Joining Dmitry in the apologies - it is also up to us, users to keep the forum active, if we take anything from it. I know I do.
As for your question about the minimum rate, sadly, it happens a lot that agencies propose absurd rates. It's easy to say "just refuse to work for peanuts", but I know that, quite often, it's not that easy to refuse income, as low as it may be.
Most agencies I work for accept paying by bank transfer, transferwise, or payoneer. I think there is a growing trend of employers accepting to move away from paypal and their high taxes. They do take between 30 and 45 days to pay, though.
Do you manage to find direct clients? I'll be honest, most of mine came from word of mouth, and I wouldn't know how to find them elsewhere (I'm not in Upwork, or any of those platforms), but they tend to be the people with whom you can negotiate fairer rates.
Anyway, you have been a translator for a long time, so this post won't tell you anything new. Just that we're still here, listening and, eventually, replying with a slight delay. ?
