Beginning your journey as a digital nomad starts with finding an online remote job. Certain countries that give digital nomad visas will require you to show your job and proof of income. For this reason, it’s always a good idea to begin looking for remote work a few months before your desired moving date. Let’s take a look at the best ways of how to find work as a digital nomad.
Social Media Management
Many entrepreneurs, small businesses, and large companies need a social media manager. Usually, these jobs are offered in fully remote positions. Your main duties will be creating a social media platform calendar, curating posts, writing captions, and increasing user engagement.
Most large companies want someone with a few years of experience in this position. Entrepreneurs and small businesses may hire you without previous experience if you have the right personality to fit in with their company.
You will need a solid understanding of several social media platforms, be highly organized, and have some creative writing skills. Keep in mind you may be required to do monthly check-ins or virtual meetings, which will need to be coordinated across different time zones.
ESL Teaching
When it comes to how to find work as a digital nomad, think about ESL teaching. Digital nomads often work as online ESL teachers. This means you will be teaching English online to speakers of another language. Your students could be in primary school or be adults older than yourself. It all depends on the company.
ESL companies usually require their teachers to have a bachelor’s degree in any field and an ESL certificate. Most will hire you before you get the ESL certificate as long as you have it within a few months of starting work.
This job will require skills to keep students engaged online and the ability to make creative lesson plans. Your schedule may have odd hours if you are teaching students in a different time zone.
Digital nomads love this job because they can often make enough money to live on by only working part-time.
Marketing
Marketing firms often hire fully remote workers. This is a great option if you already have some marketing or advertising experience. You may be required to create content, write social media postings, edit photos, or do some copywriting. It depends on the company and your skillset.
While marketing jobs are easier to get with a marketing degree or some previous experience, many startup companies will hire entry-level workers. You just need to show you are creative and motivated.
If you work for a larger agency, you may have to do weekly meetings or phone calls. Startup companies and independent contractors usually do not require this. You could be paid by project or hourly.
Freelance Writing
Freelance writing will probably give you the most flexibility. This is because many contractors will hire you for a set amount of assignments and give you a few days or weeks to complete them. You can write them on your own time and submit them as you complete them.
Once you have repeat clients, you should be able to manage your bills abroad comfortably. Try to find content writing jobs on topics that you are knowledgeable or passionate about. This will make writing and research easier. The quality of your work will also be higher.
If you are hired to write a topic you don’t know much about; research will be required. Freelance writing requires high attention to detail, good grammar skills, and some experience in online research.
Freelance writing is the easiest job to get if you don’t have much previous work or writing experience. As you get more clients, you can create a portfolio. This will allow you to increase your pay slowly and have a wide variety of clientele.
Blogging
If you already have a blog that brings in money, concentrate on growing it before beginning your journey as a digital nomad. Once you have enough sponsors, you will have more than enough money to make a home abroad.
If you are starting a new blog, you may need to have another side job until you can grow your content and subscribers. Then, once your blog is making you enough money, you can just concentrate on blogging and influencing.
Managing someone’s blog can also be a great way to make money. Many successful bloggers will hire people to ghostwrite or be guest writers. They also often hire people to manage their blog’s website, upload their content, or proofread their writing.
Virtual Assistant
This is a great option if you have been an executive assistant or done receptionist work in the past. It is the same job with the same duties, but all done online.
You will probably be in charge of managing calendars, inbox management, responding to emails and phone calls, scheduling meetings, and booking travel.
To do this job, you will need to be able to be reached by the executive when they need you to complete a task. A professional and organized attitude is also necessary.
Entrepreneurs often hire people with little to no experience as virtual assistants. Larger companies and busy CEOs usually like to have someone with a few years under their belt. Some virtual assistants are paid enough hourly only to need to work part-time while living abroad.
Web Design
Another way of how to find work as a digital nomad is web design. Designing a website can all be done remotely. Some graphic design companies hire designers that never have to go into the office. You can also do freelance web design where you find clients and work on your own schedule.
You will need to have some proven experience doing web design in the past and be able to use design platforms easily and efficiently. Video and photo editing skills may also be necessary, depending on the client.
Some clients may hire you to design the website, and then the job will be over. Other clients like to keep their designers around to curate and update content.
Owning an online business
Many digital nomads own an online business that brings in a livable wage for them. Having a physical inventory is not always necessary, which means you can fully manage your business from another country.
You will need customer service skills, be able to track numbers and have some order entry experience. If you have had an online business for several years, you may already have everything set up and ready to go.
If you just started being an eCommerce entrepreneur, you will need to build a website and a social media presence to begin making money. Creating an email marketing chain and SEO content is also critical to growing an online business.
Consulting
This is more common for experienced professionals that want to create their own business independently. It is also a great way to start traveling and leave the corporate world behind.
You can use the experience in an industry you already have to build a clientele base. Then, create online resources to help coach individuals in their career field. This will require you to be professional and able to advise clients in an online environment.
It would be helpful if you created online seminars, classes, and meetings so that people can see you “face to face.” Having a website for your consulting business is also great. Once you have enough clients, you can easily make enough money to live abroad. For those who wish to become digital nomads, know that it can be done. It is always possible to learn how to find work as a digital nomad.