former freelancer here (writing, not coding), but I would not do it again, the stress around taxes, insurance etc alone is not worth it (at least for me). Plus,

former freelancer here (writing, not coding), but I would not do it again, the stress around taxes, insurance etc alone is not worth it (at least for me). Plus, you probably won't be leading teams but be more of a workbench. However, if you don't want to be tied down, something like "Elternzeitvertretung" (aka jumping in for people on paternity/maternity leave) might be interesting for you.