When you want to work from home, you have a few options.
You can be an entrepreneur and start your own professional service business, either online (like being a VA) or offline (like being a nanny).
You can go into sales, like self-publishing your books or joining an MLM company.
Or … you can look for flexwork, which involves working for a traditional company but in a non-traditional way.
What Is Flexwork?
Flexwork basically means any job that’s done with a non-standard schedule, and it includes things like job sharing, part-time work, work hours outside 9 to 5, and telecommuting.
You’re a typical employee of a company, often receiving typical benefits, but working in a non-typical arrangement. And if you don’t like staying in one place for very long, the right flexwork arrangement could be your ticket to location independence.
Why Flexwork?
Entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone. There’s the stress of building and running your own business, constantly tapping your personal network, and searching for new clients. For some, the freedom outweighs the stress, but for others, something resembling a more traditional setup is better. That’s why flexwork is so great.
How to Find Flexwork Jobs in the U.S.
If flexwork is the perfect combination of freedom and stability for the life you want, then you’re in luck! Flexwork is getting a lot of traction in today’s corporate world, meaning there are loads of new opportunities for you to work from home while maintaining many of the benefits of traditional employment.
These days there are a few websites and job boards designed specifically to help you find your new flexwork job. These are some good ones:
- Back Door Jobs: This company is all about what they call “short-term job adventures.” Many of their listings are for outdoorsy jobs like conservation work, farming, and wilderness therapy. If you love the idea of working outside, this is your site to check out. There’s also an international branch that will help you find work overseas.
- Workamper: Workamper is set up for people who are living in an RV. Many of the jobs at Workamper are in the outdoor hospitality universe (like working at a campground), but not all of them. They offer a ton of resources for their members, including an online job board, print and online ads for placements, publications, and specific training for people who want to start workamping.
- CoolWorks. Like Back Door Jobs, CoolWorks specializes in seasonal and summer jobs. They’ve been around since 1995 and there’s a vibrant community of CoolWorks alums and fans. Many of their jobs are outdoorsy — think national parks, resorts, ranches, etc.
- RemoteOk. Most of the jobs on RemoteOk are for software developers, but there are also job categories for roles in marketing, communication, and customer service — more accessible jobs for the non-technical.
- Amazon CamperForce. Another program that’s great for RV-loving work campers, Amazon’s CamperForce provides seasonal employment opportunities across the U.S. These jobs revolve around packing and shipping in Amazon warehouses, and in addition to the hourly wages the job pays, it comes with a free RV site nearby.
- NoDesk. This resource-rich site includes a sizeable collection of sites and job boards for freelancers and people looking for remote work.
How to Find Flexwork Jobs Abroad
If you’re looking for ways to go abroad that look more like traditional employment in a non-traditional place — whether you want a temporary placement or to establish a new life somewhere else as an expat — there are several job boards that can help you:
- Internations. The Internations community site offers all kinds of resources for people working abroad, but the thing that might be most helpful for finding flexwork is their guides, which include valuable information about major industries in that city or country… which will be great leads for you to find flexwork. Check out the list of available guides at the bottom of the homepage and see what jumps out at you!
- ReliefWeb. If you’re interested in doing humanitarian work overseas with a flexwork schedule, your best best is the job board at ReliefWeb.
- Going Global. Their site, goinglobal.com, offers a wealth of resources to find a job or internship overseas. Their country profiles offer a good summary of the overall employment situation in that country, as well as information you’ll need before you go.
One thing to bear in mind for going abroad is that you’ll need to do a bit of legwork before going overseas to get all the documentation you need. If you’re able to land a position before you go, your new employer should be able to help you sort it out.