Digital Nomad - a person working in any location of their choosing and uses technology to perform their job

Remote work, if anything, has now become the norm for those whose jobs are flexible enough for this i.e. majority of the work can be completed by access to a laptop and the internet. The need to physically be in an office building is no longer present, however, employers may push for this or a hybrid solution based on the necessity to use the office spaces they already possess. The good news is that you as the talent, now have more options available to you than ever before when it comes to jobs. You can work for a company based in Cape Town whilst staying in Johannesburg and not have to relocate to Cape Town but an even better opportunity is presenting itself in global remote work, being able to work for a non-South African based company whilst remaining in South Africa coupled with a salary and benefits far outweighing those offered by South African-based companies (thank you currency conversion).

Global remote working is happening more often, so much that countries are offering remote work visas to digital nomads or virtual working programmes - Croatia, Dubai (UAE), Mauritius, Mexico, Portugal, Thailand etc. Visas are available from 6 months up to 5 years depending on the country, with the main criteria for attaining the visa, which varies by country, is:

• Proof of employment and if an entrepreneur/business owner, proof of this.

• Proof of income or funds to support yourself during the duration of the visa.

• Valid passport for the whole duration of the intended stay.

The route of working in a country that is offering visas for digital nomads is changing your environment by working in a different country temporarily with a somewhat easy path to entry whilst remaining with your current employer, in turn allowing you to explore various places and cultures in the world. You can then convert this into a more long-term stay and transition into working for a different organisation.

How does one find these remote work opportunities that are global? Using the standard job portals common globally such as Indeed, Glassdoor, and Linkedin (we have a blog post on how to maximise on your Linkedin presence and use this to job hunt). Additionally, if there is a specific target country in mind e.g. USA, using the common job portal for that market will also be valuable. Some sites dedicated to remote workers aka digital nomads include:

• Working Nomads, Remoteok, Remote.co - Mostly technology-related roles (software engineering, development, data science) as well as sales operations, SEO strategist, copywriter, teaching etc.

• Remote companies - Companies with work from anywhere (WFA) policies. Note, some multinational companies not in this list may have a WFA policy.

Detailed list of international companies hiring remotely is at the end of the blog post

More often than not, you will still encounter job posts that require individuals from certain countries or citizenship including proficiency in some local languages. Regardless, there are still opportunities out there to grab but do factor you could be liable to double tax, tax from the country of origin of your contract and with South African Revenue Services (SARS). More importantly, do your due diligence to ensure the job offer and company is legitimate.

Here are some questions and answers from individuals currently reaping from remote work - working with non-South African-based companies (abbreviated as PD & RN).

• How did you come across the remote job opportunity? (word of mouth, website, headhunted? If headhunted, how did they find you?)

  PD: I found them advertising on LinkedIn.

  RN: It wasn't remote initially. I started working for my office in New York at the end of 2019 and moved back to South Africa in March 2020 when the pandemic hit, but I came across the job advertisement on the organisation's vacancy portal.

• What country is the company based in?

  PD: USA.

  RN: USA.

• Were there any nuances, or differences in the interview process that you would like to call out from what one would typically experience from a job interview for a South African-based company?

  PD: The interview was very informal and all stages were done remotely. I went through 3 interview stages and had to sign an NDA before going through to the 2nd and 3rd interview stages, to make sure that I would not disclose any sensitive company information.

  RN: It was pretty much a standard interview not very different from South African interviews.

• How many interview rounds did you need to go through?

  PD: 3.

  RN: I had to first submit some work and then was invited for an interview and was offered the job after that. So one interview round.

• Were you already familiar with the company and their work?

  PD: No.

  RN: Yes.

• What is your role or the nature of your work?

  PD: Social media specialist - this involves planning, implementing and monitoring the company's social media strategy, growing an online audience & building brand awareness.

  RN: No answer provided.

• Is your salary the same/same range as if you were working in the company base country?

  PD: I'm earning about 3x as much since changing jobs last year (SA job). I get my salary in USD so the exchange rate favours me too.

  RN: No answer provided.

• What benefits has the company offered you?

  PD: Monthly wellness stipend, quarterly bonus and stock options (no medical aid & retirement annuity, unfortunately, you have to sort those on your own).

  RN: I have no benefits since I'm on a consultancy contract.

• Besides the salary and benefits, what enticed you to the remote job opportunity?

  PD: Flexible working hours and the ability to be working fully remote from any country.

  RN: The organisation's brand.

• What are your work start and end times i.e. do you follow SA-based hours?

  PD: I usually work 10-6pm, SA time.

  RN: 1pm to 8pm, SA time.

• Do you take SA public holidays or do you follow those of the company base country?

  PD: I don't take any public holidays, we have an unlimited leave policy which allows me to take paid time off any time, as long as my manager approves it and depending on work load. We're encouraged to take leave when there isn't much work to do and sometimes I work less than 40hours a week (typically 30-35hrs). If there isn't much work to do (our work policy allows it and we still get paid our full salaries too).

  RN: Base country.

• When it comes to taxes, does the company file these on your behalf or is this your own responsibility?

  PD: This is my own responsibility.

  RN: Own responsibility.

• What has been an advantage or benefit of your work setup, as well as a disadvantage or challenge with it?

  PD: I love working in Fintech & start-up work culture. I find there's more room for innovation and autonomy in the way we work, unlike most corporate companies. I also enjoy working with a very diverse team, from different cultures & countries - I'm continuously learning from them. Disadvantages - I enjoy working remotely and never want to go to an office again, lol, but I sometimes miss the daily in-person interactions with workmates that you would get in an office environment. Working with a remote, diverse team means that not everyone is always easily accessible due to different time zones.

  RN: Advantage - I get mornings free. Disadvantage - I am unavailable evenings and on South African holidays.

Companies hiring globally - technical and non-technical remote roles (as at May 2024)

• Canonical - Technology software company with roles in Sales, Marketing, Support, Software Engineering, Operations, Finance, etc.

• Coalition - Digital Agency with roles in Marketing, SEO and Social Media, Design. Development etc.

• Consensys - Blockchain and Web3 software company with roles in Marketing, Software Engineering.

• Crossover - Talent connection company with roles in Software Engineering and Development, Finance, Support, Strategy, Product Design etc.

• Deel - Payroll and compliance company with roles in Payroll, Software Engineering, Operations, People (HR), etc.

• Elastic - Technology Search AI company with roles in Development, Architecture etc.

• Get Recharge - E-commerce company with roles in Sales, Marketing, Support etc.

• HyperionDev - Technology education company with roles in Sales, Learning, Research, Business Development, Social Media, Finance, etc.

• IO Global - Blockchain research and engineering company with roles in Product, Marketing, Software Engineering, etc.

• IQVIA - Health information technology and clinical research company with roles in Strategy, Research, Business Development etc.

• Muck Rack - PR software company with roles in Customer Success, Finance, Sales etc.

• Shopify - E-commerce company with roles in Commercial, Data Insights, Engineering, Product etc.

• Tabby - Fintech company with roles in Engineering, Risk, Product etc.

• Toptal - Talent connection company with roles in Marketing, Product, General Management etc.

• Upwork - Freelancing company with roles in Marketing, Product Design, Finance etc.

• WebFX - Digital Marketing company with roles in Copywriting.