This article will take approximately 19 minutes to read. Don't have the time right now? No worries. Email the ad-free version of the article to yourself and read it later!
Starting a career as a digital nomad with no job experience is more achievable than most people think. This guide covers the 10 best entry-level jobs, where to find them, and what you realistically need to get started.
The digital nomad lifestyle has plenty to offer those who want a different take on working abroad. By 2024, there were an estimated 40 million digital nomads worldwide, with American nomads rising 148 percent versus 2019 levels.
The digital nomad trend will continue to rise in the coming years as many more jump on board. So, if you’re interested, how do you get involved? What kinds of jobs are there for beginners who have no experience in the digital nomad world?
That’s exactly what we’ll cover in this guide to digital nomads for beginners. Below, you’ll learn about the 10 best jobs for newbies, along with where to find them and how to get started.
Contents
Key Takeaways
- You do not need a degree or industry experience to start most digital nomad jobs; a portfolio or demonstrable skill is enough to land early clients.
- Specializing in a niche, such as tech writing or B2B social media, accelerates income growth far faster than staying a generalist.
- Most digital nomad visa programs set minimum income thresholds, so confirm those requirements for your target country before quitting your day job.
- Building stable remote income before you travel reduces financial stress and gives you the leverage to be selective about clients.
- Entry-level platforms like Upwork and Fiverr are useful for building your first portfolio and reviews, but treat them as a launchpad rather than a long-term income strategy.
- Online teaching is one of the fastest ways to generate consistent income as a nomad, since demand is steady and the setup requirements are minimal.
- Content creation and influencing require the most patience; expect six months or more before meaningful income arrives from organic audience growth.
- Time-zone overlap with your clients matters more than most beginners expect, so factor your preferred destinations into your job search early.
What is a Digital Nomad?
You might have heard the term before, but to recap, a digital nomad is someone who doesn’t have a fixed working location and works online. Although the term can refer to people who work in various domestic places, such as offices and cafes in their home city, it more commonly refers to people who travel across the world.
The main requirement of becoming a digital nomad is an online job that provides enough money for you to live. Although any online job is suitable, there are some important considerations if you plan to work abroad as a digital nomad.
These include:
- Flexibility: The job should ideally be flexible to accommodate different time zones and travel time. After all, you don’t want strict deadlines if you plan to move to a new country.
- Wages: Most digital nomad visas (or standard working visas) have minimum wage requirements. Your job needs to meet these requirements if you plan to stay in a country long-term.
- Accessibility: At the very least, you need a laptop and an Internet connection. Having a travel-friendly bank card with no foreign transaction fees is also worth setting up before you leave. Depending on the role, you might need other equipment, which you need to transport when you move.
Provided a potential role meets these requirements, getting started as a digital nomad isn’t too difficult. There are plenty of jobs suitable for beginners that don’t rely on degrees or previous industry experience. If you’re unsure whether a digital nomad visa or self-employed visa is the right fit for your situation, it’s worth clarifying that before you commit to a destination.
Digital Nomad Jobs for Beginners
Below is a list of the best digital nomad jobs for beginners. While they might require some skills, they won’t necessarily need previous industry experience. They theoretically meet all the requirements listed above, but you need to do some research to ensure they’re suitable for the country you have in mind.
Freelance Writer or Editor
Freelance writing and editing can be incredibly well-paying roles if you know how to position yourself in the industry. While it could take a while to get there, you could end up charging hundreds of dollars for a single article.
The main benefit is that you can get away with only working a few hours a day rather than devoting full-time hours. This gives you plenty of time to enjoy the country you’re living in.
You can write about anything you want, but some sectors pay better than others. For example, you can make the most money in tech (such as Web 3.0, emerging tech, and similar areas) and business strategy.
The more fun topics, such as lifestyle, games, and home tech, typically don’t pay that well.
You need a laptop with some kind of word-processing software. A good grasp of the language you’re writing in is helpful, and you want to set up a portfolio on WordPress or similar. A typing speed of 80 or more words per minute is also useful.
To get started, look on sites like Fiverr and Upwork for one-off jobs, or Problogger for longer-term work. Once you’ve got some experience behind you, you can start approaching brands directly on LinkedIn.
The biggest drawback to freelance writing and editing is that it’s quite a saturated market at entry level. While you can make some serious money once you find a niche, getting started can involve taking on lots of low-paying jobs.
Experienced nomad writers consistently report that the first three months on platforms like Upwork tend to be the lowest-earning period. Those who pick a specific niche from the start, such as SaaS, finance, or health, report landing better-paying clients far sooner than generalist writers.
Pros
- very flexible working hours
- minimal equipment required
- pay can be great if you put in the effort
Cons
- you might need to spend a while doing low-paying jobs to establish an industry presence
Content Creator
Content creator is a fairly vague job title, but it’s ideal for digital nomads. In short, it involves creating social media content, whether this is videos for TikTok and YouTube, images for Instagram, or even written brand content.
There are various ways to get involved. If you have a decent online presence, you could start monetizing your own social media pages. However, if you want a salaried job with an established brand, job boards on sites like Indeed are the way forward.
Depending on the type of content you plan to create, a good-quality digital camera could be useful. You can do plenty on your phone, but a digital SLR is the next step in creating professional photos and videos.
You may also need a microphone, and you need a laptop with editing software (Photoshop, Lightroom, Adobe Premiere, etc.). As such, it can have quite a high startup cost.
Pros
- plenty of flexibility with industries you can work in
- it’s possible to niche down with a particular platform or type of content
- you can make a lot of money
Cons
- content creation can be hard work
- initial start-up costs can be high
Teaching English Online
Online English teaching is a fairly common way to make money as a digital nomad.
You don’t necessarily need any qualifications, although some companies might expect a TEFL certificate or teaching qualification. At the very least, you need to be able to speak English at a native or near-native level.
In terms of equipment, you need a laptop with a webcam. A microphone headset is also helpful, though not a necessity. You also need an Internet connection fast enough to support video calls, which could limit where you work.
There are plenty of sites where you can get started as an online English teacher. Some include VIPKid, Preply, and I-To-I.
Of course, online teaching isn’t restricted to English, or even languages in general. You can find pretty much any online teaching role regardless of subject or level. More specialized jobs require specific experience, though.
In addition, teaching English is also one of the most popular jobs for expats.
Related articles:
- My Experience Getting a Teaching Job in Bangkok
- Teaching in Thailand Without A Degree – What Are Your Options?
- Visa Options for Working Remotely in Thailand
Pros
- online teaching can be flexible in terms of workload and times
- fairly easy to get started
- minimal tech requirements
Cons
- pay can be low when you first start out
Influencer
Social media influencer crosses over with content creation to an extent. However, it also involves using and reviewing products relating to a specific niche. It’s a popular option for digital nomads, as it generally doesn’t require qualifications and can be done anywhere.
Getting into influencing can be harder than it looks. It requires you to organically build an online presence, which takes time and typically means you won’t be earning much money while this happens.
However, once you’re able to establish yourself in a niche, it can be very well-paying.
Getting into online influencing involves choosing a main platform and a niche and consistently posting related content. You then need to start reaching out to relevant brands to get a hold of products. There are plenty of guides online that explain it in more detail.
In terms of equipment, a decent smartphone is useful, as is a laptop and a camera, depending on how you plan to make content. You can get started with very little, but it’s worth investing in decent tech if you want to build a professional image.
Pros
- it’s possible to get started without industry experience or qualifications
- niche industries can be easier to break into
- you get plenty of free products to supplement the money you make
Cons
- influencing can be a lot more work than you expect
Travel Blogger
Although travel blogging could come under the title of freelance writing, it deserves its own attention.
After all, if you’re a digital nomad living abroad, you likely have plenty of thoughts and advice for people traveling. You can write about your travel experience and share your travel tips while living in the world’s best destinations.
How do you get started? You could set up your own blog on a site like WordPress, which you could eventually monetize with ad space.
Alternatively, you could write and pitch articles to established sites such as Matador Network or Wanderlust.
The requirements are pretty much identical to freelance writing: you need a decent command of your writing language, a laptop for writing on, and photography and videography skills.
However, the requirements also cross over with influencing to an extent. You ideally want a niche if you plan to make good money.
Pros
- ideal for putting your practical experience to work
- fairly easy to set up with minimal requirements
- you can run your own site and pitch to larger publications for extra income
Cons
- it can take a few years to properly monetize a personal blog
Social Media Manager
Social media management typically involves curating a brand’s presence on its social media platforms. This includes creating and sharing posts, responding to comments and messages, and planning content strategies.
It’s a fairly wide-ranging job description, but that’s part of its draw for digital nomads.
There are different ways to get started. If you have credible experience, you could approach companies directly.
Failing that, job boards on sites like Indeed often list plenty of roles. Provided you’ve got an Internet connection and plenty of time, social media management is an attractive option.
While not a requirement, it’s helpful if you have a good personal social media presence. It serves as a kind of portfolio, as you need some kind of reference to prove you can do the job.
Pros
- flexible opportunities to work with brands that appeal to your experience
- suitable salary range depending on the industry
- doesn’t require much equipment, a laptop is enough
Cons
- time-intensive, you often need to be available to respond to comments and messages
Remote work communities consistently point out that social media managers who focus on B2B clients, such as SaaS companies or professional services firms, earn significantly more at entry level than those working with lifestyle brands. Narrowing your focus to one or two platforms early, rather than offering to manage everything at once, also helps clients feel more confident hiring someone without a long track record.
Virtual Assistant
Being a virtual assistant can work quite well as a digital nomad. Provided you’re organized and know your way around standard computer software, you’ve pretty much got all the skills needed to work in this industry.
Unsurprisingly, a virtual assistant does everything a regular assistant does, just online. This includes managing a person’s daily tasks, bookkeeping, managing social media, customer service, help with marketing, and general admin.
You could do this for a company or a single person depending on how much time you have.
At the very least, you need a laptop and phone. You might need specific software depending on your role, too. Sites like Upwork list virtual assistant jobs, as does Indeed. The only real downside to virtual assistant work is that it can be restrictive in terms of time zones. After all, having an assistant who’s asleep during your working day isn’t helpful.
A consistent piece of advice from the digital nomad community: secure stable remote income before you travel. Working as a VA for a few months from home first lets you figure out time-zone compatibility with clients before you’re dealing with that problem from a different continent.
Pros
- doesn’t require much in terms of equipment and previous experience
- it can be a good route into more niche digital nomad jobs
- the amount of work can be fairly flexible
Cons
- one of the more restrictive digital nomad jobs in terms of working times
Find out more: The Complete Guide to Hiring Virtual Staff
Web Development
Web development is one of the more specialized jobs on this list.
However, plenty of sites have courses that teach you everything you need to know. If you’ve got some coding and design skills, sites like Upwork and Fiverr are good places to start.
Once you’ve met the skill requirements, there are plenty of directions you can take web development. For example, you could specialize in app development or work alongside a marketing agency to help with their services. Alternatively, you could keep your work entirely freelance.
Other than a laptop, you may need to buy some software. Many developers start with free tools and only invest in paid software once they have paying clients covering the cost. One of the main benefits of web development is that it can be incredibly well-paying, so you should recoup any startup costs fairly quickly.
Many beginners in the digital nomad community point to free resources, including YouTube tutorials and Udemy courses, as a realistic path to a first web development client within six months, without needing to invest in expensive software upfront.
Pros
- quite a flexible industry, with plenty of specialization options
- it’s possible to reduce your working hours due to pay opportunities
- requires less equipment than you might expect
Cons
- startup costs can be quite high
Graphic Design
Graphic design is to art what freelance writing is to language. It’s a great industry for artistically minded people, and there’s plenty of opportunity for specialization. You could do anything from logo design and web design to designing and selling digital art.
To get started, you want something to draw on, ideally a tablet. It’s also worth building a portfolio, as graphic design is a visually focused industry. A laptop isn’t as important as it is for other jobs, but it’s helpful for communicating with clients or dealing with orders.
Again, sites like Fiverr and Upwork are good places to start. You could also try a site like Dribbble, which has a specific category for graphic designers.
If you plan to set up a site for selling your own work, look into print-on-demand dropshipping combined with a site like Printify. It means you don’t need to manage your stock; instead, you post designs and another company takes care of the printing and shipping.
This makes it a more passive form of income.
Pros
- provided you’ve got a portfolio, you don’t need much experience
- plenty of options for finding a niche
- startup costs are minimal if you already have the equipment
Cons
- as with freelance writing, it’s quite a saturated industry, so finding good work can take a while
Many beginners in digital nomad communities note that selling digital templates, icons, or brand kits on platforms like Creative Market or Gumroad alongside their Fiverr work helped them generate their first consistent monthly income while still building a client base.
Other
There are many other jobs for expats that translate well to the digital nomad lifestyle. Some of the best include:
- Marketing: This can combine plenty of the roles listed above and would focus on the entire marketing journey for a certain brand.
- House Sitting: Using a site like Trusted House Sitters allows you to live somewhere and make money while doing so.
- Online translation or transcription: These require more skill than standard writing, as you need to be fluent in more than one language.
- Remote worker: This is a fairly broad category, but plenty of industries have switched to remote employees since the pandemic.
There are plenty of other beginner roles for digital nomads beyond this list.
However, the ones mentioned above typically require more skills or equipment than the other entries listed in this article.
Now, On to You
As you can see, the online working world is incredibly varied, meaning there are plenty of opportunities for those looking to become digital nomads. Our guide on how to make money while traveling covers additional income ideas worth exploring alongside these roles.
The best starting point is to assess your current skills and interests before researching a specific industry to see what kind of money can be made.
Most importantly, check whether you can earn enough for the visa requirements of your country of choice, and take time to sort out health insurance before you go. After all, there’s no point in doing a job if it doesn’t pay the bills. If you’re still deciding where to go, the complete list of European digital nomad visas and the Thailand digital nomad visa are good places to start your research.
Related articles:
Deutsch:
ไทย:
Français:
Português:
Português:
Español:
Español:
中文 (中国):
Русский:
Nederlands:
العربية:
Italiano:
