With the rise of the Internet, telecommuting, and numerous tools like Skype and Google Hangouts, there’s really no reason everyone on a team has to be in the same place at the same time. Though outsourcing tasks is hardly new, more and more businesses have entire teams that are distributed globally. If you’d like to get a piece of the gig economy action by offering your writing, web development, or marketing skills for remote work, then check out this list of the best sites for finding remote work.
What Is Remote Work?
Remote work is work that’s not done in the same physical location as the rest of the company. Remote work could be as straightforward as working from home a few days a week, or it could be working on an entirely different continent. Having geographically distributed teams has become more and more common, and it’s not unusual these days for there to be people on a team who never meet each other in real life. This has been made possible by a variety of tools, including Skype, Google Hangouts, and Github.
Why Work Remotely?
Though working remotely has become extremely easy, it’s worth considering the reasons why you’d want to do so.
Working remotely has both advantages and disadvantages. It’s wonderful to be able to build a work schedule that fits more with your natural rhythms. Whether you like waking up early and getting a start on the day or burning the midnight oil after everyone has gone to bed, a remote position will generally give you more flexibility in choosing when you’ll get your projects done.
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You also have more choice over where you’ll work. A lot of people enjoy find the buzz of a coffee shop inspiring. I much prefer a quiet space with a view of the city or a mountain. Either way, working remotely allows you to pick the environments in which you function best.
What Are the Best Sites for Finding Remote Work?
If you’ve decided to take the plunge into the world of remote work, here are some sites for finding remote work so you can put your skills on the market.
- Upwork – Upwork is one of the most popular platforms for finding freelancers and offering freelance services. With a robust rating system, payment verification, and arbitration services offered in the event of a dispute, Upwork goes to a lot of effort to make sure freelancers are protected.
- OdeskWork – With OdeskWork you can market your accounting, writing, and design skills to thousands of potential employers.
- Flexjobs – Flexjobs has an enormous range of part-time and full-time freelancing opportunities. They also have unique features like remote work offered by fortune 500 companies and a constantly-updated list of surprising remote jobs.
- Arc – The stated mission of Arc is to “tale the friction out of the remote hiring experience.” The company facilitates a streamlined hiring process, allowing employers to source “previously untapped developers.”
- Remote.co – This is a relatively new site for finding remote work positions for everything from nursing to data entry.
- JustRemote – JustRemote is a freelancing platform that focus on development, marketing, design, and management.
- Skip The Drive – Skip The Drive is free for job seekers and offers a wide variety of opportunities in many different fields.
With all of this available, there’s no reason you can’t earn your next paycheck from a beach in Indonesia!
