At one time, digital nomads were considered to be the lucky few among us. While most people were sitting in an office, they were able to work from anywhere, usually with a coconut in hand. On one day, their home office could be one of Australia’s pristine beaches. The next, they might score a great flight deal and be off to work in the mountains of Chiang Mai. All without missing a single day of work.
But now this lifestyle isn’t just for the lucky few. In fact, it’s never been easier to become a digital nomad. Companies are more willing than ever to hire remote workers. In the U.S. alone, remote work has grown 44% over the last 5 years. And that doesn’t even include freelancers, entrepreneurs, and business owners – some of the best digital nomad jobs!
The best part? While the digital nomad life was once reserved for only the most tech-savvy workers, there’s now a massive variety of digital nomad jobs to choose from. So whether you’re a great developer, a talented writer, a passionate creative, or something in between, there’s a digital nomad job that’s right for you.
To help you find the perfect fit, we’ve compiled a list of the best digital nomad jobs out there.
Writing
1. Copywriter
What is a copywriter?
A copywriter writes text for the purposes of advertising or other forms of marketing, with the goal of increasing brand awareness or persuading people to take action.
Copywriters can write a wide variety of things, such as advertisements, promotional materials, and website copy.
How do copywriters make money?
Digital nomad copywriters can work as part of a company or as a freelancer. Some digital nomad copywriters prefer freelancing because it allows them to set their own hours, work with several different clients at once, and set their own rates.
Other nomad copywriters work as part of a company or agency as an employee that works remotely. Copywriters that work as part of an agency or company enjoy stability and the chance to learn from others on their team.
2. Blogger
What is a blogger?
Starting a blog is often one of the first things people do when starting their journey of location independence. However, many people don’t realize that running a blog can be about more than updating friends and family back home. Blogging can actually earn you a decent digital nomad salary, making it one of the most popular digital nomad careers.
How do bloggers make money?
Bloggers make money in a number of ways. Some examples include sponsored posts, brand partnerships selling affiliate products, or advertising on their site.
Keep in mind that while running a successful blog can be one of the very best digital nomad jobs, earning enough stable income to pay your bills takes time. This is definitely not a “get rich quick” digital nomad job.
3. Virtual Assistant
What is a Virtual Assistant?
A virtual assistant is someone who is generally self-employed and provides administrative, technical, or creative assistance to their client(s). Virtual assistants are one of the fastest-growing digital nomad careers.
How do virtual assistants make money?
Virtual assistants are like a remote-working Swiss Army Knife, making this one of the best digital nomad jobs for highly organized people. They can handle a wide range of tasks such as:
- Data Entry
- Travel Planning
- Blog Formatting
- Meeting Scheduling
- Market Research
- Simple graphic design
- Social media
4. Web or App Developer
What is a web or app developer?
This is probably one of the oldest and best digital nomad jobs around. Web developers are responsible for designing, coding and modifying websites and apps. Developers need to know how to code, usually in JavaScript, HTML, Python, or SQL.
Thanks to tools like Slack and Github, this job has never been easier to do remotely. And because nearly everything is done online these days, it’s a digital nomad career that will remain very much in demand.
How do developers make money?
Some web developers do freelance contract work from anywhere between several weeks to several months at a time. The scope of their work depends on things like if they are a front or back end developer.
Creative
5. Graphic Designer
What is a Graphic Designer?
Graphic designers create visual content, using computer software or by hand, to communicate messages. They can be responsible for the layout and design for things such as brochures, magazines, advertisements, and social media graphics.
Another reason that being a graphic designer is one of the best digital nomad jobs is that you can still design even if you’re offline. So if you’re looking to kill time on that flight overseas or want to go work in the park while you’re living in Bangkok? You can take out your iPad or sketchbook and still call it a day at the office.
How do Graphic Designers make money?
Graphic designers can work on a freelance basis or as part of a company or agency. As freelancers, most graphic designers are paid on a project basis.
6. Web Designer
What is a Web Designer?
Graphic designers create visual content, using computer software or by hand, to communicate messages. They can be responsible for the layout and design for things such as brochures, magazines, advertisements, and social media graphics.
How do Web Designers make money?
Graphic designers can work on a freelance basis or as part of a company or agency. As freelancers, most graphic designers are paid on a project basis
7. Social Media Manager
What is a Social Media Manager?
Social media managers are in charge of representing a company and crafting their brand voice on social media. Social media managers are responsible for responding to comments, crafting campaigns, as well as creating and scheduling content for platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. They should also be able to read data to measure things like engagement, growth, and the effectiveness of campaigns.
How do Social Media Managers make money?
Social media managers routinely work as part of a company or on a contract basis. However, many digital nomad social media managers prefer to freelance because it allows them to work with several clients at once.
8. Online English Teacher
What is an Online English Teacher?
This is one of the newest digital nomad jobs and has become one of the best digital nomad jobs for those who are just beginning their digital nomad journey.
An online English teacher provides English lessons to students over webcam. Students range in both age and nationality. Some platforms allow you to teach children all the way in China, others provide conversational practice for adults hoping to become fluent English speakers.
How do Online English Teachers make money?
The hourly rate for online English teachers depends on which platform they choose. To give you an idea, VIPKID, one of the most popular choices for teaching English online, pays approximately $20/hour. Other sites, such as iTalki, allows you to set your own rates.
The benefit of sites that teach children, such as VIPKID, is that both the lesson planning and booking are done for you. So if you still have room for your teaching gear after packing your essentials, teaching English online is a great way to kickstart your digital nomad journey.
Where to find Remote Jobs for Digital Nomads:
Once you’ve chosen a digital nomad job, you’re going to need to know where to find one.
Thanks to the growing number of remote workers and digital nomads around the world, there are now more places than ever to find jobs that allow you to work from anywhere. To help you get started, here are 10 remote job boards that are popular with digital nomads.
- We Work Remotely
- Remote.co
- Skip The Drive
- FlexJobs
- Justremote.co
- Pangian
- Remotive
- Remoteok.io
- Working Nomads
- Jobspresso
Now is the perfect time to begin living your dream of being able to work from anywhere in the world. Even business publications like Fast Company know that remote work isn’t going away anytime soon so there’s never been a better time to try your hands at one of these best digital nomad jobs. The only thing left to do is to start saving, start packing your bags, and start working!
