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Sometimes I have some hours or days to kill, meaning I have time for a quick freelance job. The problem with most sites on the web is that they require a comparatively lengthy application process for each project. This means that by the time my application is accepted, my free period has already ended. Also many projects are way too big, requiring more than just some hours or days. (In fact many projects are unrealistically bloated, and I wonder if they ever get finished.)

Are there any sites that allow me to find quick jobs, and ideally ones that require high skill, resulting in good pay?

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Not sure you're going to find any sites that specialize in both on-demand style jobs (quick start to completion time), and require a specialized skill (meaning they pay what you seem to want).

For example, Amazon Turk offers jobs you could probably do right now, but they're jobs pretty much anyone can do, so the pay is next to nothing.

Your're probably better off to find clients, not sites that routinely have short jobs in a queue waiting to be done.

Many of my clients tend to be long term - not that the project necessary lasts a long time, but they keep an open contract and request work as needed. Your situation would be similar, just the other way around (you contacting them when you have some free time).

I'll assume you're looking in the web design / development field. If you are, my guess is that design / development shops (more than one person shops) likely have jobs in a queue that they could pass to a freelancer, assuming the freelancer was willing to spend some time upfront to learn how the show manages work, the tools they use, etc. Advertising firms could also be a place to looks (to the extent they do work in-house).

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Of course, there are, but don't expect to be paid much. Check out Fiverr.com where prices start from $5 and increase with features you are offering.

The other option is to register at popular freelancing sites and watch RSS feeds on jobs under $500 or 10hrs/week jobs. Many of those will be slavery jobs (don't accept those) but you will occasionally come across 1-day jobs which you are looking for. They usually last a day or a couple of days at most.

But don't expect to earn a lot or be wanted due to your short time periods when you can work. You will find almost none of the clients whose projects can wait you to have free time. That is why I think that Fiverr may be the best for you.

PS. there may be other websites like Fiverr but most times I read about that service on diff websites

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  • Fiverr doesn't really fit, as it's not on-demand from the contractors perspective. Potential buyers (I wouldn't call the relationship on Fiverr a client) would expect the deliverable in some reasonable timeframe, and if you're only putting up a Fiverr job for a day or so, I doubt you'll get much (if any) interest.
    – Tim Lytle
    Commented Sep 10, 2013 at 20:57
  • @TimLytle As far as I see it (thou never used it), Fiverr may be excellent if you have limited time. Why? You simply make a skeleton for the service you offer and then finish it in 15 min. I've seen many task there which I could finish in 5 min. And I think he has 15min when someone contacts him.
    – Peter MV
    Commented Sep 11, 2013 at 18:10
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PeoplePerHour has a quick sign up time. Buyers post positions and sellers make proposals. Some job offers are marked as 'urgent', so that's a good place to start. Of course, freelancing is never a 'one size fits all' scenario, maybe you can start landscaping in your spare time, or do some industry research, or marketing yourself, gain a new skill, sort of some 'meta-freelance' opportunities.

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    Landscaping, for example, would indeed be a fun thing to do, broadening my horizon and positively affecting my general skills. The problem is that in Germany I would then have to work as an employee, or I would have to found my own one-person business. This makes things complex with social security, health insurance, etc. In Germany, freelancing is allowed only in certain fields, such as architecture, engineering, law, medicine, or arts. Already programming is a border case, but courts have decided that it is in general accepted as a freelance job.
    – feklee
    Commented Sep 11, 2013 at 15:22
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    @feklee thanks for the insight, I should have clarified: perhaps picking up a hobby such as gardening in your own yard, swimming, painting, etc. Something to do that takes your mind off of the computer, and has some sort of zen effect.
    – MDMoore313
    Commented Sep 11, 2013 at 15:32

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