Working and Studying Across Borders: Is Being a Digital Nomad Possible for You?

April 22, 2020

The idea of being a digital nomad has been gaining in popularity over the past few years as enterprise went global and workers were no longer tied to their office desks. Whether a millennial or someone a little older with greater work experience, it didn’t seem to matter because it’s possible to perform some work or figure out a service to offer and then re-evaluate later. This, at least, gave those who wished to be a digital nomad an initial launch pad and the rest of the details would come later.

In this article, we delve into how you can be a digital nomad, ways to set-up better and what options you have to earn a living while abroad.

Digital Nomad: Dispelling the Myths

Picture in your head what it’s like to live as a digital nomad. What’s the vision that you see?

If you’re like most people who have read a few UK newspaper articles about digital nomads who are living the life, then you may envision sitting on a beach with a laptop typing away. That’s the idea that’s been sold to people, but it is different from reality.

The reality is that in a hot climate, the laptop would quickly overheat, people walking past would accidentally kick sand inside the PC eventually causing it to break down, and the sun’s glare along with multiple distractions would prevent much work from getting done. Digital nomads know that there’s work time and then there’s beach time – and they’re entirely separate.

It’s also far from the Tim Ferriss’ Four Hour Workweek book which espoused only working a few hours. The reality there is his publisher came up with the title (he disliked it) and the author works longer weeks than most people he knows.

Digital Nomad: The Reality

There are several kinds of digital nomads. Each person approaches their life and how they make a living quite differently too.

Here are some of the types of digital nomad:

Student

A student is someone who has decided to advance their knowledge in one or more areas. This can be either because they have a particular interest in a subject or so they can advance their career post-graduation.

With the advent of online education opportunities, such as the online Master’s degree in Education offered by the University of Exeter, it’s possible to study from anywhere in the world. Online courses tend to be more affordable than campus-based ones and when internationally based, it’s possible to live more affordably too. If you have a Master’s in Education, you’re in a prime position for advancement in this field. Also, teaching abroad is an excellent addition to your CV too.

Local Employee

A local employee is someone who goes to work for a business based in another country. A multi-national business may have transferred that person there but more often it’s short-term contract work to fulfil a particular need that isn’t easy to access locally.

For instance, working as a translator, meeting with Western clients in south-east Asia or Latin America, or something else where their skills are in high demand proves useful.

Remote Worker

A remote worker is sometimes considered to be a digital nomad when they’re living abroad. There’s considerable overlap between their life and that of another type of digital nomad on a similar path.

Here they’re employed by a company usually (but not always) in a developed country and most often from their own country. They enjoy the freedom to see more of the world and often try to match their work schedule to that of the regular office hours back home.

Online Freelancer

An online freelancer makes their living from clients they find both online and offline.

Their work runs the gamut from web designer to videographer to an online teacher to a freelance writer. They may have a YouTube channel where they earn money from advertising and produce videos for clients who are impressed with their content and get in touch. Producing websites might be their forte and they excel at that. Video editors, proof-readers and many other skills are transferrable online now.

Whilst it’s common to see a digital nomad using a laptop to get their work done, that’s not always the case. An artist may live abroad but sell their works globally. A teacher may teach local students but update their assignments online. As the market matures, the opportunities expand with it.

Business Owner

A business owner may not always consider themselves a digital nomad because they are more established and are far less transient. Nevertheless, they usually set their businesses up with freelancers and/or remote employees to enable them to take extended time away without their business grinding to a halt and to work from different countries as they wish. When they intend to settle in a specific country they can do so easily through their business experiences. If you’re in trying to settle in the USA, citizenship lawyer san Antonio may guide you in a proper way

Managing the Time Differences

Depending on their home country and where they’re currently situated, the time difference from one location to the other can present some unique challenges.

Keeping up with friends and family is certainly made more difficult. It’s also harder to manage clients or to be a responsible remote worker who’s able to respond to email queries promptly.

Working unusual hours in an attempt to match the domestic working hours of colleagues back in the home country doesn’t last forever. It’s difficult to work afternoons and especially in the evenings when they’re tired and their local friends are out socialising. Like most people, they’re usually at their best in the morning, less productive in the afternoon and begin to struggle in the evening. As such, trying to match offshore hours becomes tiring and difficult to maintain.

Ultimately, a digital nomad should set their schedule. If they’re a local teacher, then that’s perfect as the schools and colleges are on the same local hours. However, with clients or remote working situations, an understanding must be reached about what hours they work and when they’re unavailable. Also, their availability times will get updated with each new location.

Is It Better to Work or Be a Student (Or Both)?

It depends on what your goals are as to whether being a student fits into your plans.

It’s often the case that the initial impetus is to get out on the road and experience it for yourself, to feel a little carefree and a greater taste of freedom. However, as time passes, not having a fixed schedule or meaningful goals begins to wear on someone living this kind of life (the same phenomena happens to retirees who are type-A personalities and didn’t have a plan for what they would do in retirement).

Once past this initial stage – it can take a few months – it’s common to want more out of life, and to expand beyond seeing endless tourist attractions and prevent one day from bleeding into another. At that point, most nomads want a plan for the future, some goals or to find a way to advance themselves. It’s not unusual to see them explore further education, to start a small business, or something else that’s personally meaningful.

Dividing their time between different endeavours is commonplace too. This might be a small business and some education too, taking up a new sport and becoming an advisor to start-ups, or some other combination.

Does Studying While Abroad Make Sense?

When abroad, it’s a great time to study online. The hours are flexible, and the lectures are recorded, so they can be viewed at a time of their choosing. Similarly, course materials are accessible when needed too.

For students, they may wish to study in the morning which might be the middle of the night back home. Alternatively, if they work abroad too, choosing to study in the evening might be ideal.

Living abroad is often less expensive than back home. So, the number of necessary hours to work as a digital nomad get reduced, which frees up extra time to study. This creates a better life balance. It also potentially creates a feeling when returning home that they achieved something while they were away.

Is Being a Globe-Trotting Digital Nomad Right for You?

In terms of a good personality fit, it’s a good idea to be accepting of change or uncertainty when living abroad. This is because there is usually an ample supply of both when in a foreign country.

Everything will be new and different. Communicating will be confusing, making it hard to get things done. Sometimes the power will go out or the internet will be slow or stop working altogether. It’s necessary to have backup plans (and sometimes more than one) to handle these situations.

As a digital nomad, you’ll need to be flexible, adaptable, and confident in your abilities to solve problems. However, the reward is a richer life filled with new experiences, the opportunity to advance your education and see a different side to life than you would otherwise. It’s no wonder that many future promotions and businesses come out of a stint as a digital nomad, which is encouraging more people to give it a try.

Similarly, course materials are accessible when needed too on sites like Studocu