Getting started
The legitimate ways to work online, how to build a first portfolio and what to do in your first week without spending money on dubious "courses."
online work without scams: a reference guide
Inet Zarabotok: a guide to working online without scams
You can work online honestly and with peace of mind: from home under an employment contract, on projects for different clients, or as a self-employed professional. But right next to the legitimate options there are always schemes that promise easy money and end up taking yours. This guide helps you tell one from the other and set up your work so that agreements are clear and payments are predictable.
Honest work is simple: you get paid, rather than paying for the right to start working.
Four areas
Contracts and payment
How to put scope, deadlines and price in writing, agree on a deposit or milestone payments, and close the job with a sign-off document so there are no disputes.
Self-employment tax
What Russia's professional income tax is, who it suits, where you register, and why properly reported income protects you.
How to avoid scams
Fake job offers, paid "training," like-for-pay tasks, "investments" with promised returns and requests to read out a code: how to recognize them by their signs.
Guide sections
- Guides
Step-by-step guides: how to land your first projects, write a proposal, discuss a test task and deliver the work. The article catalogue is here too.
- Tools
What you need to work calmly from home: connectivity, documents and cloud storage, a password manager, backups and time tracking, with no product names.
- Comparisons
Employment contract, freelancing through a platform, direct clients and self-employment: what each option offers and what to think about in advance.
- Problems
Unpaid work, a client who vanished, a blocked account, a missed deadline: a calm, step-by-step plan for each situation.
- Security
Two-factor authentication, phishing, SMS codes, fake job offers, money mule schemes and paid-like tasks: how to recognize them and what is at stake.
- Glossary
Online work terms in plain English: self-employment and professional income tax, sign-off documents and deposits, portfolios, test tasks, phishing and Ponzi schemes.
- FAQ
Answers to common questions about this guide, finding projects and getting paid, the tax for the self-employed, and keeping money and accounts safe.
A first project with no surprises: five steps
Show a portfolio
Gather a few strong pieces in one place and add a couple of lines to each: what the task was, what you personally did and how it turned out. If you have no experience yet, complete practice projects on realistic topics and label them honestly as practice work.
A client finds it easier to trust a contractor who shows work similar to their own task, rather than a long list of skills.
Accept only a reasonable test task
A small trial task is normal practice. Be wary if the "test" is as big as a full project, if you are asked to do it unpaid on the client's real materials, or if you are asked to pay for having your task reviewed.
Put the terms in writing
Record the scope, deadline, number of revisions, deliverable format and price in a contract, or at least in messages where the client clearly confirmed agreement. Verbal agreements are the first to be forgotten when a disagreement comes up.
Agree on a deposit or milestones
With a new client, it makes sense to work with a partial upfront payment or split the project into milestones and get paid for each one. That way neither side risks the whole amount at once, and trust builds gradually.
Close the job with a sign-off and a receipt
After delivery, sign an acceptance document or get written confirmation that the work was accepted. If you are self-employed in Russia, issue a receipt through the official app or website of the Federal Tax Service and send it to the client.
Keep the contract, messages, sign-off document and receipt in one folder: if a dispute starts, these documents will be your evidence.
Quick answers
Are you a freelance marketplace or an employer?
No. Inet Zarabotok is a reference guide. We do not publish job listings, match clients, take commissions or accept payments. We explain how online work is set up and how not to fall into a trap.
How much can you earn online?
We do not promise income or quote figures. The outcome depends on your profession, experience, time and the demand for your skills. If a site promises a specific figure upfront with no effort, it is most likely selling a dream, not a job.
Do I need to register to work for clients?
Income from clients needs to be reported legally. In Russia, many independent professionals choose self-employment, that is, the professional income tax: you register through the official app or website of the Federal Tax Service. Rules differ by country — check your local tax office and financial regulator. We do not give personal tax advice; general information is in the FAQ section.
Someone is offering me a chance to invest and earn interest. What should I do?
Do not transfer anything and do not rush. A promise of risk-free returns, pressure and a request to pay in are classic signs of fraud. Look the company up in the Bank of Russia's directory of financial market participants, and if the money is already gone, call your bank right away and contact the police on 102 (or your local emergency number).
About the project
A different site used to run on this domain, and later unrelated spam pages appeared here. Their content has not been preserved or reproduced, and this guide has no connection to them. The name Inet Zarabotok came to us along with the domain.
We write about working online legally and safely: remote employment under a contract, freelancing, self-employment, payments with clients and digital hygiene. We do not name or rate companies, publish job listings, promise income or give investment advice.
Read next
- Getting started
A practical beginner's guide: what to do in your first week to start working online without unnecessary spending or risk.
- Guides
Step-by-step guides: how to land your first projects, write a proposal, discuss a test task and deliver the work. The article catalogue is here too.
- Security
Two-factor authentication, phishing, SMS codes, fake job offers, money mule schemes and paid-like tasks: how to recognize them and what is at stake.
- Comparisons
Employment contract, freelancing through a platform, direct clients and self-employment: what each option offers and what to think about in advance.
- FAQ
Answers to common questions about this guide, finding projects and getting paid, the tax for the self-employed, and keeping money and accounts safe.
Sources
- Federal Law No. 422-FZ of 27.11.2018 (Russia)
- Federal Tax Service of Russia: information on the professional income tax
- Bank of Russia: directory of financial market participants and list of companies with signs of illegal activity
Information on Russia's professional income tax and on what the Bank of Russia publishes was checked against official sources as of the date this material was prepared. Terms set by platforms, banks and employers change, so check the current version before any important decision.