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Happy Better Yourself Friday! 🎉 If you’ve ever seen a remote job offering $10/hour and thought, “Wait… what is that in rands?”, well you’re not alone 😅. This week we are breaking down how getting paid internationally actually works, what the common terms mean, and what to watch out for so you don’t get caught off guard.

Not all remote work pays the same way. Here are the 3 most common setups you are likely to come across. 1) Employee (salary): You’re hired like a normal job, just remote. It is more of a stable income and it comes with strict hours + reporting. 2) Contractor (fixed monthly / retainer): In this scenario you invoice the company monthly for your services.

It offers more flexibility however, you are expected to manage your own admin (invoices, tax, etc.). 3) Freelancer (hourly / per project): You charge per hour or per deliverable (e.g., “R2,000 per logo”). This is great for side income + building a portfolio. In this scenario income can be inconsistent at first. Now that we have a bit more insight on what to expect here is one big thing that you shouldn’t forget.

After you convert your earnings using the exchange rate, you must add the fees that are attached to it. This includes transfer fees (this can be bank and/or platform fees), conversion rate markups (some services give you a worse rate), withdrawal fees and delays (waiting for “Net 30” payment terms). These elements can all decrease your final amount.

So before you accept that offer from your international employer, ensure that you have a written agreement (even a simple email confirmation), clear deliverables + deadlines, payment amount + currency (USD/GBP/EUR), payment terms (Net 7/15/30) and proof of work trail (emails, tasks, files submitted). If someone gets vague about payment details… 🚩🚩🚩

So without further ado, here’s another installment of Better Yourself Friday

Let's Gerrit!

💡 Great Tips for Mahala

The Upside Of Earning Foreign Currency in South African

Earning in foreign currency can help South Africans protect their income against local economic instability by hedging against inflation and rand depreciation, while also diversifying income streams across markets.

This article notes that South Africa’s gig economy is growing (citing an Investec estimate of ~3.9 million “giggers”) but highlights challenges like limited access to foreign currency accounts and high bank/remittance fees. It positions fintech platforms as a simpler, lower-fee way to receive and exchange foreign payments.

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