Resources to Find Digital Nomad Jobs + Remote Work

When someone hears that we travel slowly, they usually ask, “How do you travel slowly and work?” So I want to share the resources that help one find digital nomad jobs and remote work.

Because, years ago, when I was living on a somewhat remote island, hoping to find meaningful work far away from an office, there were few options.

I eventually stumbled upon a rare opportunity (at that time) to help patients with their doctor-prescribed lifestyle and dietary changes—via computer and phone. I couldn’t believe it.

I also had the opportunity to work as a crisis counselor, including over the phone, which was a natural extension after I had worked with clients in person. That was truly meaningful work.

My boyfriend has worked nomadically, teaching kids to ski in a high-end mountain resort. He’s also taught kids online so we could roam anywhere—with his job (and the kids!) following along.

Thankfully, digital nomad and remote work opportunities can exist nearly anywhere now. For those who want to work while traveling, below are some resources that help make this happen.

Digital Nomad vs. Remote Worker

Everyone has their own definition of what digital nomads or remote workers do. Some digital nomads and remote workers travel frequently, working as they travel. Some travel to long-term destinations, settle down for a while, and work. Nowadays, either of these terms might mean…

  • working for oneself

    • freelancer

    • contractor

    • solopreneur

    • entrepreneur

  • working for another

    • freelancer

    • contractor

    • employee

  • working from nearly any location in one’s home country or another country

    • residence

    • lodging

    • coffee shops

    • remote office

  • professional responsibility

    • kind + helpful

    • early/on time

    • clear communication

    • asking questions for clarity

    • regular updates/checking in

    • deliver projects on time

  • tech-capable (which can be learned—there is help out here!)

Jobs in Demand for Digital Nomads + Remote Workers

Below is a list of the digital nomad and remote work jobs I’ve seen in demand, yet by no means is this an exhaustive list. Many of these are not typically discussed as digital nomad jobs or remote work, but they’ve definitely existed…

  • accounting/finance

  • crisis counselor

  • customer service

  • data entry

  • designer

  • developer

  • doctor (traveling; online/telecare)

  • nurse (traveling; online/telecare)

  • therapist (traveling; online/telecare)

  • marketing

  • personal health coach

  • social media

  • teaching

  • tech/IT support

  • training

  • translation

  • virtual assistant

  • writer/editor

Job Boards for Digital, Remote (+ Seasonal) Workers

The international and national job boards below include digital nomad, remote, and seasonal work opportunities worldwide. Some of these job boards are even exclusively for digital nomads and remote workers. I’ve listed the vegan job boards below in bold…

While searching job listings, “remote”, “online”, and “work from home” are search phrases that often categorize digital nomad + remote work opportunities (work from home = work from computer).

Advice From a Professional Recruiter

I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with professional recruiters, so I want to share tips that consistently helped applicants find quality jobs that paid well—including remote jobs…

  • have a professional resume expert pull together your resume

    • today’s resume requirements are different than those of yesteryear

    • ensure the layout and details are presented in today’s standards

    • this is much more than proofreading

  • genuinely connect with everyone possible

    • network with genuine connection

    • people remember the good person they met who is available for work

  • become friends with those who do what you want to do

    • a friend who wanted to work where I worked kept getting rejected

    • I explained how the hiring process worked from behind the scenes so she could find a good fit

    • after multiple submissions, she was hired as a great fit, and all were thrilled

  • apply again and again

    • I worked for a major tech company that couldn’t get through the stacks of resumes

    • once a job was filled, rejection letters were automatically sent to the entire stack—seen or not

    • one could apply again and again, for every job that opened in the category one wanted to work

    • if one interviewed for a job that wasn’t a perfect fit, the interviewer remembered the candidate when a better fit opened

    • fresh applications were accepted for the next round of openings, which happened daily—be in each round

  • nearly everywhere we go and nearly everything we do displays who we are

    • be that decent person that good people want to hire

    • in-person

    • online

    • the rewards can be endless

Hardware/Software for Digital Nomad + Remote Work

One’s work will determine the hardware and software one needs. No matter what I do now, I use the following hardware and software…

  • adapter | I still have my most dependable adapter—skross world travel adaptor 3

  • powerstrip | attractive, flat, white, surge-protected powerstrip for tabletop use (long cord)

  • cell phone | unlocked, google pixel phone + fi service (I always verify use abroad allowed)

  • eSIM | airalo eSIM for long-term data abroad (so I don’t violate my Google Fi terms)

  • laptop | my lenovo yoga 2-in-1, 11.6”, has lasted forever, like a champ

  • external drive | sandisk extreme portable 4TB SSD drive has been tiny and perfect

  • software, system mechanic | keeps my computer cleaned up and running smoothly

  • software, vpn | ensures my internet connections are secure and private everywhere

  • camera | beautiful, compact, digital mirrorless, canon eos m 100 w/ 15-45mm + 55-200mm

  • memory cards | two, for my camera, has been just enough

  • portable speaker | bose revolve II wireless—the richest, warmest, fullest 360° sound

Software + Services for Website Creation

To create my website (or if I were creating other websites), here are the software, services, and tips I use (in the order I use them)…

Before Squarespace-specific classes existed, I took Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing to learn how to incorporate affiliate marketing into websites. I could apply 98% of this class to my Squarespace site, so I think it’s an excellent course to consider/compare.

How to Guarantee Reliable Internet for Digital Nomad + Remote Work

Since one of us teaches online, our online needs are probably as extreme as it gets for someone traveling and working. This means, before we ever book long-term lodging, we first verify that we’ll have reliable, high-speed internet that meets our work requirements…

  • we explain to our host that we work while traveling, thus we need to verify some specific internet needs

    • once they hear the importance of this, they are so understanding

    • meaning, they provide verified info

  • we verify the internet speed at the host’s property

    • the host tells us the internet speed they pay for

    • the host runs a speed test and emails the screenshot to us

  • we verify that the modem is located in the apartment we’re renting—and that it’s private

    • so the internet service is just for our use (not shared with/slowed down by others)

    • so we can plug an ethernet cable into the modem (a more secure audio/video connection)

    • so we can reboot our internet connection as needed (so necessary)

Anytime we’ve neglected to verify any of this ahead of time, we’ve found ourselves in lodging where we could not use our lodging’s internet for work. But, again, someone who isn’t teaching online might not be as concerned about these details as we are.

How to Prevent Online Tech Glitches (Daily IT Checklist)

When my boyfriend decided to teach online, we both loved the idea and we both freaked out a bit. Why? He had few computer skills and I had few emergency tech skills.

This meant I could help him navigate the use of his new computer, but neither of us knew how to prevent or solve live online tech glitches.

So we had to learn how to prevent and fix tech glitches from scratch, to keep everything moving smoothly while he was teaching, plus while I was in online meetings.

Since few of us can travel with our own helpdesk or IT support, I’m going to share, below, exactly what we do each day that we go live on-air and the order in which we do it.

Of course, this checklist might initially feel overwhelming, but it soon became a quick check, so worth following, and super helpful in an emergency. It’s made everything run smoothly online…

At least 1 hour before online classes/meetings start…

  • make sure the computer is turned off completely (not just in sleep mode)

  • make sure the internet modem is turned on and fully booted up

  • plug the USB ethernet cable into the computer (we already keep the other end plugged into the modem)

  • plug the USB headset into the computer

  • turn on the computer

  • verify that the ethernet internet connection appears on the computer screen (not a wifi connection)

    • if the ethernet connection does not appear on the computer screen—if it shows it’s still on wifi:

      • unplug the ethernet cable from the modem, then plug it back into the modem (can also try another port)

      • unplug the ethernet cable from the computer, then plug it back into the computer

      • restart the computer (to make it register)

    • if the ethernet connection is still not connecting—if it shows it’s still on wifi:

      • try using wifi (we’ve not had to conduct class over wifi yet, but we know many who do, even with a weaker signal)

    • if the wifi is not strong enough or if the internet is down, we can use our cell phones as a hotspot, at which point we’d do the following:

      • on the computer …

        • turn on “network discovery”

        • attach the phone with its USB power cord

      • on the phone…

        • go to “network and internet”

        • go to “hotspot and tethering”

        • turn on “USB tethering”

        • turn phone “data” on

        • turn “data saver” off

        • turn “battery saver” off

        • turn “wifi” off

        • give it a few minutes to register on the computer

      • on the computer…

        • click wifi

        • choose the phone “our phone name”

        • give it a few minutes to register

  • close all applications

  • close all web browser windows

  • clear browser cookies (I do this manually, even though the next step can do this, too)

  • run the System Mechanic software program (it ensures the computer is in tip-top shape, and quickly)

    • choose “Deep Scan”

      • wait while it scans

      • approve all repairs

    • click the “Speed Up” tab

      • choose “Memory Mechanic”

      • click the big button (5-10 times) to prompt it to continue/finish processing

    • I don’t mess with anything else, but there is a ton more this software program can do

  • verify all apps that use video are shut down (they can silently steal the camera from the teaching app we use—or make an app appear blank while we’re trying to use video); for us, it’s these:

    • fully close Skype

    • fully close Zoom

    • fully close the VPN (virtual private network)

    • fully close VIPKid

  • put on headset

  • open the computer’s own camera app, then…

    • adjust computer screen so presenter and background appear as they should

    • on the computer, turn the computer’s volume button up to 100%

    • on the computer, verify the headset’s volume is selected (not the computer’s mic/speakers)

    • on the headset, turn the volume button up to about 75% (ours is next to the mute button)

    • in the computer’s own camera app, briefly record a video

      • play it back (to verify you can be seen/heard)

      • delete that test video

    • fully close the computer’s camera app

15 minutes before online classes/meetings start…

  • verify wifi is turned off on all other devices (so the internet doesn’t use them or update them during class/meeting)

    • cell phones

    • tablets

    • iPads

    • computers

    • TVs

  • verify volumes are turned off on all other devices

    • cell phones

    • tablets

    • iPads

    • computers

    • TVs

  • verify alarms are turned off on all other devices (as they seem to ring, even when volumes are off)

    • cell phones

    • tablets

    • iPads

    • computers

    • TVs

  • optional: just shut down all other devices

    • cell phones

    • tablets

    • iPads

    • computers

    • TVs

10 minutes before online classes/meetings start…

  • open app for online class/meeting (the following is specific to VIPKid)…

  • unlock mic (click mic icon once, give it a moment to show that it’s unlocked)

  • near the mic icon, click the settings button (a window will pop open)

    • where you see the app’s volume control, verify the headset is selected (not computer mic)

    • where you see the app’s volume control, adjust it to near 100%

    • follow the app’s instructions to test the mic

      • make sure mic is near lips

      • speak louder if necessary

      • if all is good, click “confirm”

  • unlock camera (click the camera icon once, give it a moment to show that it’s unlocked)

  • near the camera icon, click the settings button (a window will pop open)

    • follow the app’s instructions to test the camera

      • verify that you can be seen

      • verify that your screen is positioned as it should be

      • if all is good, click “confirm”

1 minute before airtime (this is specific to VIPKid; verify most recent guidelines)…

  • in the VIPKid app, click the start button (even if the student is not online)

  • know that your mic and video begin recording at this point and parents will be able to go back and hear/view this

  • if the student does not arrive on time, remain on camera, ready to teach

    • look at the latest guidelines to determine how long to wait

    • we tend to wait the entire class length

    • (some students show up 20 minutes late and still whiz through the lesson)

If students/meeting attendees can’t hear us…

We find it wise to first always ask “can you hear me?” (as some are too shy to admit they can’t). If we can’t be heard (which is rare), we take the following steps until we solve the issue:

  • on the headset, verify that the mic is not muted

  • on the computer, verify that the mic is not muted (check lower right corner mute option)

  • in the application, verify that the mic isn’t muted (application screen mute button)

  • verify the USB headset is fully plugged in

  • verify that the mic is positioned as close to lips as possible

  • speak louder into headset mic (to see if that helps)

  • open ‘sound input’

    • then click device properties

    • then make sure volume is at 100%

      • sometimes this doesn’t “take” unless we reboot

      • it’s never registered below 65% and that’s still been enough to be heard

      • but we ideally like to see it at 100%

  • for VIPKid classes, also try…

    • refresh the VIPKid classroom (pause to give it a moment to register)

    • switch classroom lines (three lines to try)

    • message the “Fireman” (who can fix it/switch you to an old line)

  • if all else fails, use the computer mic/speakers (then fix the headset issue later; we have not had to do this)

Immediately after class/meeting…

  • click “Quit/Close/End” to close out of live class or meeting (verify it really quit/closed/ended)

  • for VIPKid, also…

    • turn off mic

    • turn off camera

    • submit student feedback

  • if a hotspot/cell phone was used for the connection, shut it down…

    • on the computer…

      • make sure “network discovery” is turned off

      • remove phone with its USB power cord

    • on the phone…

      • go to “network and internet”

      • go to “hotspot and tethering”

      • turn off “USB tethering”

      • (might need to click to “wifi hotspot” and turn off)

      • turn off phone “data”

      • turn on “data saver”

      • turn on “battery saver”

      • turn on “wifi”

Each evening, before bed…

  • fully shut down the computer (listen to it to make sure it’s completely turned off before closing the laptop, so it doesn’t go into sleep mode)

  • plug in (charge) the computer

  • turn off internet modem

    • some people buy an automatic gadget to reboot it daily

    • I push the little black button that turns it off

    • this has been a game-changer in that it’s eliminated so many miscellaneous issues

More Digital Nomad + Remote Work Opportunities

I really hope for more digital nomad and remote work opportunities for all. I especially look forward to seeing more digital nomad/remote worker long-term visas offered.

Responsible travelers deserve the opportunity to work as they travel. Goodness, I think responsible travelers deserve to travel where they desire, for as long as they desire.

Simple yet intelligent visas could make it far more sustainable for all to travel longer, live more fluidly, supporting local communities as we roam.

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