. I'd say that's definitely NOT in my range of acceptability, especially if the assigning company is a "major publisher." Screw that!

Now this outsourcer (actually she's not even that for me yet because I have yet to find an acceptable project to work with her on) is well aware of my general rates, yet she continues to feel me out for work that falls well below that range. So I write her back and tell her I would expect more than double what she's offering. Maybe this time she'll get the hint. Somehow I doubt it though.