Does becoming a digital nomad seem impossible to you? Many people dream of travelling the world while being able to make money online. The number of jobs that can be done remotely is increasing every single year so this is a huge advantage for anyone wanting to become a digital nomad.
Not sure what a digital nomad is? Click here to read our blog post explaining about what a digital nomad is and how to become one.
In this blog post, I am going to introduce 30 common digital nomad jobs in addition to job ideas that are easy to get started with.
All of the jobs listed below can be done from anywhere in the world and if you find that your dream job isn’t listed, there is no need to worry! There are so many types of digital nomad jobs that it would be impossible to list them all here and this blog post is just a guide to help you find something you are good at, you enjoy doing and can do remotely.
Digital nomad job ideas:
1. Social Media Manager
Nowadays more and more brands are turning to instagram and social media to promote their products and services as it is the best way to reach their audience. Big companies usually have their own social media departments but for smaller companies, daily posting and replying to customers takes time and some smaller companies would rather hire a freelancer to help them. Sometimes companies want people with experience, but if you have had success with your own personal social media accounts, some brands will be willing to work with you.
2. Online Courses
Are you an expert in a certain area? For example knitting, photography or gardening? Can you teach this skill through an online course? Online courses are gaining in popularity since they are affordable and can be done from the comfort of home.
Making a course takes time but once it has been uploaded it can be sold for many years so it turns into a form of passive income. Courses can be uploaded to websites like udemy.com and purchased by thousands of people. If you have a following on social media, you can also promote the course to your followers.
3. Ebook Author
If you have ever dreamed of becoming an author, it is now possible with Amazon self publishing. Many people who might never have been published have found success and sold many copies of their books through Amazon self publishing.
The topic you write about can be completely up to you, some authors have found success writing city guides and books about how to find cheap flights. If you do decide to self-publish your own work, you will need to ensure you market your book successfully to drive sales.
4. Online Coach
If you enjoy helping others succeed in life, then online coaching might be a good option for you. Many different types of coaches exist, from career coaches to general life coaches. Coaches work with clients and help them set and achieve goals.
If you are a specialist in a certain area this is even better since you have the knowledge and experience to help others. Online coaches usually use skype to communicate with their clients.
5. Online Customer Service
Many companies want to hire native speakers to communicate with customers and handle their customer service via email and online chat. The pay isn’t usually high and you don’t need many qualifications but if you are living in a country with a low cost of living then this job could be an option for you.
6. Virtual Assistant
In recent years, busy people and small companies are starting to hire virtual assistants to help them with admin tasks they don’t have time to do. Tasks can range from managing schedules and searching for flights to more advanced tasks such as updating a website.
Making a profile on the freelancer website upwork.com or fiverr.com is a good way to get started as a virtual assistant. Another way to get started is to reach out to busy people or small businesses that you know and ask if they want to outsource anything.
7. Online Tutor
Many people prefer to take online lessons nowadays as it is more convenient since there is no need to travel somewhere and online lessons are also sometimes more affordable. It is possible to teach your native language to others via platforms such as verbalplanet.com and italki.com.
You don’t always need to have any qualifications as some students just want to have conversation practice. There is also demand for tutoring in a range of subjects such as maths, music, science and yoga.
8. Translator
If you can speak more than one language and have confidence to translate between the languages you speak, becoming a translator could be an option for you. You can advertise your services on freelancer websites such as fiverr.com and upwork.com.
9. Transcriber
If you are a good listener and fast at typing then transcribing could be a great option. Clients send you videos or voice recordings and you need to type up everything. Some companies don’t require any experience so this could be a good way to start earning money online.
10. Website Designer
Website designers usually work for a company remotely or work for themselves as a freelancer. You need to have some experience with basic coding and confidence to produce visually appealing websites that provide a great user experience.
11. Video Editor
Video editors don’t usually shoot the footage they are editing, they are sent the footage by a client and then they edit it to create the final video according to the client’s request. Video editors are usually paid on a project by project basis and use software like Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro to edit the videos.
12. Blogger
If you are good at writing but don’t want to write for someone else, blogging could be a great way to eventually earn money online. Setting up a blog takes a lot of time and hard work but there have been many success stories with some bloggers making thousands of dollars per month in ad revenue.
It’s best to focus your blog on a specific niche rather than discussing general topics and once you rank your blog posts in google, you will start driving traffic to your website which can earn you ad revenue and money from affiliate commissions.
13. Youtuber or Vlogger
Like blogging, you can start a YouTube channel and make videos about a specific niche. YouTube also takes a lot of time and hard work but once you are approved for monetisation, you can start earning money from ads on your videos which can provide you with enough money to live on per month.
14. Drop Shipping
Drop shipping is when you set up an online shop using an online application like shopify or woocommerce and sell products within a specific niche. You then promote the online shop using google ads. When a customer orders a product, you place the order with the manufacturer who sends the product directly to the customer. Dropshipping does not require a big initial investment since you only need to purchase an item once you receive an order from a customer.
15. Amazon FBA
Another popular route when entering the ecommerce space is to use Amazon FBA. Amazon FBA stands for “fulfilled by amazon” and this is when amazon stores and ships your products for a fee. This ecommerce business model requires a much bigger initial investment but can be a big money maker if you sell a successful product.
Digital nomads who start an amazon FBA business usually start by selling one product (for example a coffee flask) and brand it with their own logo. They will purchase a large number of units from a factory (usually in China) and ship it to an amazon warehouse in the country they want to sell in. This business model is very high risk due to the initial investment required but if you have experience in business or marketing, it could be a great opportunity.
16. Graphic Designer
A graphic designer is a person who creates designs using text and images. These designs are usually used for the purpose of branding, advertising and marketing for print or digital products. Graphic designers usually work remotely for a company or work for themselves as a freelancer.
If you are a creative person and interested in graphic design you can take an online course to teach yourself the basics. It is important to have a portfolio of your previous designs and work because clients will always want to see your style of work before deciding if they want to work with you.
17. Photographer
If you are into photography and have a good camera, you could sell rights to your work to publications or stock photo websites such as shutterstock.com. You can also advertise your services in the locations you are in, for example to a local restaurant who might want some new photos taken for their website or a local tourism board. Another way photographers make money is to sell presets or host photography workshops.
18. Accountant
If you have experience with accounting or bookkeeping, these are skills that can easily transfer into a remote position. You can market your skills to small businesses and other digital nomads. If you have experience in a certain area such as the tax system of a certain country, this will be beneficial since people will be willing to pay more for your knowledge and expertise. Accountants will generally need to have a university degree, however for basic book-keeping, usually only a certification is required.
19. Copywriter
A copywriter is someone who writes for advertising or marketing purposes with the aim of converting the reader and making a sale. However, the written content by a copyrighter can also be used for websites or blogs in addition to advertising and marketing. If you have knowledge about how SEO works or have experience in a specialised field then you will be able to charge a higher rate for your work.
20. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is when you promote other people’s services or products and make a small commission from each purchase made. Successful affiliate marketers usually start a blog or YouTube channel and share their honest opinions about products.
An example would be someone who sets up a blog reviewing phones or cameras. They then include affiliate links to these products in their blog post or YouTube video and if a customer purchases the item through their link, they will receive a small commission.
The customer will not pay more when purchasing through an affiliate link and a common affiliate program that people use is “Amazon affiliates“.
21. Virtual Travel Agent
If you love travel and are an expert about a certain area of the world, you could become a virtual travel agent and offer your services planning bespoke trips for people who plan to visit. You can make custom itineraries based on the client’s requests and earn commissions from airlines and hotels in the process.
22. App Developer
This is another role which can be done remotely while working for a company or as a freelancer. You will need some prior knowledge of programming language for android or apple devices but app development is in high demand at the moment and can be a big earner if you already have some experience in this field.
23. Artist
Some companies look to hire freelance artists to help them with a project. You can sell your work via your own website and offer to create bespoke pieces based on client’s requests. Nowadays, many artists are taking high quality photos of their work and using social media to promote themselves.
24. Recruiter / Headhunter
A recruiter is someone who finds the correct person for a specific role for a client. This could be for a temporary position or a full time position and can cover many industries. Recruiters usually use “linkedin” to find suitable candidates before reaching out to them and asking if they would be interested in the role. If a recruiter finds a suitable candidate, the client will pay a commission to the recruiter.
25. Podcasting
Podcasting has gained popularity in recent years as people like to listen to audio while they commute or work out. Podcasting can take a lot of time and effort to set up but once you reach a certain number of monthly listeners, you can start to sell ad space on your podcasts as a source of income. Like blogging, it is best to focus your podcast on a specific niche. Some successful podcasts focus on topics such as history, crime, health or business.
26. Proofreader
If you are confident in your language skills, you could offer your services as a proofreader to foreign businesses or foreign university students. University students usually have numerous essays and assignments due over the course of a year and they often hire native speakers to read over their work before submitting it.
27. Print On Demand Shop
You can create your own designs and start an online shop selling items such as t-shirts, caps, mugs and stickers with your designs printed on them. With print on demand, an order is only placed when you receive an order from a customer so there is no need to buy a lot of inventory.
There might not be a huge profit margin from each sale but if you find a winning product, the profits from each sale will add up.
28. Public Speaker
Many companies or organisations pay for public speakers to speak at their events or conferences. If you are confident speaking in front of a big crowd of people, you can travel the world while giving speeches about your area of expertise.
29. Trader / Cryptocurrency
These are both risky areas to get into but there are some digital nomads who make a full time living from trading stocks and shares or cryptocurrency. If you have a high risk tolerance and some experience in this area, this could be a good option for you.
30. Your current job!
If you have ever thought to yourself: “I could do this from home”, then there probably is a good chance that you could. It might be worth trying to negotiate with your current employer if you can do your job remotely.
Some people have had success with this and employers have allowed them to work remotely as long as they stay in the same country. Even though this might limit you from travelling overseas, it gives you a chance to explore your own country and get a taste for the digital nomad lifestyle.
Summary of digital nomad job ideas
So that sums up our list of 30 digital nomad jobs! Which digital nomad job sounds the most interesting to you? Are there any you hadn’t heard of before?
