Globalization through technology has made remote work possible. Digital nomad jobs are an emerging trend in remote work and are suitable for travelers. You can work from anywhere as a digital nomad worker as long as you have an internet connection. A digital nomad job allows you to tour the world without compromising your career.
Why Digital Nomad Jobs Are Perfect for Travel Lovers
If you love traveling, digital nomad jobs are your perfect fit for the following reasons:
● You can work on your terms
● You will enjoy more freedom and independence
● More opportunities for self-growth as you interact with different people and lifestyles
● You will enjoy a lower cost of living depending on the location
How To Become A Digital Nomad
Becoming a digital nomad requires researching and determining if it is a good fit. Next, assess your expenses and budget, set your destination, or utilize a co-working space. While at this, polish your tech skills to manage your work and relationships. Lastly, research and apply for a digital nomad job.
How Technology Is Helping Digital Nomads To Work Remotely
With the right tools, a company can thrive with a hybrid work model or permanent remote work. Among the tools that make digital nomads conveniently work include zoom for video conferences, Microsoft teams, Slack, and Skype for group chats, and Trello and Asana for project management.
Companies also need employee online time and attendance software to track their workforce shifts. It allows managers to monitor overtime, working hours, paid time off, breaks, and leaves. It also easily generates reports on these metrics, giving you a clear picture of the workforce’s productivity and attendance patterns. By having access to this data, they can make informed decisions about staffing levels and resource allocation.
With employee tracking tools digital nomads can easily clock in and out of their work shifts from any location, as long as they have an internet connection. This eliminates the need for physical attendance tracking, such as a sign-in sheet or physical punch card, which can be inconvenient for those working remotely.
Top 10 Digital Nomad Jobs
If you’re a travel enthusiast looking for jobs that allow you to work and travel simultaneously, there are plenty of options available. From freelance writing to virtual assistance, many industries now offer remote work opportunities that cater to the needs of digital nomads. Whether you prefer to work from a beach in Bali or a cafe in Paris, here’s a list of the top 10 digital nomad jobs that allow you to work full-time and travel simultaneously.
1. Freelance Writer/Content Creator
If you are a grammar enthusiast, freelance writing or content creation is ideal. You can write, review, and edit articles for money. Copywriting requires strong writing skills and in-depth knowledge of your chosen niche to take orders from clients, magazines, companies, and blogs.
Editorial jobs will allow you to work as part of a team in a marketing department, enabling you to have a stable income, unlike other freelancing work. Generally, the trick to excelling as a freelance writer is to build your portfolio and deliver quality work within set deadlines.
A career as a content creator requires knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO) for higher website ranking. This is given that businesses in the digital era rely on websites to keep their clients updated.
Excelling at SEO also requires developing your analytic skills and knowledge of tables, spreadsheets and how search engines like Google work.. You should be willing to continuously learn to stay on top of SEO algorithm trends. As a skilled SEO specialist, you can also work as an affiliate marketer to make companies discoverable online.
2. IT Specialist Jobs
If you are passionate about learning while traveling, a career in IT is ideal. You should also love challenges, as every improvement in your work will bring a new challenge. Some IT digital nomad career options you can explore include programming, app development, graphic design, and web developer.
Programming is a popular digital nomad career, and you can explore software architecture, website accessibility, iOS, and android development. Train on this career and build your portfolio if you have suitable analytical skills.
Graphic design brings product ideas to life through visuals. As a graphic designer, you will collaborate with the products team for the visual messages. This job works well for anyone with an arts background, but as an active learner, you can start your career from scratch.
An app developer job requires writing software programs across mobile operating systems. These include android, apple, and Windows devices. As an app developer, you will also test and update the applications when necessary. Therefore, if you are passionate about technology and want to utilize your programming skills for useful applications, consider a career in app development.
As a web developer, you will design and build websites, ensure the functionality of websites on platforms like tablet, mobile, and desktop, ensure optimization for search engines, test sites for bugs and functionality, and offer support to clients.
3. Social Media Manager
Businesses today utilize the online space to market themselves. These include Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Tiktok, and LinkedIn. If you are creative, good at communication, and have excellent visual skills, a career in social media management as a digital nomad worker will be ideal. You are also an ideal candidate if you are passionate about building communities about a business brand.
As a social media manager, you will handle the company’s social media strategy, creating the need to stay up to date with new technology, emerging markets, and media trends. You will also create content for the business across the platforms it uses to increase awareness and sales and generate loyalty.
This content includes new posts, graphics, and infographics. Your job description will also include analyzing the success of previous posts and reacting to followers’ comments and messages. Therefore, having people skills is critical for this job. Most of the roles of a social media manager are doable remotely with the right tools for the job.
4. Online Teacher/Tutor
The COVID-19 pandemic increased the demand for online classes as physical classes were no longer safe for students. A digital nomad career in teaching requires a great command of communication skills and digital marketing to inform the world about your courses, classes, or webinars.
If you have an educational background yet do not want to stay confined to a specific location, then you can explore unlimited opportunities in online teaching. You can teach languages on platforms like iTalki, especially if you are a native English traveler. As an online teacher, you can also teach skills like Adobe Premier, Spreadsheets, and Photoshop.
The demand for these skills is increasing, creating lots of opportunities online. To become a successful online teacher, consider developing your skill into a business, as online gigs may be insufficient to sustain your lifestyle.
As a virtual teacher or tutor, you will interact with your students in a class setting or individually. Some roles require specific meeting times, while others allow you to log in when available. Depending on the platform you choose, you can set your rates or work on hourly wages
Other dimensions of online teaching include coaching and online courses. Coaching classes offer a one-on-one experience for targeted skills. Depending on your passion, you can specialize in business, fitness, finance, or relationships.
Unlike a typical class or coaching session, online courses feature a less time-demanding schedule. You only need a one-time recording to sell to a broader audience. Online courses are a good pick if you are already in virtual education and have an existing audience you can market your courses to.
Here is what you need to start online teaching as a digital nomad:
● Identify the skills you want and can share
● Develop your social media presence through websites and other platforms
● Have a phone number for your professional engagements
● Network and participate in online teaching communities
● Promote your social media platforms and profiles to attract new audience
5. Travel Nurse
Nursing can confine you in a hospital for years with few off days of travel. However, you can explore the travel nurse option if you love traveling. This option enables you to practice your career globally by working in different states, countries, and hospitals. You will choose your schedule, whether full or part-time.
Becoming a travel nurse requires you to have an active nursing license and a two-year working experience in a hospital. Given the high pressure in a typical nursing job, you will require strong organizational and interpersonal skills to be effective as a travel nurse.
With telemedicine in place, patients can access medical assistance from the comfort of their homes, and with a medical degree, you can consider virtual medical consultations. You can also become a virtual doula, assisting pregnant women during and after childbirth. As a virtual doula, you will operate on call and offer emotional and physical assistance to women.
6. Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant job will be ideal if you have administration and people skills. As a virtual assistant, you will practice customer service, data entry, and appointment scheduling. Given the many opportunities in Europe and the US, you only need a stable connection, computer, email, phone number, and a storage system for full functionality from any location.
7. Visual and Audio Jobs
Visual and audio jobs are ideal for travelers. Most people in this field started with trial and error to become award-holding professionals. You can build your career or submit your work to stock websites at a commission.
If you have a camera or video recorder, you are set to start a career as a photographer or videographer while exploring the world. Photography closely links to travel as you easily get the material for your portfolio. Starting a photography career requires identifying the perfect niche, which includes children’s photography, events or wedding photography, nature photography, and animal or industry-specific photography.
Businesses are also in demand of illustrators to help with developing a brand image. Therefore, if you are good at digital illustration, consider this as a fulfilling digital nomad career and pitch for jobs.
Audio transcription has been another high-demand career since the pandemic. Most business meetings are on zoom, creating the need for companies to have transcripts for these meetings. A career in audio transcription is ideal for a traveler, especially on long-term projects.
8. Journalist
Unlike other jobs on this list, a journalist job is a traditional option for digital nomad workers. This option is ideal if you want to work with an established publication with consistent work and paychecks.
There are many print media opportunities that you can sign up for as a digital nomad worker, including writing and editing. Alternatively, consider freelance journalism if you have websites you want your work published.
Working as a journalist is easier and more convenient than starting a blog. You will need a website or Instagram blog to share your stories. LinkedIn is also an important platform you can use to connect with other journalists.
9. Business Consultant
Businesses are all over the world, and offering solutions as you travel is an excellent way to make extra income. A career in business consultancy will enable you to advise companies and individuals to improve their business productivity and performance. The job entails creating marketing materials, analyzing customer data, and recommending good business practices. You can also create an online coaching session for businesses and share your knowledge at a cost.
10. External Agency Recruiter
An external agency recruiter functions like a human resource stationed in a company but can work from anywhere. You have the freedom to manage your time, clients, and candidates. All you need is to notify your customers of your working hours and how they can contact you. Since the job does not have emergencies, you can fit well within a 9-5 shift.
External agency recruiters work on commissions and can earn up to 250k annually. To be a successful agency recruiter, you should have strong negotiation and communication skills. This career will give you the flexibility to travel while being a potent source of income.
How to Find Digital Nomad Jobs: Resources and Tips
Digital nomad jobs are available on different platforms. For instance, if you want to work as a social media manager or virtual assistant, consider Fiverr and Upwork. You can also find work on job boards like We Work Remotely and Remote OK. Other options include LinkedIn and Facebook groups, blogging job boards, and startup sites like Crunchbase. Cold emailing for vacancies or attending digital nomad conferences can also land you opportunities.
Conclusion
The digital nomad career field is wide and growing daily, thanks to technology. Before starting, research and plan your budget. Once set, research a career from the above options and explore the world while earning.