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Comment by monkeynotes | Hacker News Reader

What is the difference between Consultant and Freelancer? Coming from the UK I'd call myself a Freelancer. I work on-site, paid by the hour, but I do invoice for toilet breaks, lunch, and so on. A Consultant in my mind is someone who comes in and advises on projects, and a Freelancer is someone who sits at a desk and performs skill-based tasks.

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What is the difference between Consultant and Freelancer?

The former has better marketing (and a commensurate increase in rates, naturally).

But seriously, given the breadth of roles that could reasonably be described as freelance, there's little meaningful or objective distinction between freelancers and consultants. I don't think the distinction between freelancing and contracting is particularly relevant today either, though some would strongly disagree.

IR35 :-)

For non UK folk IR35 is a rule brought in to penalize self employed IT people of course self employed lawyers and accountants don't have this problem.

As a Brit interviewing to work remote for a SV company (as a contractor, due to residence) IR35 is something I really need to wrap my head around.

At first glance, it's a bit scary.

Consultants usually provide advice/strategy, whereas contractors, which may be freelancers, do the work. Often these roles may exist under the same umbrella with a firm recommending a direction and assisting with hiring or staffing to execute the plan.

I share these definitions.

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