[sugarglider]

I've been doing freelance writing online for a couple of years now. I'm a musician, and it's a good way to supplement my income.

Incredibly, I've never not been paid for a job. (Although there's a first time for everything!) Once or twice I've had an unacceptable delay in payment, but 98% of the time I've been paid very promptly.

The possibility of not getting paid is one of the big problems with this kind of work, and unfortunately, if they don't pay you, there's really nothing you can do, especially if the employer is in a foreign country. A good rule to follow is to not wait for a big lump sum payment - if it's a big job, get an upfront payment of part of your fee, or get it in regular installments as you go.

Sites like elance give you a certain amount of protection because there's a complaints procedure of sorts - you can red flag a non-paying employer.