does anybody get work from overseas???

[jemstoned]

Im aspiring to be able to work as a freelancing fantasy art illustrator.
And my question is does anybody here who is foreign get jobs? If so do they have to migrate to the host country or will they be let to work where they are and be sent theyre payments outrightly, without being scammed of hard work?????

[Me,Myself & Me again]

Well, I get freelance work from the states but i live in the uk. So i send the works by e-mail and get the employer to send the payment through pay pal. The way you get past scamming is to get them to pay you half before you do the work and then the rest once you've finished or in rare occasions i've had them pay me before i get started.
Hope thats helped.

[Mirana]

Yes, it is possible to get foreign jobs that allow you to work from home. As to moving or not, read the info in their job listing or site. It's a fair bet that freelance gigs can be done from home, whereas long-term full or part time gigs will not. Payments are done in schedules (as Me,Myself&Me said) to protect both parties. It is also good to specify the currency in which you will be paid, the method, & the amount of time the company has to pay you (as accounting offices can suck, but they get a certain amount of motivation if you tack on late fees ;) ). Make sure to check legal or copyright practices for the country that your client is in so that there will be no confusion on what you're selling. Most countries fall under the International Copyright Convention--but somewhere like Taiwan will not have those restrictions.

[Digital_Blacksmith]

I live in the US and get jobs from the UK. Its even for a large magazine, and im allowed to work from home. They send me email with what they want, we do bank transfer, I send them large version on uploading site, and all is good.

[jemstoned]

as f legalities, tax, laws etc. where can i find copies of such documents??
And do I really need to be a pay pal member just to be paid outright????

[dierat]

PayPal's the easiest way to transfer money, though you could also accept mailed checks and money orders. But setting up a paypal account is no hassle.

For copyrights and tax laws, there are a lot of books out there for you on this. I would say start with the Graphic Artists Guild handbook (http://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Artists-Guild-Handbook-Guidelines/dp/0932102131), which comes highly recommended on this site. It covers the basics on copyright laws, contracts, taxes, and pricing.

[Mirana]

Listing of US participating copyright conventions and countries (http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ38a.html) through the Library of Congress, with links to some Convention ratifications. If you live in another country, then you need to do a search for it and copyrights. Hopefully your government will have similar information available. Similarly, it is important to do a search for taxing, as here in the US there is a fed tax on all income, and freelancing income tax has to be paid 4 times a yr...fun stuff.

Paypal, bank transfer, or set up your own credit card accepting service (too expensive, btw). ;) Otherwise, you will have to wait. Actually, if you work for any sort of established company, it's likely you'd have to wait on the necessary "pay this person!" paperwork to wind it's way to post. :D

[One Girl's Dream]

You can purchase a copy of the Graphic Artists Guild handbook for guidelines of work ethics and payment details and pricing etc; the book can be found at www.gag.org, or probably any online booksource.

It's always best to get your advice from professionals and successful leaders in the industry.

The book contains sections about International & Canadian copyright laws, what to do about cancellations, spec work, and sales tax. The book also contains various contracts and form templates at the end.

Good luck.