How to Find Work as a Digital Nomad
One of the biggest hurdles holding back would-be digital nomads is finding work. The workday takes up such a large proportion of our day and it is often tied to a physical place. Finding a solution can help catapult people into the potential to live as digital nomads. So how do you set up your work life so that you can take the leap to become a digital nomad? Here are some of our top tips to shift your work to remote.
How to Find Work as a Digital Nomad
There are plenty of ways to find work as a digital nomad. Here we break down remote work, freelancing and entrepreneurship. We share our experiences using these processes and ways to work out if they’re right for you.
Remote Employment
One of the biggest learnings of the pandemic for many employees (and employers) is that people can do a lot of their work from home. There are plenty of benefits to both parties, like removing the need to commute, being able to access talent anywhere on the globe and the ability to better balance work and life. So a lot of companies have started offering this as a benefit to their teams. It has also led to remote-first companies, such as SafetyWing or GitLab who have adopted this as a core principle.
To get started here, you have a couple of options.
You can talk to your current employer about going remote. If you’re already working from home, this might be an easy conversation. But some companies like the idea of you being nearby in case they want you to come in for meetings or there can be security concerns about working from foreign countries. No matter what your current work situation is, you might be surprised at their answer to completely remote work.
Alternatively, you can look for work that is remote. Using your usual recruitment platforms, filter jobs that are open to remote workers. This may limit you in terms of jobs available but it can open up opportunities in other cities or potentially even other countries. Remote-first companies will make this process a bit easier as they will understand the tax and working implications of this rather than an organisation that has never hired a remote worker before.
Freelancing
For many office workers, this can be an attractive way to add more freedom to their lives. Moving from being an office-based employee to a freelancer can be an easy step. There’s no need to learn a new skill or to change careers. You simply complete the same job as a contractor rather than being on the payroll.
Freelancing does require a bit of selling yourself to potential clients so it’s a bit more work than being an employee. You need to be proactively looking for more work, a lot of the time. Generally, it’s a good idea to have one ongoing, keystone client that will cover most of your expenses and then take on additional work when you have capacity.
Here are some of the various ways you can find work as a freelancer.
Online Work Marketplaces
The likes of Fiver, Upwork and similar are platforms that connect freelancers with organisations that need work done. This can be one-off projects (like getting a logo designed) or ongoing (like providing regular blog posts).
Full disclosure, my experience with these sites hasn’t been great. I’ve never dedicated much time to making them work for me and so I’ve never been hired through them. I have read plenty of success stories, but it is a case of getting out what you put in.
I have also signed up for similar sites that are more niche and seem to not be a race to the bottom. Specifically, I have used Unicorn Factory (currently available in New Zealand and Canada) to find clients and had good success.
Previous Clients
This is usually the best starting point for freelancing if you have no experience working this way. Your previous employers know you and your work so will often be more willing to take you on as a contractor. A simple email out to previous managers or work colleagues advising what sort of work you can do for them and your rates can yield great results.
Recruitment Consultants
With the rise of the gig economy, there has also been an increase in recruitment agents focused on this niche. They work the same as a consultant looking to hire for permanent, full-time roles acting as a middleman between their clients (this is who pays for the service) and potential freelancers who can step in and fill a gap. This could be for short-term, full-time, remote contracts or ongoing, part-time roles depending on the consultant.
They generally take a cut of the rate that is being paid by the hirer. For me, the benefits of having a middleman outweigh the downsides. They have connections with large businesses, process some of the administration needed for hiring and can provide a buffer between me and the client if needed. In this way, work comes to me rather than me having to go out and hustle for it.
Entrepreneurship
Rather than providing services to other businesses, entrepreneurs seek to create something that they sell directly to customers. This could be the professional services of freelancers, but often it’s products and services that are scalable. One easy way to think of this is different to freelancers as it’s often removing the pay per hour.
The upside of this is you’re no longer trading time for money. As a freelancer, I get paid for every hour I work. Which is nice, but I am limited by the number of hours I can do and the amount I can charge per hour. As an entrepreneur, you’re not limited by this, especially if you have a digital, scalable product.
Being an entrepreneur takes a lot of hard work and you need to have an independent mindset. You might have to put in long hours upfront with no guarantee of financial outcome. You’ll need to motivate yourself to work as you won’t have a boss checking in on you. But there is the potential for a big financial return.
Here are some of the ways you can run an online business.
Selling Physical Products
Setting up a shop and selling physical products has never been easier. There’s Amazon, Etsy, Shopify, Facebook Marketplace and even Instagram Shopping. Being on the road doesn’t have to stop you from selling physical products. You can still craft from your van or hire a warehousing service that will dispatch on your behalf. There are plenty of options available for selling physical products as a digital nomad.
Selling Digital Products
Digital products are the perfect option for those on the road. There’s no need to store items or deal with shipping as sales come in. Digital products can all be housed online and be automatically sent out to customers as they’re purchased. Products could include downloadable templated documents, online courses or e-books. You just need to set up your shop on Etsy, Shopify or your own website.
Create an Agency Model
This can often be the next step for freelancers as their businesses grow. As more clients want your services, you may not be able to look after all of them. So you can grow your businesses into a team of people and have them look after the clients. For example, a graphic designer could become an agency and provide other complimentary services or stick to a single service but have more people offering it.
Summary
If you’re considering becoming a digital nomad, often the first thing you need to sort out is your income. I hope this guide has given you a jumping-off point to think about your skills and the different ways you could structure remote work. If you’ve got any questions about how to get started, drop them in the comments below or send us a DM on Instagram.
