Digital Nomads

Actual W2 jobs, extremely rare and difficult to find. Contract work is a lot easier to get while nomading, it's still harder than finding non-remote stuff though.

It has to start mostly in office. I am just shy of 6 figures right now but I started in office for 1 year. After that I started to push for remote and after few months of approvals here I am. Now prior to that I have always been around 50-60k a year working remote. You can get decent wages and crazy livable outside states with it. Just need that "skills".

Edit
I saw a few say just lie with a remote job. This honestly 100%. VPN routers do work and are almost 99% fine. A lot of people are using them now and even myself if I have to do it I will.

If you're not someone who can get six figures at a job in a non-remote capacity, chances are you're not going to get six figures at a job in a remote capacity either. DNs with actual in-demand skills (+that are doable remotely) don't need to take pay cuts or have money saved up.

I’m a digital nomad making $240k for a US company.

They key is I just don’t tell them and I have to be willing to get caught and get fired. (I have a dedicated VPN at my moms house in the US and a travel router, plus a burner phone spoofing my location with an Authenticator app just in case- but I’ve only ever needed texts for 2FA)

Depends what your skills, education, experience is in. I work as a lawyer and work remote. Pays well.

They are possible. I make about 300k USD and work fully remote. The trick is to be very good at your job or have a niche skill set. Use your network and get referrals, it’s much easier this way.

I'm not in US, and not a US citizen, I receive remote job offers with numbers over 100k quite often. Creative field.

Possible yes.

But also helps to define "high paying".

And factor in the reduced tax liability...

Where you live and what you make are two independent variables - at least for an individual.

I don't want to be making only 30k a year

come to the uk

Yes, very possible

I think it’s not possible. My husband and I have looked for two years. We have found nothing. The next step is for us to quit our jobs and move to N Amer with nothing, hoping to find something quickly. If there were remote jobs we could find and still live abroad, they are not advertised.

Yes lying to them

Not the same as US domestic jobs, because realistically why would they hire you if they’re international, and not someone who is fine with $30K a year?

That being said, I have seen jobs that are okay paying (maybe 30-40% pay cut vs US as opposed to 80%) but they are few and far between and very competitive.

Yes it is possible, just harder to find. I have worked for two US based companies while abroad, making six figures.

yes, it's possible if you have the experience to sell it. and you should research FEIE as the savings there can be huge.

Many modern american corporations allow this. I am not even a US citizen and I work for a US company internationally with US level wages.

Not easy, but possible. Specially if you are in tech.

It's easier as an independent than as an employee.

The definition of employee is they own you and your freedom.

It also makes more sense as an American abroad to be independent. Depending where you live you can get health insurance for less than 2000 a year.

Why pay for US healthcare when you can get way cheaper private health care elsewhere.

I pay 1200 in Spain, dentist included, 0 co-payment.

I have a US-based remote job making $150k+ and they're OK with me traveling as long as I'm credibly not a resident of one foreign country

Look into Colombia.

It is, but you have to approach it from a different angle, IMO.

Be an expert in what you do and be the one dealing the cards. If you're constantly chasing and applying for whatever jobs are posted out there, you have to play by their rules and deal with whatever they decide to throw you.

Either approach people as a service provider, saying you can do this, this and this and this is your price - or, at the very least, just make sure you're able to stand your ground and say "Cool, I can easily do this and I can even throw that into the package you'll be getting, but here's the caveat: I work remotely".

Also, as some others have already said: it's easier to be remote on a contract vs. to be a FT/Perm employee with a salary and some sort of perks attached, which means you have to spend time on growing your network and maintaining it: industry people, but also key fixers like Talent Managers, HRs etc. who will reach out to you if they have a leak to fix that you might do.

I generally don't take a payout on my rates vs London - at least not a massive one, I might take £10, £20 off on an hour but only if it helps with securing the contract because the client just doesn't have the budget I would normally ask for. Why would I? I'm still providing the same skills, making the same things happen regardless of where I am. I charge for my knowledge and value I bring in, time saved to the other side, etc.

Wondering myself ☝️

The question is meaningless unless you specify what are you work in. You can make a million dollars a month remotely...

I make six figure salary working fully remotely as a web developer, I can work in any timezone as long as I can make one meeting per day.

These jobs are not easy to get however...

It is possible, in very specific circumstances. It helps to be an expert in your field, especially more so if it’s in a highly technical international field.

I have a friend (dual US/French citizen) who earns around $200k USD in Paris working for a private American company in aerospace. He has a very specific skill set and was able to negotiate a “low” American salary in exchange for living in France. The company wants more connections with ESA, he gets to live in France with an insanely high salary (by French standards), they get to pay him less than they would an American (their base pay is around $300k)…everybody wins.

You can also consult - but have to be driven.

You can also work for a company that is remote and just not tell them you’re abroad, or work for an international company. My company (international conservation) allows for remote work as we have offices all over the world, so if you want to go anywhere for 3 months of the year and travel we are able to. More than three months though you need to be a “resident” in that country and claim it. I have a colleague I suspect is working illegally in France, but should be in Germany. Who knows how many others are doing it in my company…

Many people here shy away from it but most dev jobs in crypto fully remote and distributed

It's possible, it's hard, but it's also easier now.

It’s possible but those jobs aren’t exactly advertised. I’ve got one and I can work from anywhere and it pays very well. I got the job because the CTO and I go back 10+ years and I’ve done some consulting to him over the years and I was the first person they called when they needed someone in house.

The trick is to get a fully remote job in the US- one that is asynchronous and doesn't have a significant time-zone dependency, and then travel.