Traveling to another country can evoke all sorts of emotions, including fear. Will you find suitable accommodations? What will you do to make money to sustain yourself?
If these questions give you sleepless nights, this article is for you. I will show you practical things you can do as an ex-pat to make money.
Fortunately, these are tips you can remotely implement wherever you are. Let’s get started.
You might also enjoy reading: 8 Effective Ways to Make Money Overseas Online.
1- Be a Social Media Manager
Are you the person who spent your day switching from one social media platform to the other? There is no doubt that social media is growing faster than ever before. Consider this presentation from Small Insights:
Companies are looking for people with social media skills to help them generate leads from these platforms.
You can use this opportunity to make money as a manager instead of wasting time commenting and posting stuff that does not add value. You can sell your social media management skills to help companies build their brand’s social channels.
If you are interested in becoming an Instagram ambassador, I wrote a whole article that I encourage you to read.
But what if you don’t have the expertise? Why not register for an online course on social media management and learn how to leverage various social media platforms to market products?
- These courses will teach skills like posting, engaging users, using hashtags, and creating shareable videos or images.
- Provided you have a stable internet connection and interest in the subject, you are good to go.
2- Podcast Transcription And Translation
Are you good with listening and writing? This skill is highly demanded globally and can earn you a stable income.
Many podcasters are ready to pay someone to turn their inspirational audio and videos into text.
Are they easy jobs?
Oh, hell no!
The pay is good because it is hard work, especially when the audio is a conversation between two or more people with a foreign accent.
Nevertheless, your transcription skills are an asset to most companies who want to boost their subscribers.
What about translation?
This is another area you can reap big online. International companies with a wide customer audience want their blogs translated into various languages.
Although there are AI programs that help with translation, companies want a human touch on their copy, emails, or articles.
But where can you get transcription and translation gigs? I recommend cold pitching for clients as an ex-pat to sell your skills as a native language speaker. Additionally, you can check for these jobs on freelancing sites like Fiverr or Upwork.
The best part of these jobs is that you can do them as you travel from one country to another. It is called a walking office.
See also: 9 Best Countries To Earn Money While Studying.
3- Teach English
English is undoubtedly one of the most dominant languages globally, with thousands of blogs (including this one) written in the queen’s language.
It is internationally used in commerce, politics, and scientific research. And as an ex-pat, you can teach English as a foreign language and make some decent income.
However, sometimes you may be in a country where English is not required in the job market.
That can negatively impact demand for the language. You may be forced to charge little as a teacher.
How can you increase your income as an ex-pat English teacher? Look to online classes that cater to students in Asian countries like China and Japan.
You can get a good deal with handsome pay from Chinese kids looking to learn and improve their English language.
Nevertheless, there is a catch. Most of these students prefer studying early and late at night.
Alternatively, you can sign in with online classes and freelance teaching sites like Udemy and Preply.
These sites team with several students who pay well, and you can get jobs regardless of location. Sounds great, yeah!
4- Telemarketing And Customer Service
Do you know the role of a telemarketer and a customer service? A telemarketer calls potential customers and persuades them to buy.
And customer service is an agent representing an organization in answering and resolving customer problems.
Are you a good communicator, persuasive, and computer literate? Do you have a good internet connection? Then you are the right candidate for this role.
You can check various organizations’ websites and job postings to apply for this opportunity. The beauty is that you can improve these skills on the job.
Most companies offer free induction to help you become an awesome ambassador for the organization you will be working for.
5- Professional Blogger
As a professional blogger, you can make money working from anywhere. True, many online ads promise opportunities to make money online, but some are scams.
However, I have good news for you. You are not alone in this profession because most ex-pats I know earn a living blogging.
As a beginner blogger, I will not promise you that you will have overnight success. From my experience, I can tell you that you will make many mistakes.
But with persistence and discipline, you can learn how to create valuable content that resonates with your target audience.
Here are some tips to make money through blogging:
- Advertisements
- Affiliate marketing
- Coaching.
- Sponsored post.
See also: Guide To The Best Niche for Blogging (With various examples!)
6- Import And Export
Globally the cost of living is skyrocketing every minute, and I am convinced that you are relocating to your ex-pat country because things are less expensive. Or you could be chasing extra opportunities in your current country of residence.
Perhaps you have discovered that goods are sold at a lower price in your ex-pat country, and you would like to sell them to your home country.
That sounds like a good opportunity.
Nevertheless, don’t get excited yet.
Find out if the local regulations and your visa type allow you to trade as an ex-pat.
The moment you establish that you can trade in your current country of residence, it’s important that you consider and understand their legal and tax obligation for ex-pats.
This information will help you decide whether to start your business or buy an existing one.
Furthermore, you will need to calculate the import and export cost you will incur in buying, selling or manufacturing products.
The good part is that most ex-pat destinations often provide lower taxes and lower costs of living; therefore, follow your dream and relocate now.
7- Become an Online Fitness Trainer
Online fitness training has outlived the pandemic period. It has become a huge industry without signs of slowing down. Consider this data from GlobeNewsWire.com.
The international online/virtual fitness market size is anticipated to increase from $11.39 billion in 2021 to $16.15 billion in 2022 at an annual growth rate (CAGR) of 41.84%
There’s no doubt that people are busy, and they rarely get time to exercise, eat healthily and get enough sleep.
Although there are many health studios, most people barely have the energy to slam weights, let alone have a gym membership.
And that is where you come in.
Are you a fitness enthusiast? Are you conscious of what you eat? Do you value sleep?
This is the ideal profession for you because online fitness is the new big thing. Do not concern yourself with the many fitness trainers promising to help people shred up and tone down. Why not devise unique strategies that are suited to your client’s needs?
Show your clients how to be fit through live routines and webinars.
Alternatively, you can invest in educating your clients on the value of eating healthy foods and getting enough sleep which will impact their fitness journey.
8- Become a Tour Guide In Your Area
Imagine visiting a country and your tour guide is a foreigner who speaks the local language fluently and knows the area better than the natives.
No doubt the experience will be memorable and enhance your adventure. You can make money by acting as a tour guide as an ex-pat.
If you know the history, landmarks, and local customs and can fluently converse in the native language of your ex-pat country, then turn that knowledge into money by helping visitors fall in love with the country too.
You will just need to keep the visitors interested as you talk about the history and facts of the region with enthusiasm.
9- Prepare Specialty Foods
Maybe a particular delicacy enticed you to move to your ex-pat country. Upon arrival am sure you were eager and curious to taste the local food, and surprisingly you fell in love with it.
Unfortunately, you had a strong and irresistible craving for a particular specialty from your home country.
You walked from city to city and searched the internet, and you did not locate a joint that prepares your specialty foods.
Does that give you enough reason to open a restaurant that offers these delicacies?
Think about all the ex-pats visiting your current country of residence that will have the same craving you had.
That is how easily you can make money as an ex-pat. Just begin with what you know, and with time you can learn from YouTube how to prepare various foods from different parts of the world, which may increase your customer base and income.
The locals might even love the food; before you know it, your restaurant is a household name.
See also: How to Make Money as a Nano Influencer? (Best tips!)
10- Manage Vacation Homes
I am sure you have met ex-pats in your current home of residents who own homes but only live there during vacations.
Do you consider yourself a social, persuasive, and approachable person?
Do you have friends who are ex-pats?
Remember that most foreigners rent their homes while away to earn added income. Why not ask them for the opportunity to work for them as their agent in managing their vacation homes?
I know sometimes it can feel weird to ask a friend for a job opportunity. You may be surprised by the turn of business you can get from your friends, especially if you offer help.
Alternatively, you can network and look for home vacation management opportunities from touring homeowners or agencies.
You can manage as many homes as possible with a good reputation as a reliable home agent.
Final Thoughts
I have discussed 10 ways that you can help earn money as an ex-pat. However, remember that not all of them may favor your circumstances, visa, or country of residence.
Although starting a business abroad is an excellent opportunity, you have to do your due diligence before you begin to allow you to handle challenges effectively. Also, invest your time to learn everything before relocating to a new country as an expatriate.
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