Interns Vs Freelancers. What’s Best For Your MENA Business?

The rising trend of creating a temporary workforce is either the cause or the result of companies cutting down on permanent staff (a classic chicken and egg scenario). And digitally-enabled breadwinners are growing in number as the lure of a remote working lifestyle beckons.

This is good news for the infants of the business world, who aren’t yet in a position to fork out half their budget for a staff of full-time employees.

Where does one start? In this region, you pretty much have two options: freelancers or interns. Freelancers are usually first choice because they come with a portfolio of previously praised experience, and no strings attached. It’s a no-brainer, right? Not so fast.

Before you turn your nose up at the idea of taking a wet-nosed intern under your wing, there’s a really good case to be made for them too. High rates of youth unemployment across the MENA region have been well-documented (24%, compared with the global average of 13 %), with young people claiming that college did little to help them identify suitable job opportunities.

This is where internships could come in handy for them and you. Remember, when you’re hiring for your startup, it means more than just finding a pair of hands to get you coffee or a set of feet to run your clothes to the dry cleaner. If you’re clever about it, interns could be the future of your company.

It’s a tough decision, but luckily for you, Jean-Michel Gauthier of InternsME and Loulou Khazen Baz of Nabbesh are on-hand with some tips.

A case for interns

Get innovative

Big companies around the world have been implementing internship programs for years. “But now we’re seeing SMEs and startups doing some interesting things as well,” says Gauthier. “Recently, we saw a boutique financial advisory company, based in Dubai, post a position for an interior designer on our platform. When we asked them about the odd posting, they said they’d moved to a new office and the interior design quotations from the market were extortionate—Dhs100,000 and more. So, they hired three passionate interior design students who were top of their class. They finished the project for a fraction of the price and were very excited to add a real world project to their portfolio, prior to graduation. It was a win-win [for both].”

Be an enabler

You don’t have to look at hiring interns in the traditional way. You don’t need a fancy six-month program. The majority of interns are happy to be flexible. If you’re innovative and willing to empower the youth to show you what they can do, then there are endless possibilities. “I think there are a lot of ways that employers can incentivize and excite the youth. That’s the most important thing when you’re a small business or a startup, you get to practice and excite these guys—why are they going to come and work for you? If you can do that, then there’re so many different models you can have. You can have them come in part-time or for longer. You can be flexible around morning or evening classes,” Gauthier says.

When does it not work?

Don’t get cocky. Ego trips have no place in today’s work environments. It’s when CEOs and managers act like they’re doing the intern a favour that things start to go pear-shaped, Gauthier warns. “If the company owner has that ‘you’re lucky to be here’ attitude, then it almost never works out. When interns or temps feel like they’re at a lower level or not part of the team—that always backfires for employers. You need to empower them, make them feel welcome—that’s how you’ll be able to extract the potential out of them. That’s where productivity and enthusiasm come from.Millennials today want to have more responsibility – if you give them that, then more often than not, they’ll deliver more than you even expected. If you do the opposite and oppress and ill-treat them, you’ll soon find yourself intern-less,” he says.

The domain of the freelancer

When you’re looking for someone with expertise, freelance is the way to go. A freelance art director may have worked with multinational agencies for years, and may have acquired a ton of savvy working with top clients, says Khazen Baz, founder at Nabbesh.

Price check quality control

“Cheaper does not mean better and vice versa. Be very careful of freelancers who offer very low rates because it usually means that they are trying to win the work and then aim to charge more as the project starts. This does happen a lot in areas where the clients are not very familiar with the scope of work, like in mobile and web development and even digital marketing.”

Be mindful of MENA challenges

“Freelancers in the region often face problems with on-time payment and securing recurring work. It takes time and patience to build a reputation as a top freelancer. So the payoff won’t happen overnight. In the GCC, some freelancers work without proper documentation which puts them and companies at a legal risk. It is extremely important for freelancers to get the right paperwork. There are a lot of free zones offering an array of commercial and professional licenses and there are no excuses, really.”

Manage your expectations

“There is a minimum quality that you aim for as a company hiring a freelancer. So you need to make sure that the freelancer meets these quality standards by checking their previous work, experience, and quotation. If the work needed is complex, it’s best to break it down into manageable deliverables. Manage your expectations…if you’re hiring an inexperienced freelancer for a fairly straightforward job, do not keep changing the scope, do not expect more work than what is quoted for and do not expect the work to be top notch.”