Finding Freelance and Work at Home Jobs Abroad

While it’s true that being self-employed may be more risky financially than moving overseas with the security that you already have a job, freelancing can be an excellent choice for some.

What is motivating expats to freelance?

• Maybe you’re a trailing spouse and you simply want something you can call your own.

• Tired of changing jobs every time you move? Perhaps what you're looking for is a way to generate income you can take with you anywhere you travel!

• Some expats marry nationals only to find their new spouses don't want to move overseas. These expatriates frequently start their own businesses.

• Some families may just really need two incomes. Not every international job offers a cushy salary or stipends.

• Do you have a job that gives you frequent long leaves? Some oil company workers, for example, work for 9-13 weeks straight in the field, and are then given about 8 weeks downtime until their next shift! It's an opportunity to freelance (if your company allows).

• Maybe the same adventurous spirit that leads you to explore expat living is what causes you to really hate the idea of working for someone else - anywhere!

• Did you trail your spouse to another country due to their job only to find that country won't give trailing spouses a work permit? Work online for companies in other countries!

• Did your overseas work contract end but you don't want to repatriate back to your home country? If you've chosen to stay on your own, you may want to freelance.

• Some expats who chose to stay on may also find that national salaries are too low to support the lifestyle they desire. Starting your own business, freelancing, working at home, or offering your services as an independent consultant may be your only option.

• Does the country you live in lack the industries that match your skill set? Are you finding it impossible to find employment in your field of experience? You may have found an unexplored business niche and a local population just waiting for someone to provide the services you can offer! (You'd have a monopoly on this market. No competitors).

Just as there are innumerable reasons expats may consider self-employment, freelancing takes on many shapes and forms too. You can live overseas but work for customers in your home country or other countries. You can work as an independent consultant or contract consultant for both national and international organizations or companies in South America. You can start your own business in a South American country and provide services or products on a local level only. You can work online or offline or both! Or you can combine any of these options in any number of ways! It depends on your social and professional abilities, your language skills, and the market niche you choose to focus on.

Once you’ve narrowed down your options you’ll also have to explore the legal requirements for immigration, residency, taxation and self-employment in your country of choice. But before you can do any of that, you have to have an initial business plan in place. So if you have an entrepreneurial spirit, and believe you have what it takes to be your own boss, but are worried about starting your own business in a foreign country, don’t give up on the idea yet! Use the information and resources provided below to do some research before you make a final decision.

Explore freelance project options online

Of course, the biggest challenge for new freelancers is finding enough work to justify giving up a day job. How can you be sure that you will keep yourself busy with lucrative work? This used to be a concern, but thanks to the advent of the Internet, things are now much easier. Now there are a number of job sites dedicated to helping freelancers find work and stay busy. For example, GoFreelance.com brings you hundreds of fresh freelance jobs. Wherever you are in the world, you can apply for jobs and projects, most of which can be undertaken remotely from your home location.

Go Freelance offers a starter kit and newsletter

Special offer: Get a FREE Work-at-Home Success Kit worth $50 when you sign up to find hundreds of freelance jobs. Sign up for the GoFreelance newsletter here.

Find further resources in the Vault Career Library

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Read about other freelancing expatriates

The Independent Expatriate An increasing number of people are choosing to pursue an international career. While many are sent overseas by their employers others choose to go it alone as independent expatriates. This book explores what it means to pursue an international career independently. It examines the experiences of a group of British expatriate academics who have left Britain to work in one of four countries: New Zealand, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. It considers why they decided to expatriate, the nature of their subsequent experiences and how they evaluated those experiences in retrospect. While family and career played a dominant role, a search for adventure was the most dominant driver to expatriation. For many of the people who took part in this study expatriation was a modern day adventure characterised by professional and personal challenge as well as learning and transformation. The book is a useful resource for IHRM researchers and practitioners, particularly those managing expatriates. It is also useful for people considering expatriation as part of their own careers, particularly with respect to the impact on family,personal and professional development.

Read the articles in our Work Abroad Reading Room

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