How to Land a Job in Your Dream Location

Published with permission of Zety.com

Life’s short, so let’s jump right in—

Do you really want to die as a nine-to-five desk jockey? With a headstone epitaph that reads: “Met Deadlines” at best?

Even if you’re pretty happy with where you’re in right now, I’m guessing the answer is no.

You’re going to the office. Maybe you’re coming home from the office. You might as well be at the office right now.

Come lunch and you’ll be scrolling through your Instagram feed, half-smiling at random cat pictures, when you’ll see photos of your friends chilling out in amazing places.

We both know that #jealous comment you’ll leave will come from a dark, dark place of envy.

Oh, I could really use a break—you’ll say and start counting days until your next vacation.

I’m going to stop you right there.

What if you wouldn’t have to wait for holidays ever again? What if, every day, you’d wake up to the sight of an ever-blue ocean, wide sandy beaches, and palm trees slowly swaying in the delicate breeze?

In just a few months’ time, this (or any other place in the world) can be your workplace:

Interested? Good, let’s see how you can make the ultimate dream come true.

Here are your options.

1 Get all Dramatic

Anyone can get a job in a tropical paradise—

Sell your stuff, quit your job, and move to Asia to start teaching English.

It’s just that, unless you have a firm plan, you’ll probably come back beaten after a few months, only to hear all your friends’ patronizing pep talks about how you almost made it work.

Alright, I might have gotten a tad too dramatic.

In fact, you can pull it off. But you’ll need to establish some connections beforehand and devise a coherent strategy.

The good news is, you can get a hand with that:

Check out the Reach To Teach placement agency for ESL teachers in Asia.

It lists hundreds of ESL teaching jobs and has got very high customer happiness scores.

Plus, it’s owned and founded by someone who actually started out as an English teacher in China herself, Carrie Kellenberger.

Her best piece of advice?

When you decide to make the jump: read, learn, and take notes. Pay particular attention to traditions, local customs, and taboos.

To make the transition easier, get busy networking and socializing with locals and expats. Perhaps paradoxically, you’ll need to feel at home to really make things work.

If you’d rather go for something more secure, here’s an option to consider:

2 Find a Job Opening for International Applicants

First thing you can do is visit dedicated websites for expats looking for a job such as JustLanded.com, or browse regular job boards like Indeed for jobs in your dream distant locations.

The problem?

Most of the job ads are for: hotel workers, servers, cleaners, lift fitters, and retail workers.

If you’re not interested in any of the above, you’ll probably want to somehow have the best of both worlds: a job that aligns with your current position and a permanent holiday vibe.

Enter: Jobbatical.

A tech start-up that helps you “work where you’re happy.”

It all started when Karoli Hindriks, Jobbatical founder and CEO was studying in Silicon Valley and there was this one question that haunted her.

I started to ask myself: why are all the amazing companies emerging from here and not anywhere else in the world?

Karoli Kindriks

CEO, Jobbatical

The answer? Silicon Valley has been a magnet for the brightest minds from all over the world.

And then, the realization came—

What if there was a way to help companies located elsewhere attract the best talent?

Karoli found that very way and turned it into a business model. She now sends adventurous knowledgeable people on incredible career journeys.

Upward mobility? How about worldwide mobility!

Jobbatical is currently connecting talent from all over the world (North Korea and Chad Africa notwithstanding) with organizations across 49 countries.

The best part?

Most openings are posted by companies that are willing to pay for your relocation and arrange all immigration documents.

If you feel like you should pick up some extra skills before embarking on an international career journey, check out the brand new Global Technical Hiring & Skills Report for 2019 here.

Still—

Maybe you don’t only want to get out of your hometown, but also ditch the 9-to-5 lifestyle?

In such case, consider becoming a digital nomad.

This can mean two things. You can either…

3 Become a Freelancer or Start Your Own Online Business

Easy? Not at all. Possible? Very much.

Here’s one hell of an inspiring story for you.

Meet Joseph Kennedy, the only person in the world whose job title is “Environmental Copywriting Consultant.”

In 2016, Joseph quit his job on a contract, sold and donated 95% of his possessions, found his niche, and started working on his online business.

Joseph now runs Content Pathway, the first and only environmental copywriting agency.

“I am most surprised that I managed to create a lifestyle business and job role that didn’t exist before, and make it work,” says Joseph.

The key thing?

Get as close to the money as possible.

Work marketplaces for freelancers are like a race to the bottom, undercutting everyone else, fighting over clients who won’t listen to you because they already know what they want.

Joseph Kennedy

Founder at Content Pathway

Now, the brutal truth is, if you want to make your online business work, you’ll have to figure out most things by yourself.

I know what you’re thinking.

Yes, you will need a mentor.

Need someone trustworthy to help you out at the very beginning?

Give Tim Ferriss’s 4-Hour Workweek a read.

I know it’s blunt of me to say, but I can guarantee that it’s the most worthwhile piece of self-help you’ll come across.

And keep one thing in mind—

Most probably, you won’t hit six digits just like that, but it’s OK. An income sufficient to make a decent living in the US or in Europe translates into a small fortune in many distant locations.

If you need a source of inspiration to discover your new workplace, check out this list of the most amazing places to live in 2018 on the cheap published by Forbes.

Want more stability than freelancing or running an own business can grant you?

4 Get a Permanent Remote Job

There’s plenty of fish in the sea, so you can take your time to find a gig that suits your interests and needs.

You’ll find thousands of jobs you can do from anywhere in the world at WeWorkRemotely.

Not quite keen on any of these? Check out this handy list of alternative remote job boards on ProductHunt.

And whatever option you choose, remember—

5  Make Sure that Working from a Remote Location is Right for You

And don’t feel bad about yourself if it isn’t.

To get you some food for thought, I reached out to Esther Jacobs, a digital nomad and author of “Digital Nomads—How to Live, Work and Play Around the World.”

But be aware that, for some, the dream, location-independent work life will be a nightmare.

Sure if it’s right for you? Consider this:

You’ll have to take full responsibility for everything that happens in your life. Once you start, there will be no easy way back.

Before you make your final decision, schedule a trial period. Remember, this will be your daily life, so make sure you can stay determined.

So — what do you think?

Already eager to start hunting your dream work life?

Good!

Remember—never, in the history of time, has there been a better moment to go after your dreams than now.

Michael, a Certified Professional Résumé Writer (CPRW) is a career writer and the newsletter coordinator at Zety. Apart from sharing his own resume-writing expertise, Michael reaches out to recruitment and hiring gurus to help you learn the most effective strategies for managing your career.

NOTE: There are links that will take you to different websites that may provide zety.com, but not me, compensation.