Prompt 13: Freelancer

Freelancer is an unofficial profession that is common among those who come from the slums. The nobles see this profession as a problem as it works outside of the financial system they created to better tax people. Freelancers operate without official contracts which makes it harder for the nobles to get their share of profit. This has lead to the city guards actively hunting down these individuals.
It doesn't help that many freelancers will take jobs from the gangs or take part in illicit activities like smuggling. This has made the profession less of something to be proud of and more out of necessity if you end up falling out of favor of the contract system.
Ultimately a freelancer main goal is to prove themselves worthy of a real contract which would allow their work to be legal and free of punishment.

Career

Qualifications

The only thing you need is a useful skill that others would be willing to pay you for. Those with out skill will just be stuck taking the worst jobs imaginable.

Career Progression

Do as many jobs you can handle and even more than that. Always get the job done with out question of what its for. Never screw over a client.

Payment & Reimbursement

Those who prove themselves can lock down an official contract that will have their work be considered legal to the standards of the nobles. It will also net you a coveted salary that should aid many freelancers to finally move up out of the slums into the middle sectors.

Perception

Purpose

They take on the odd jobs that different jobs and individuals offer for low pay and recognition. This allows jobs to offer work for limited time or things that need to be discrete and easily discredited.

Social Status

Freelancers are accepted in the slums and lower classes, but the nobles and higher classes see them as leeches in society.

Demographics

Thirty percent of the population either works as freelancers or have been a freelancer at one time, in the city of Salire.

History

Freelancers have always been around since the beginning of the city. Though back then it wasn't seen as negative as the nobles weren't as corrupt as they are now. Though as the greed of the nobles grew so did their desire to regulate work. Sadly as more work was regulated, their were less permanent jobs to be had. Thus Freelancers were able to take small jobs to keep food on the table and make sure companies kept their costs low.
Though as the nobles moved to criminalize people they called leeches the freelancers became more desprate. Begining to take jobs from gangs, and shady individuals. This made sure freelancers had a deep connection to the criminal underbelly of the city. Though it's not like they had a choice as they were already labled criminals to begin with.

Type

Illicit

Legality

It is illegal to be a freelancer in the city of Salire. This is because all work is regulated through contracts that allow the nobles to take their cut from each worker. Freelancers operate without contracts which makes much of their work under the table and harder to track.