The Lady Programmer

Are you still waiting for your Payoneer Mastercard? Do you even have a Paypal account that seems to be taking forever to get verified? Enter Moneybookers: it is an another payment method available to oDesk providers to withdraw their hard-earned funds right into their favorite Philippine bank account.

For oDesk newbies, Moneybookers is the most accessible way for them to withdraw cash, if the first two recommended payment methods that I had recommended are not available. The withdrawal process is actually done by electronic bank transfers. The banks that benefits most are those that are connected with the SWIFT network of banks.

In reality, I have not tried withdrawing my funds from oDesk using this method, but I believe the overall concept works similarly to Paypal. Moneybookers can be a “wallet” for shopping to many internet sites. It can receive funds and send these through electronic transfers to the bank. There are also fees associated with the withdrawal of funds from Moneybookers to the bank account. These fees are:

• Withdraw money via bank transfer: € 1.80 flat fee
• Withdraw money via cheque: € 3.50 flat fee
• Withdraw money via credit/debit card (Visa only): € 1.80 flat fee

In Paypal, the minimum withdrawal amount is fixed at $10, while Moneybookers does not impose a minimum limit, but the funds that should be left should cover the incoming fund transfer fee of local banks. This incoming fee is different in Philippine banks, so it is a good option to ask their customer support.

• BDO incoming EFT = P200 (BDO customer support)
• Unionbank EON incoming EFT = none (UBP customer support)

If you need to add the bank accounts to your Moneybookers account, you will need the SWIFT codes for this – SWIFT codes vary per branch – so it is a good decision to ask your branch about the SWIFT code. Fortunately for BDO, Unionbank and Landbank, all their branches uses a common SWIFT code:

• BDO SWIFT code = BNORPHMM (given by BDO customer support through a phone call)
• Unionbank SWIFT code =UBPHPHMM (UBP customer support through a phone call)
• Landbank SWIFT code = TLBPPHMMXXX (listed on Landbank website)

I find this payment method an interesting option but the fees involved is more expensive than using Paypal. I get to pay only P50 for every withdrawal from Paypal if the amount is less than P7000; otherwise beyond P7000 withdrawals are always free of charge. Paypal and Moneybookers takes the same amount of time to withdraw funds to a bank account. I will surely use Moneybookers in case I encounter problems with Paypal.

But what about Payoneer? As I have mentioned in a previous post, this provides the fastest and most convenient fund transfer even if you opt not to pay the $3 immediate load fee. The fees associated with the use of the card will dependent on many factors: immediate load fee, withdrawals, ATM withdrawal limits are some that will add more to fees. Oftentimes I use the card itself for purchases rather than withdrawing the amount loaded to it.

You can sign up with Moneybookers by clicking the banner below:

photo credit: woodsy (SXC)

As a Filipino living life here in the Philippines, I noticed that the majority still uses cash for payment. These majority think that cash is the safest, most secure means of payment. In my family alone, my parents prefer using cash as their payment means, rather than using their ATM or debit cards for store purchases. However, there are already so many major establishments that accept credit and debit cards and even cellphone wallet funds as payment means in addition to cash.

I cannot help but ponder on the irony that is happening in our country: there are many graduates of IT, Engineering and other computer-related courses who knows the most upbeat technology in the world. The funny thing is that, a vast majority of Filipinos are still resistant to change. In groceries, I still observe that many are still lining up in groceries and pays in cash; ATM machines contain long queues of people who need to take out cash; older people even prefer getting pension checks, rather than using issued e-cards which expedites the process; even in other freelancing sites, I receive numerous questions on how payments are received and whether these are “secure”, reliable and credible.

Probably, the main fear that results from these electronic payments is that there is no paper trail that can be traced on how transactions are being done. I always hear plenty of horror stories around it – for example, in using ATM cards, sometimes account is debited but there was no cash withdrawn. However, there are still electronic databases (with ample backups) that will truly record every transaction made with the bank – this will rectify any error that was made.

Come to think of it, these same set of Filipinos receive remittances confidently mostly through banks and other express remittance methods – these all the same work with the same electronic transferring means that fuels our own debit and credit cards.

Filipinos should be open-minded with these alternative methods. Carrying cash around is not also very secure – in fact, carrying plenty of it is a lot of risk to street thieves. Carrying an ample amount (not too much) on a single card can be a better way to purchase things and avoid the long ATM queues and offline problems.

Mastercard has a list of ATMs – amazingly they have a list for the Philippines. I tried to locate on in my location (Baguio, Philippines) and I really found a lot of ATM machine locations listed – enough to for me to save on gas in finding an ATM around town.

For the Philippines the list has 208 locations listed when I wrote this post – there are 30 Mastercard ATM machines around the city and most are located in Session Road, the busiest street in my place.

This is useful indeed, to those who have their own oDesk debit Mastercard.

Chances are, freelancers have experienced working in an office setting. The transition from office to freelancing can be quite difficult, as freelancing involves a different set of skills. The successful freelancer has inherent skills that guarantee his or her success in this kind of workplace, which could be a lot different from that is experienced in an office setting.

photo credit: stockers9 (SXC)

How does the freelancer begin? For me, I began to research all the traits of a successful freelancer. Here is my list:

1. He or she must be able to have enough marketing skills. To be able to win a job the freelancer should be able to negotiate deadlines and defend his or her chosen rate or bid for a given freelance job.
2. He or she should be a master of finances. Unlike corporate jobs, the freelancer could expect swings in income: the income could be very high in one month while for the next month, jobs could be quite scarce.
3. He or she should also be very skilled in his or her chosen freelancing service. This is definitely a very strong point in freelancing. The more specialized the skill, the higher the pay. Specialized skills are quite rare, but with great skills clients will be able to pay willingly at the price that you have set. Also, these people are preferred over those jack-of-all trades type freelancer.
4. He or she should be a good communicator. The successful freelancer should be able to effectively communicate with the client: in a global job freelancing marketplace, English speaking skills is a must.
5. He or she should be very disciplined in maintaining a strict timetable of schedule. Freelancers work with several projects at once, because this keeps income flowing in. This could be quite tricky, but negotiating deadlines and keeping on schedule can really be a benefit.

Freelancing is not truly a job that everyone could really get into. If you are deeply interested into this kind of job, then it is a good decision to prepare yourself in having these character.

In the job assignments that I had, most of the communication is done by email or chat. I use Yahoo messenger and Google Talk as my main means of instant messaging.

photo credit: krimeboy (SXC)

Some clients prefer Skype as a medium, but with a slow connection that I still have right now, this is not yet a possibility for me.

So, how did it work out for me?

Good grasp of the English language. Most countries can understand English and this is the only way that I can communicate my thoughts.

Fast typing skill. I have fast typing skills which I find it an advantage, because I can express myself effectively using more words. This has also enabled me to correct typing mistakes.

Reply promptly. Reply to a client’s email, even if you cannot be able to immediately answer to it. Just be sure to mention a time when you can be able to get back and give the answer.

Be flexible. Offer multiple contact times and offer several ways of communication. I always see to it that I am available at the specified time. I also provide several means of chatting that can be suitable with the client.

Offer suggestions. Consider the context of the whole work. What are the alternatives that you have in mind? What do you think will make the work a whole lot better?

Communicate problems. Try finding ways to solve problems. Clients often appreciate when I get to try out things first rather than simply reporting these problems.

Archive everything. Archive or file your emails in a separate folder. Keep history of chat messages. I always go back to my emails and chat messages whenever I get to work on the client’s project.

Report regularly. For me, the best way is through email. I find it a necessity to email the client for the updates. This keeps him always informed.

Confirm everything. When I have to send a huge file, I see to it that I send another email to confirm it. It is even better if I use another medium such as the chat to confirm the receipt. This goes for anything that is sent to the client.

Put the job into writing. Before working on a job, I see to it that I am able to identify and write down everything that we have agreed. This means browsing through the email and chat history. Then I get to send that write up to the client to get his approval.

Be thankful. Thank the client for inviting you to an interview. Thank the client after the interview. Thank the client after you are done with the project. Saying thank you is not enough in instant messaging. Always send an email to formally document this important conversation.

Do you have something to add to this?