A large chunk of clients served by Filipino freelancers is coming from the United States. In fact, according to a 2018 survey conducted by Paypal in 2018, 60% of their clients come from the U.S.



For us Pinoy freelancers, the main advantage of working with American clients is financial — the US dollar exchange rate is quite competitive compared to that of other currencies.



However, with this advantage comes a challenging tradeoff.



And the tradeoff is our most valuable resource: TIME.



Many Filipino freelancers working for US-based clients have to adjust to the Western hemisphere’s time zone, which could entail working from the late evenings up to the wee hours of the morning — a time when freelancers could be spending with their families or getting their much needed sleep.



Now if you are a call center agent who is trying to escape the ungodly hours associated with call center life by testing the waters of freelancing, there may not be much of a difference for you.



You are still working the same hours, hampering the work-life balance you are striving for.



Eunice Arpet Punzalan, Social Media Manager of PayStaff and the Working Remote Conference, says there’s a way to navigate the challenges of working those odd hours with clients from the West.



And it’s simple: Work with Australian clients instead.



In this new episode of the Freelance Blend Podcast, we introduce you to a market, which you may have never considered before—a pool of clients that just might give you a better working schedule, which means better sleep, better health, and more time with your family.



Listen as Eunice and I talk about this and other diverse topics related to freelancing. If you are someone who is seriously considering transitioning from your corporate job to working for yourself, or if you are a total beginner to freelancing, then this episode is for you!



Key Takeaways



In this episode, we talk about:



* How Eunice started freelancing by just applying at an agency she found at JobStreet* How climbing the corporate ladder forestalled Eunice from entering to the freelance world* What made Eunice question the corporate lifestyle (hint: long commutes and office politics!)* The challenges Eunice faced during the first few weeks of freelancing* How Eunice finally got a big break in her freelancing* How Eunice helped start a community of Filipino freelancers who work for Australian clients (with 15,000 members just a year after it was started)* Eunice’s tips on looking for freelance jobs through JobStreet* What the “Filipino Freelancers with Australian Clients” Facebook group is all about* The advantages of working with Australian clients* What PayStaff is all about and how it can help yo...