Go Online for Remote Jobs
With video conferencing and collaboration tools, it’s now easier than ever to manage the majority of jobs abroad and you can even find online ‘time clock’ software to help you clock in and out, among other things. Speak with your current manager or boss about the possibility of working from home to begin with, trial it if they say yes, and then try to take that to the next logical point and see if you can get them to let you work abroad – it will be no different.
Some companies are of course going to dismiss this idea out of hand. There are legitimate reasons why some jobs can’t be carried out in another country. For instance, if you’re in a customer-facing job, then you might find that you’re not able to work online. Likewise, you may well find that you can’t very easily work online if your job involves operating a switch board and answering lots of calls.
Perhaps you need to be logged into the network. Maybe you need to be at work during particular hours – World Time Buddy can help you to sync your clock with home but it won’t help if their 3pm is your 3am! But don’t give up right away. If they say no at first, then you can often find a workaround by compromising. Ask if there are any other jobs you can do within the organization that would allow you to travel.
If they still say no, then ask if you could do part-time work, or even freelance for them. Simply express your desire to work remotely, explain that you want to travel and see the world and then discuss to see if you can find an arrangement that works for all parties involved. At the end of the day, they will likely want to help you work in a way that you find rewarding and will probably be more flexible than you’d expect.If they want to keep you, then they’d rather you worked flexibly than left completely!
Find Another Job
Can’t work from home at your current job? Not sure you want the responsibility and potential risk of running your own business? Another straightforward solution is simply to find another job that will allow you to work how you want! Obviously there are some industries that are more likely to let you do this than others, so that’s a good starting point. You could work for a web design company for example and in all likelihood, they’ll let you work online.
Likewise, you could become a journalist for a magazine – there little reason you can’t do that work remotely. Many big companies like WordPress are distributed around the entire world and more than happy to let you work from wherever you choose. Often, job descriptions will mention that you can work from home. And if they don’t, then you can call or write in to enquire.
This is a good option because it guarantees you’ll have a stable income before you give up your current job. Just hunt around for a more flexible one and then leave! Remember: this might mean taking a pay cut or moving down the hierarchy. But that’s okay!
Find Your Own Work
Another way to go about this, is to approach businesses you’d like to work for and that operate predominantly online. For example, if you are a regular reader of a big blog, then you can always try contacting the editor and asking them if you can work for them.As I alluded to earlier, you can also work online as a sports commentator! A friend of mine does this job and it essentially involves getting paid to watch his team play and write about it in real-time.
This is something he found simply by looking at the website of a sports site he went to regularly and spotting that they were advertising for work. These days, more and more companies operate online like this and advertise for full or part-time employees. Take a look around and even try googling ‘Work for Us’ and other terms that might bring up a result!
