This is a living resource that will be updated on the regular, so check back frequently!
What’s a digital nomad? Someone who works freely or remotely online, anywhere in the world. What are digital nomad jobs? The gigs we get to keep our careers going, through contract work or even the occasional full-time position.
Telecommuting, remote work and digital nomad jobs are all ways to make a living, living anywhere. In our current work climate, working outside the traditional office setting is becoming the reality for more and more people. Many of us will find ourselves becoming digital nomads, or at least working remotely for a period of time. Good news: there are a number of benefits to working remotely, both for employees and employers.
As veteran digital nomads, we are here to help your hunt for digital work if you’re looking for new opportunities. While we provide a list of all the places to register a profile online, find jobs and hound potential employers, it’s important to first perfect your CV/resume (try Canva for CV templates), scrub your social media hubs and launch a portfolio/website. So let’s figure out what you need to do first to prep for digital nomad and remote work, and then see where to find them at the end!
Plus, we’ve got some recommendations for adjusting to working from home. If you have never worked outside of the office before, the transition can take some getting used to. But after a week or two, you’ll have your routine down pat!
We also provide a list of some free online courses you can take. During these uncertain times, why not take advantage of some extra free time and learn something new?
Tips for Working from Home
Before we get into finding work, check out a few tips and tricks for adjusting to the work from home lifestyle. Here are some ideas to help you stay focused:
Create your own routine
While it can be tempting to sleep in when your home is your office, don’t fall into that trap. Trick yourself into productivity by acting like you’re going into the office – get dressed, even if not in full business attire, pour some coffee and get to business!
Be sure to give yourself breaks as well. Just as standing up from your desk and stretching is recommended at the office, we can’t stress enough the importance of taking your eyes away from the laptop screen for a bit. Get outside and go for a brisk walk to refresh your mind, do a quick at-home workout, or make yourself a healthy snack.
Designate a work space
It also helps to create a functional space in your home that is meant solely for work. Rather than typing away at your laptop while lying in bed, find a desk or a table where you aren’t likely to be disturbed – preferably close to an outlet. Try to sit near a window so the natural light can energize you!
Have an accountability buddy
The flexibility of working remotely helps some people thrive, but for others, it can put them in an unproductive rut real fast. Make an effort to schedule meetings with coworkers, whether it’s on Zoom or Google Hangouts, to keep each other up to date and on track. If you need a bigger boost you can consider a coach, but try first a friend or coworker online who you can turn to for help or a push in the right direction.
Looking for Digital Work? Read on!
Let’s set you up for digital work. You’ll have to mostly market yourself online and virtually, so it’s important to have a honed-in social presence, great online profiles and the ability to network from your laptop.
Choose Your Expertise for Digital Nomad Jobs
It’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to do it all. Maybe you have a mass communications background and want to do some writing. Maybe you have experience teaching English online. Maybe your own blog has taught you a bunch about marketing or social media. Or, maybe you have some more technical skills like web design or app development. Choose your top three skills that could be profitable and roll with it. Other opportunities might naturally find space as you go along, but stay focused on a few at first.
Before All Else, Craft your Online Presence
If employers can find your college beer bong photos easily or know what crazy stuff you were up to in the 70s, that’s not a good thing. Make sure you look fairly polished and put together on ALL channels. Personal ones like Facebook and Twitter are a good start.
Then, have a solid pro presence too. LinkedIn profiles are great for networking, and Instagram can show off your creativity if you’re in a writing or design field. PS – make your Skype, E-mail and other usernames clean too!
Social Profiles for Exposure
- Instagram: Creative site
- LinkedIn: Career site
- Google+: Especially if you’re publishing content
Profiles for Portfolios
- Contently.com
- Wix Photo Site: Simple website, great for visuals and photography
- Squarespace: Also great for visuals and easy to use!
- WP Engine: When you want to host and manage your own customized portfolio or site. Here’s 20% off if you want to try your own hosted website through WP Engine
Reach Out to Any Connections You Already Have
You’ve had professors, co-workers and that friend of your mom’s that knows everyone. Why not reach out? Hustle! Have a personalized e-mail ready stating your intentions to do some remote work, and attach your resume/CV. Ask politely if they would keep you in mind themselves or if anyone they know needs help in your expert field. If anyone responds saying they will, follow-up in a couple of months to gently remind them or if you have any significant updates to your own portfolio/certifications.
Then, Get on Networking Lists
Get on EVERY list. We want you to have a couple of dozen e-mails of potential opportunities coming to your inbox every damn day.
Look for things like:
- Professional organizations in your field online and in person (I belong to the PTBA)
- Local groups in your permanent or temporary location (I am a member of the Boston Women Communicators)
- Alumni networks (High school, university, sorority, etc.)
- Facebook Groups (There’s a million for digital nomad job posts, like here and here. I personally belong to American Expats in London on Facebook where I can post job hunt requests too. Think outside the box!)
Hone In Your Cold Pitch
People poo-poo the cold pitch a lot, but we’re all for it! Do you have a company in mind you’d like to work for that you know hires contractors or remote workers? Then send them an e-mail! Introduce yourself, ask questions or just go in for the kill and shoot over that CV/resume. The worst people can say is no, the best is a foot in the door. Create your own opportunities. And, consider some email tracking software like Hubspot to see who’s checking you out and opening your inquiries.
Keep Track of Good Clients and Work It
I plan to go four years back and contact ALL my old clients. Say hello, let them know what I’ve been up to and ask if they need any help, or know someone who does. I don’t often follow-up with old jobs once they are done, and I think it hurts my retention and referral rate. Keep track via a spreadsheet who you’re talking to and keep saying hi every six months for more leads.
Top Digital Nomad Job Hubs, Opportunities and Resources
Here’s a comprehensive list of opportunities for remote work for digital nomads. Depending on your field, you’ll want to register for many, especially starting out. Keep track of the ones you need to login to see listings via a spreadsheet. Everything listed below I have personally found work on as a digital nomad job hunter.
DO NOT look below if you haven’t done the steps above first! Bookmark this list and come back, trust me!
For Everyone
LinkedIn: Search jobs like a normal one and check off ‘remote’ positions.
Adzuna: Takes job listings from severe sites and puts them together, like Booking but for jobs. Some are remote, some aren’t, so look carefully.
Remote.com, Workew and Monster: All message board sites for digital nomad jobs. Search ‘remote’ when looking for those type of positions on the tradition job sites.
Flexjobs: You need a membership, but use ‘FWJPROMO’ for 30% off.
The Dots: A bit more polished for graphic design jobs and more.
Working Nomads: Design, UX and creative jobs.
Idealist: Specifically for non-profit jobs. Search the keyword ‘remote’ and leave the location everywhere. There are a few good ones.
Upwork: Not my favorite. I used to work for Elance until they were acquired by Upwork. Most jobs are for little pay and the site takes a MASSIVE percentage from freelancers. But worth having a look once in a while.
Hire our Vets: If a veteran of the US military, get in touch with these guys. They might have leads for remote work.
WebSummit: A great conference in Lisbon, Portugal. It’s often in a different place every year. Lots of companies, startups, and opportunities in the digital world. Look into your local conferences in tech, travel, and startups, big and small!
For Writers
Contently: Make a free portfolio, add your links to work and clients may choose to hire you through the site.
Copypress: Can be steady work, but the payout system is very, very slow. Can take up to three months to be paid.
Transperfect: Translation and copywriting jobs.
For Bloggers/Influencers
SkimLinks: If you have your own site, this is a great place to start. It automatically changes your links to affiliate ones on your site when you embed a code once. They have lots of big merchants on their list – like Expedia, Urban Outfitters, and iTunes, just to name a few.
ShareaSale: If you have your own websites or want to build your own blogs, but want more control (or higher commissions) of your partners, this is a good option. This hub has thousands of companies to choose from so you can be honest and only pick the ones you wish to work with.
Clever: Some fun social and blog opportunities with well-known brands.
Upthink Newsletter: Monthly opportunities for sponsorship.
Fleamail: Must register your blog on Trips100 or HIBS100 and have an affiliation with the UK.
Social Bluebook: Find out your ‘worth’ via blog and social to set prices for collabs. Some companies may contact you with opportunities.
Influenster: I haven’t received a paid gig yet, but I do get products for review on the regular.
For Travel Industry People
Travel Massive: A hub of local professionals and events in the travel industry.
TravMedia: For writers and journalists looking for story gigs.
WITS, TBEX and Traverse Events: all travel blogging/writing conferences worldwide for networking and speaking.
Wildcards
Skillshare: Post your teaching classes and receive high-yield royalties. My class is a couple of years old and I still get a few bucks a month payout. Get two free months as a student on Skillshare HERE
WeWork and co-working spaces: Consider investing in a hotdesk or office at a co-working space. Lots of other startups will be there. I gained several leads and clients from fellow ‘co-workers’ this way while at WeWork in Boston and London.
General Assembly: In-person opportunity to teach courses or one-off classes and get paid.
Digital Nomad Forum: Have not personally used this one, but looks promising.
VIPKID: Many people swear by this. Teach remotely, get paid. There might be certain requirements, I haven’t tried yet.
Patreon: A place to support creatives with small monthly or one-off payments. I support a few musicians and writers this way. They can work from anywhere and product content at their own pace.
Simply Google search “Virtual assistant jobs” – This is a great place to start, especially if you know your way around e-mail, social media and can write a bit. Instead of searching for a personal assistant or executive assistant, VA infers you want to do the job remotely.
Take Some Free Online Courses!
If you aren’t on the hunt for new remote work–maybe your existing job has already transitioned to online operations–why not take advantage of all that being a digital employee has to offer and take an online course from home? Or, perhaps you want to find some new avenues for revenue and want to learn how to enhance the online presence of your current small business. There are a variety of awesome FREE classes you can take online, covering everything from SEO and marketing to learning a foreign language!
Here are some online courses we recommend checking out:
Coursera: Collaborate with universities and companies to offer online classes, certificates and degrees
Alison: Has a free coronavirus course, with everything you need to know about social distancing and WFH!
Moz Academy: Free courses on SEO
HubSpot Academy: Multiple courses in marketing, sales and service
Photoshop Training Channel: Photo editing tutorials
Dash: Coding and web development
Duolingo: Learn a new language (Foreign language skills are a great resume-booster!)
Where do you find good digital nomad jobs? Do you prefer working remotely or in office? What are your favorite job-hunting sites?
There are some excellent suggestions in here for finding work! I have heard a few people talk about TravTribe recently with good results so thank you for this recommendation! Pinned so I can refer back to it at a later stage.
Thank you Eileen, your website Pure Wander is great and what an awesome post!
This is such a great resource for those working remotely for the first time! I really do think that this will foster a new sense of remote work and that people will be jumping more on the digital nomad train when this all opens back up again. I’ll definitely be referring people to this post when they ask about working from home. Thank you!
Thanks so much Alex!
Hi Eileen, this was a great article.
Thanks Sam!
Phenomenal resource. Thanks so much!
The Covid-19 pandemic shattered the world economy and left hundreds and millions jobless. But it also gave rise to the trend of remote work. However, this was useful for all those who were well-versed in working digitally. Since we all have faced a turbulent time due to the Pandemic, it’s better to be prepared to face any unforeseen situation we might have to face. Your blog, in this regard, is very useful to work remotely and find digital jobs.