Contract-to-Hire Opportunities
Upwork Update
Last month Upwork announced a new update - Contract-to-Hire Opportunities.
What's new
- Freelancers can check a box in their Job Preferences indicating that they are open to contract-to-hire opportunities. This is supposed to show clients that the freelancer want’s to start cooperation with a contract, but later move to a full-time option.
Clients now have to indicate if every job post they make is a contract-to-hire opportunity or not.
There is a new contract-to-hire filter in both the job and freelancers search. How does it work?
After both client and freelancer have already worked together and are happy with the cooperation, they can decide to move to full-time employment arrangement outside Upwork.
The request to do so may be sent only by the client and the client will have to pay conversion fee.
The feature of converting contracts to move outside of Upwork is not new, it has existed for a long time and is a required step if you want to move the contract outside Upwork. The Conversion Fee is 13.5% of estimated earnings over a 12-month period in each specific client-freelancer relationship, so it’s quite a log of money. For example, if you earned $500 every month with the client, the fee is $810. Only relationships with clients for over 2 years on the platform can be converted for $1.
Our opinion about Contract-to-Hire Opportunities
In the community there’s a lot of confusion connected with the new update:
- Does the full-time work happen fully outside Upwork or is it just another type of contract that stays on Upwork? (we think we answered this above)
What timeframes are involved from freelancing to full time employment?
Are the ToS updated to reflect changes, if any?
In our opinion, freelancers stay on Upwork for a reason (secured payment, for example). And most experts come to Upwork for freelancing in its literal sense - having several clients, not full-time employment. So, we frankly, do not see the attraction of converting contracts.
More Articles
How SEO Is Changing in the Age of AI
21-10-2025
AI is transforming search. Learn how SEO evolves into AEO and GEO — where visibility means being cited in AI answers, not just ranked in results.
Keeping the Human Mind Sharp When AI Can Do It All
16-10-2025
AI makes work easier, but thinking harder. Learn how to stay creative, critical, and human in the age of intelligent machines.
AI Workslop: Why Businesses Pay Freelancers to Fix AI
07-10-2025
AI speeds up work but often creates “workslop” - results that look complete yet lack value. Freelancers are the ones turning them into quality.
Disney Creative Strategy: How Ideas Become Reality
03-10-2025
Disney Creative Strategy: dream, plan, critique — a tool to guide ideas from imagination to real-world results.
Upwork Boost: Increasing Freelancer Profile Visibility
29-09-2025
Discover how Upwork’s Available Now badge and Profile Boost work, their costs, pros and cons, and which boost is best for freelancers or agencies.
10 Posts to Help You Get Started on Upwork
29-09-2025
We’ve gathered a set of articles to guide you through the essentials — from setting up your profile to building long-term client relationships.
Etcetera summer 2025 report
26-09-2025
Etcetera summer 2025 results: quiet season, new team members, shifting Upwork rules, and plans for an active autumn.
Upwork Feedback: a trust tool you should learn to read and write
22-09-2025
Upwork feedback is more than stars — it builds trust, shapes reputation, and guides choices. Learn how to read, request, and write reviews effectively
7 Hats: a thinking tool that saves time and nerves
08-09-2025
Instead of mixing emotions, facts, and criticism in chaos — this method by Edward de Bono helps separate thinking modes.
Upwork: From Simple Fees to Pay-to-Play
29-08-2025
Discover how Upwork’s fees evolved from flat 10% to a pay-to-play model with Connects, boosts, and variable 0-15% commissions in 2025.
Upwork Reset 2025: How to Refresh Your Freelance Strategy
25-08-2025
Discover 5 practical steps to reset your Upwork strategy in 2025: update skills, rethink pricing, optimize proposals, and grow with the market.
How to Build a Team That Won’t Fall Apart in a Crisis
22-08-2025
How to build a strong team that survives crises: Denys Safonov shares lessons from 11 years of leading the agency Etcetera through global challenges.
