Finding remote work
Picture this: walking along a tropical beach to get to the local cowork space. Shoes off once inside. Grabbing a coffee and setting up your laptop for the day with other remote workers from different parts of the world. The tropical haze filtering in, the sun glistening. You’re living your dream as you answer client emails and get ready for a call. The only care being whether to have a Saigon or Buddha bowl…
Or wherever you picture your office to be. Because remote working really is as simple as that really - with a little resilience. Sounds a bit juxtaposition-y, right? But like most things that seem simple and carefree, there’s typically some extra groundwork behind the scenes. Which is why it’s only for a certain kind of person - and there’s nothing wrong if you think you might not be.
One of the most hilarious things I heard while I was in Bali was “There are so many people who post about Bali, but it’s complete coincidence who goes viral?” By the way, it’s not. And the same applies to people who make it as remote workers and who don’t.
WHY
So everyone wants to know the ‘how’ - which you are more than welcome to skip to… But that’s exactly it. To skip the ‘why’ is basically to skip 80% of the process.
The ‘why’ is something I’ve spoken about on multiple occasions. And without a ‘why’, everything else in a goal falls to pieces.
So first think: why do you want to remote work?
Is it so you can travel at the same time? Or spend more time with your family? Or have more flexibility in your schedule? Or something else entirely?
Personally, for me, it is indeed about having a flexible schedule and being able to travel whenever takes my fancy. And it’s this reason ‘why’, that I use to keep myself motivated.
Play around with it and see what fits, but if you’re serious about remote working, take the necessary time on this step.
HOW
So here’s what you likely came for in this post: how to go about obtaining work where you can be based wherever in the world, on whichever timezone you choose.
Well, first of all, you’re going to need to think about your skills and the kind of work you would like to do?
Is it working full time for one client? Or on multiple contracts? In the same timezone or on a completely opposite one altogether? Begin thinking about what your ideal work day looks like and who you’d like your ideal client/s to be.
One thing to consider also is, is there some flexibility with your current employer? This was something I negotiated on with some previous clients. Remote working half the week or whenever I needed faster internet speed for content uploads etc. This could be one option for you.
The second move was to begin thinking about my skills and seeing how I could turn them into profit. For example:
My degree is in languages, so I could find work:
Teaching - I got a further TEFL qualification first though.
Translating and interpreting.
Transcribing.
Writing.
My work experience to date includes:
Marketing (traditional, digital and influencer).
Social media management and strategy.
Public Relations.
Copywriting.
To name a handful to begin. Remote work is limitless and there is a remote contract for almost anything now.
Third is to then narrow down to one or two things you’d like to pitch or apply for. Trust me when I say you will gain nothing from advertising yourself as an everything person. Are you particularly brilliant at SEO? Or web design or accounting? Pick one and step four: put yourself out there.
Many will recommend that you work for free for a couple of friends and family to get your reviews up on sites such as Fiver and Freelancer and other websites. Just make sure that you have the financial backing to do this, whether through savings or alongside a full-time position for a couple of months.
HOW DO I SECURE WORK?
So there’s actually no one correct answer to this - which is both great and frustrating as it means there are many ways you can go about it. However it requires a little resilience and patience, trialling different methods.
From posting on LinkedIn to talking to contacts to signing up to different freelance websites and groups on Facebook. The best thing to do is try a couple you feel most confident about and see where your success comes from. Like I mentioned, it will take a little patience.
Unlike applying for office jobs, and pre-pandemic, the process of securing work is not quite what it was. Which is why I go back to: make sure you have some financial back ups. It might not happen as quickly as you think.
STAY RESILIENT
What is one way that you keep up your stamina? When things are getting a bit intense, how do you relax or recuperate? Is it yoga or walking the dog or getting a massage?
Sometimes you will just need to take five minutes away from the screen. To decompress and take your mind off of things. So what’s that one thing? Go find it!
MULTIPLE INCOME STREAMS
We know by now that the last year and a half has not been pretty for a lot of people. And we’ve had to get smart. Where some work areas have dried up, we’ve needed to create it in other places. This is where we can begin to think about that second income stream. And take similar action to the moves we talked about above.
ONCE YOU START GETTING IT: IT’S WONDERFUL!
If you’re truly keen for this remote work thing, you’ll start securing work for yourself and once you do: it’s the best feeling ever! A little different, but it’s liberating. Your time is yours and you are the lead. Trust yourself, put in the action and you’ll get there!
You got this!
Han x
