BECOME A NOMAD
Chapter 2wo: The 5 Paths to Becoming a Nomad

Lesson 2: (Path 1) Working Abroad

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You don’t need to do the “laptop lifestyle” or become a remote worker to live the nomadic life.

There are lots of ways to start pomading. Take me for example, I started my nomadic journey by working abroad. I started teaching English in Japan in 2017, which let me live overseas, travel often and feel (more or less) pretty dang nomadic.

Becoming an expat (by working abroad) is a fantastic segue to the nomadic life, especially if you’re new to traveling, need money and/or don’t want the freelance remote work life (or you just like to ease into things with more patience and structure).

And you don’t always need to know the native language to work abroad (especially for English teaching jobs).

Common jobs working abroad:

  • Hospitality

  • Cruise ships

  • Teaching ESL

  • Technical fields

  • Ski/snowboard instructor

  • Temp event staff for events

How to find work overseas:

  • Find the best job boards for your country of choice

    • Explore community forums like Reddit for advice

    • Ask ChatGPT and go down a few Google rabbit holes

    • Understand typical job requirements and look for work you’re qualified for

  • Research requirements for your desired job

    • Get certifications if needed

    • Leverage your past experience

  • Apply to a few place

    • Update and customize your resume for each job

    • Listen to your gut and watch for red flags

    • Look for companies and recruiters with a good reputation

  • Prepare

    • It can take a few months (or longer) from your initial application to move overseas

    • Have a savings (every country is different, but aim for at least a few thousand USD) until you start getting regular paychecks

    • Most (good) recruiters and companies will help you with the visa process, accommodations, banking and other logistical hurdles

Requirements for working abroad

  • A clean criminal background

  • A passport that won’t expire soon

  • A work visa (the hiring company will generally sponsor you)

  • A desire to live and work in one place long-term (at least 6 months)

  • You may need to do the whole visa process while still living in your home country

Tips for working abroad:

  • Use reliable recruiters

  • Read employee reviews

  • Visit the country first (not required obviously, so only if you can swing it; I didn’t visit Japan before moving there in 2017, but I lucked out and freaking loved it…)