25 Best Digital Nomad Jobs for Beginners

Seeking easy digital nomad jobs for beginners because you want to be a digital nomad, but you’re not sure where to start?

David and I have been digital nomads since 2019, and we have both gone through several different work arrangements before we found one that suited us best.

It can be overwhelming to think about all of the different jobs out there that allow you to work remotely. How do you know which ones are the best for beginners? Well, I’m here to help!

Based on my personal experience and research, in this article, I’ll discuss some of the best digital nomad jobs for beginners. These jobs are easy to start and don’t require a lot of experience or training. If any.

So if you’re ready to start your journey toward becoming a digital nomad, keep reading!

Digital Nomad Jobs for Beginners: Quick Summary

Jobs that can be completed entirely online are known as digital nomad work. They enable you to earn money from anywhere on the globe.

You only really need a decent laptop that’s internet-compatible.

Contrary to what others might tell you, everything else is just a bonus. Just pack your traveling office into your bag, and hit the road! That’s basically what we did.

Types of Digital Nomad Jobs for Beginners

Most digital nomad jobs can be classified as freelancing, online work, or remote entrepreneurship.

While each option has benefits and drawbacks, many digital nomads have more than one job that falls into different categories.

Many digital nomads (including myself and David) use freelancing and remote work to launch their digital nomad lifestyle while also paying their bills.

They then grow their own business on the side until they are able to fully support themselves.

Top Digital Nomad Jobs for Beginners

Many jobs for digital nomads need both training and experience to get started. That is not what we are discussing right now.

In this list, we’ll go through the most popular digital nomad jobs for beginners that you can start with little or no prior knowledge.

Some of them require zero prior knowledge, while others may need a little bit of study and practice. When you’re initially starting out, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all of the digital nomad information.

But if you ever have concerns, recall that a simple Google search can teach you almost anything.

I’ve also included some jobs below, though they are not necessarily location-independent, that provide benefits for those trying to start their own business.

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1. Become a Travel Blogger!

Who doesn’t want to get paid to write about all the cool places they visit?!! This has been my dream for years, even before we became digital nomads.

I would never have guessed that one of the digital nomad jobs for beginners was blogging.

But it’s true! You can actually monetize a travel blog before even becoming a digital nomad. It’s a great side gig to start when you still have a full-time day job. And, you don’t need any special degrees or certifications to do the work.

Plus the skills to be a travel blogger are very similar to content creation and freelance writing. That’s probably why so many of us do more than one of those things!

It’s harder to monetize a blog properly than I expected. I was a travel blogger for over two years before I made any money because I had no idea I was doing everything wrong.

Then I hired a blogging coach and everything changed. Finding an expert to hold my hand made a huge difference.

👉 If you want to get into travel blogging the right way, this SEO course is the most comprehensive I’ve ever seen. I can’t recommend it enough!

Thanks to learning SEO, my blog is finally reaching a substantial number of readers and I’m earning money on my blog. All at no extra cost to you, my readers. It’s a win-win for both of us!

2. Entrepreneurship

Start your own business! There’s nothing more freeing than becoming your own boss. And with the internet, there are endless opportunities for starting a business.

Of course, this is one of the digital nomad jobs for beginners that isn’t for everyone. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and time to get a business off the ground. But if you’re up for the challenge, then I say go for it!

We launched a business, The Tutor Resource, in November 2021. It combines our expertise in online teaching with our passion for helping other people.

There are many resources available to help you start your own business. I suggest checking out these awesome books:

By Eric Ries The Lean Startup

The Startup of You (Revised and Updated): Adapt, Take Risks, Grow Your Network, and Transform Your Career

The 4-Hour Workweek, Expanded and Updated: Expanded and Updated, With Over 100 New Pages of Cutting-Edge Content.

I read the original Four Hour Work Week when it was released in the early 2000s and it revolutionized my mindset.

While some of the things Tim talks about in his book aren’t as easy as it makes them sound, it’s the mindset shift that’s more important.

3. Housesitting

Ok, this digital nomad “job” for beginners doesn’t pay you in the traditional sense. However, it is perfect for digital nomads who want free places to base themselves while they work on growing their digital nomad projects.

As a housesitter, you basically go around the world staying in people’s houses for free in exchange for taking care of their pets while they’re away. We’ve been doing this for over three years now, since before becoming digital nomads.

The downside to housesitting is the competition. It can be a bit tricky getting started, and your first house sit is usually the hardest.

Housesitting works best when you’re traveling through expensive countries like the U.S., Europe, and Australia because you save a lot of money on accommodation costs.

These are all popular road trip destinations, and housesitting can be a great strategy to combine with road tripping.

While driving the Pan American Highway, we house sat in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama! Plus Ecuador and Chile in South America.

Some say that house sitting is less available in Asia but we haven’t personally found that to be the case. We offer some tips for starting house sitting in our Trusted House Sitters Review.

4. Teach Online

Another ideal digital nomad job for beginners is online teaching. If you have experience teaching or working with children, then this could be a great job for you.

Many companies offer online teaching positions that can be done remotely. Plus, you usually don’t need any prior experience or training to get started. Although a TEFL certification certainly comes in handy!

For online English teaching, many companies require English fluency and/or a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university.

This is actually how we started in our digital nomad life. For three years, David taught ESL to kids in China with VIPKid. Unfortunately, the online ESL market in China imploded in the summer of 2021.

He still has private students as a freelance ESL teacher though!

5. Content Writing

One of the digital nomad jobs for beginners is content writing. If you have a knack for writing and you’re good at communicating your thoughts and ideas, then this could be the perfect job for you.

Some many companies and websites are always looking for new content, so there’s never a shortage of work.

Plus, you can usually work from anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection.

I did a lot of content writing for other bloggers when I first started working in SEO. If you’re interested in content writing, then check out a job board. Many of them post new content writing jobs every day.

Or, if you want to work for a specific company or website, you can always check their job board or career page.

6. Social Media Management

Another one of the cool digital nomad jobs for beginners is social media management. If you’re good at promoting content and engaging with others on social media, then this could be a great entry-level job for you.

Many companies and brands that are always looking for help with their social media accounts. It’s truly an ongoing need for all sizes of businesses.

Keeping up with daily posting on top of creating valuable content for our readers can be challenging. That’s why many companies outsource this task to digital nomads.

👉 We love Flexclip for compiling videos quickly and effectively for use on Instagram and Youtube! You can even get 10% off your subscription!

7. Customer Service Representative

One great digital nomad job for beginners is customer service roles. If you’re good at helping others and providing quality customer service, then this could be the perfect job for you.

Many companies hire for customer service positions that can be done remotely. Plus, you usually don’t need any prior experience or training to get started.

The only drawback here is some companies require you to be located in a specific country. Not all do, though. We met a guy in Colombia who works remotely for a Canadian company!

If you’re interested in customer service, then I suggest checking out a job board or the career pages of some companies that interest you.

8. Freelance Writing

You might think you may need to be some kind of expert to earn money writing, but that’s not true.

I have a bachelor’s degree in English but I know other successful freelance writers who don’t even have a degree!

As long as you’re a decent writer, can string together some logical thoughts, and are willing to practice, pretty much anyone can make money in this way. 

As a freelance writer, you may specialize in content writing or copywriting. You can either stick to one or combine both (much like me)!

9. Drop Servicer

The drop-servicing business model is the “next level” of freelancing, and it doesn’t require much experience.

The major disadvantage to freelancing is that your income potential isn’t unlimited. After all, you can only make as much money as you have time for client projects. With a drop-servicing business, though, you can solve this problem.

Essentially, you find clients who need help with a service (like email marketing or graphic design).

Then you hire another freelancer to do the work for less than what you’re charging the client. This way, you make a profit without having to do any of the actual work!

Now, your income is no longer limited to the number of projects you may complete in a day. You’re just restricted by how many deals you can close since all the work has been outsourced.

This makes it significantly simpler to scale up to a six-figure salary, and maybe even beyond that!

The best part is that you don’t even have to know how to provide the service you’ll be offering. You simply play the role of the middle man.

While it may appear straightforward, implementing everything (then automating the entire business) entails several moving parts.

10. Proofreader

Not everyone loves freelance writing. That’s okay! Perhaps you like to read but don’t enjoy staring at a blank page and creating it yourself.

If that describes you, then proofreading may be a simple digital nomad job for beginners to start.

The job is straightforward: read other people’s work and correct all of their grammatical mistakes. To succeed, you need to:

• Know grammar really, really well
• Have a tedious eye for detail

You’ll likely need to select a grammar book and enhance your skills if you want to pursue this avenue. (If you want to teach English – which we already covered – you should already be well-versed in grammar).

After that, begin seeking out clients. This can be demanding with no former experience as a novice. 

An expert proofreader has the potential to earn $20-$25 per hour, so you could earn a few thousand dollars a month while traveling (given nearly full-time effort).

11. Virtual Assistant

It’s easy to travel and make money on the road with virtual assistant jobs. You’re a virtual receptionist who fulfills administrative duties for your clients that they want to outsource. There are various levels of VA specialization.

However, if you have no prior expertise, you may begin with simpler tasks such as Google research online, filling forms online, making phone calls, and so on.

Pro Tip: The more valuable your skillset, the higher you can expect to be paid.

If you develop expertise in fields such as Pinterest, keyword research, or Search Engine Optimization (SEO), for example, you will become increasingly difficult to replace. This means you can command a higher salary.

12. Remote Worker

It’s easy to overlook the importance of this digital nomad work. If you continue working in your present job while traveling, you will not need to gain any new skills.

Companies are realizing that most occupations can be completed from home owing to all of the pandemic quarantines. If they can be accomplished from a beach in Costa Rica, they may also be done remotely.

You might conduct a trial run if your manager expresses reservations about it. Request permission to work from home for only one day each week and show that you’re more productive and valuable when working remotely after that.

I know several people who have pursued this. As I write this post, one is living on a beach in the Dominican Republic, another is traveling Europe, and yet another is exploring Central America.

They each work full- or part-time for US-based companies as employees, not freelancers.

Although it’s not always possible, if you have an in-person job, see if you can take it on the road with you. If that option is unavailable to you, try looking for remote jobs related to your field by using online job sites.

You can set up filters and alerts on all of the major job sites like Indeed, Monster, Glassdoor, and ZipRecruiter. Or, look into Flexjobs and Dynamite Jobs which both focus entirely on remote work opportunities.

Either way, whether you’re striving for a full-time digital nomad gig or just part-time, a remote position gives comparable security compared to other less reliable options out there.

13. Fiverr Gigs

This is one of the digital nomad jobs for beginners that’s perfect for those who want to freelance but have no idea where to start.

If you’re not familiar with Fiverr, it’s a digital marketplace where people can buy and sell services (known as gigs) starting at $5.

As a digital nomad, there are all sorts of ways you can use Fiverr to make money on the road. The wide range of services that are available on Fiverr is impressive.

You can do anything from designing a logo to writing an article, recording a jingle, or creating a cartoon character. You’d be shocked at some of the ways people are making money on there.

You can even use Fiverr to find jobs doing some of the other things on this list, like content creation and freelance writing!

14. Volunteering

Volunteering is an excellent method to get off the beaten path and connect with local customs. You’ll be able to experience unique and unforgettable things that typical tourists miss out on.

One popular form of volunteering is known as WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms). It stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, which means it’s a worldwide phenomenon.

It’s very popular in Australia, but it can be found in other parts of the world as well.

You assist on a farm in exchange for food and lodging. It usually entails working for a few hours each day, so you may still explore the region.

The WorkAway website is another good location to look for volunteer gigs. I’ve seen a lot of interesting volunteering opportunities on the site. It might be farming or caring for a mountain B&B.

It may also be simply living with a family and speaking English with the kids every day for a couple of hours. There’s lots of wonderful stuff available, so I suggest checking it out.

Just make sure you thoroughly vet your offered possibilities before making any hasty judgments.

15. Transcriptionist

Although it may seem simple, transcriptionists who accurately type out the audio and video media into written form are in high demand. There are two main types of transcriptions- general and legal.

Although one might think that fast typing fingers would be the only requirement for the job, there is more to it than meets the eye.

What if you’re transcribing someone with a heavy accent? What do you do if the audio quality is poor or the speaker is stuttering? Turns out, it actually requires quite a bit of practice and training.

But if you’re willing to master the skill of transcription, you can make decent money from your laptop (and an optional foot pedal) from anywhere in the world.

I’ll be honest, this is a hard field to get into. I’m pretty good at typing and understanding accents (thank you global travel lifestyle!).

And after applying to five different companies in 2020, I was turned down by all of them. I still don’t know why.

16. Teach Your Skills

There’s no need to go out and learn a bunch of new things to make money while traveling. Stick to what you already know. I’ll bet you know how to do something that others would pay for.

These might be language classes, culinary classes, personal training sessions, dance lessons, art lessons, photography tips, music lessons… the possibilities are endless.

You can even make online lessons or a curriculum for what you’re teaching to make some extra cash!

17. Rent Your Stuff

This is a great way to supplement your income while traveling the world. You can rent out anything, from houses and apartments to rooms.

We rented out rooms in our Chicago apartment building before we left to travel full-time as digital nomads, and made extra cash that way. If we ever had another property, we would do this again!

If you don’t have a house or don’t feel comfortable renting out your personal living space, you have other options as well. You can rent out:

• Your storage space
• Your backyard (for people to camp)
• Parking spaces in your driveway or yard
• Your car

You can rent out anything that someone else might want to use without buying themselves indefinitely.

18.  Rent Out Yourself

No, not like that! Although, I will say that this option is kind of odd. You can fund your travels by snapping pics of your hands or feet, and then selling them online. You don’t have actually to do this, though.

My point is that traditional digital nomad jobs for beginners are not your only options. You can housesit, sell feet pics, or even get paid to be somebody’s friend online.

That may sound like a joke, but some people do that for a living. They get paid to talk to lonely people.

So if you’re feeling creative and need to make some extra cash, know that there are many possibilities out there for you. All you have to do is find the right one.

19. Data Entry

Numerous positions do not require you to have expertise in any particular area, and there are also a few specialist ones.

It’s not a thrilling profession, but it pays the bills and is an excellent digital nomad job for beginners.

You should be familiar with Excel, Google Sheets, or other spreadsheet and database software, but the main benefit of it is that you’ll be entering and updating data for hours on your own time.

Medical coding can also be an interesting job and requires a similar skill set to general data entry.

20. Selling Products

Selling products online is rapidly growing, and you don’t need to be tethered to a physical location to do it.

One of the simplest ways is dropshipping: You buy items from a manufacturer or middleman at a lower price and ship them straight to your customer. 

You can go through well-known marketplaces like Amazon or Etsy, which helps with marketing and a potential customer base.

However, you’ll make a better profit margin if you sell directly from your own website.

If digital goods are more up your alley, consider selling printables or e-books—you might be surprised by how much money they bring in!

21. Digital Photography

If you’re a digital nomad with a knack for photography, there are plenty of opportunities to make money from your skills. You can sell prints, digital downloads, and even stock photos.

There are a few things to keep in mind, though. First, you’ll need to build up a portfolio of high-quality photos. Also, you’ll need to find the right market for your photos—not all photos will sell well (or at all).

Lastly, you’ll need to price your photos correctly—if you charge too much, you won’t make any sales; if you charge too little, you’ll devalue your work.

With that said, digital photography can be a great way to make money as a digital nomad. Just be sure to do your research before you get started!

22. Voice Acting (Voice over, voice ads, video productions)

Voice acting is a great way to make money as a digital nomad. You can do it from anywhere in the world, and all you need is a laptop and a good internet connection.

There are many different types of voice acting, but some of the most popular are:

• Voice over: This is when you record your voice to be used in a movie, TV show, video game, or commercial.
• Voice ads: This is when you record your voice to be used in an ad.
• Video production: This is when you record your voice to be used in a video.

The best way to find work as a voice actor is to join a voice acting platform like Voices.com or Fiverr.com. From there, you can create a profile and start auditioning for jobs.

If you’re looking for something a little more long-term, you can also find work as a voice actor on sites like Upwork.com or Freelancer.com.

Voice acting is a great way to make money as a digital nomad, and it’s also a lot of fun!

23. Taking Online Surveys

Online surveys are a great way to make some extra money as a digital nomad. You can do them from anywhere in the world, and all you need is a laptop and an internet connection.

There are many different types of online surveys, but some of the most popular are:

• Consumer surveys: These are used to gather data about consumer behavior.
• Market research surveys: These are used to gather data about what people think about a product or service.
• Political surveys: These are used to gather data about people’s opinions on political issues.

You can find online surveys to take on sites like Survey Junkie and Swagbucks.

Taking online surveys is a great way to make some extra money as a digital nomad. It’s also a great way to voice your opinion on important issues!

24. Name Businesses

Yes, seriously! Jot down some clever names and enter Squadhelp’s naming contests to earn cold hard cash. This may not be enough to fully fund your travels ongoing, but it’ll certainly be a great bonus when your suggestions get picked.

The company hosts business naming contests all over the world, so as long as you have an internet connection, you can compete for prizes (starting at $100).

Plus, 20,000 other creatives have already participated in projects on the site.

Squadhelp has clients from all different types of businesses, ranging from early-stage startups to large enterprises like Nestle and Dell.

Their contests are not limited to naming either–there are also opportunities for taglines and logos.

When you join the contests as a creative, you’ll get feedback from contest holders so you can tailor your submissions to what they are looking for.

25. Email Marketing Specialist

Email marketing specialists help their clients connect with their target audience through email campaigns. They use graphics, text, and links to create engaging emails that remind customers of a client’s services.

They also track customer engagement and adapt future emails based on feedback. Email marketing professionals develop email content, build contact lists and plan when to send outreach campaigns.

They also make sure that email designs and layouts are effective, user-friendly, and mobile-friendly, and that designers or creators are contacted.

Becoming familiar with online email technologies is a must if you want to be an email marketing specialist, but these aren’t skills that take special training or pricey certifications.

Where to Find Digital Nomad Jobs for Beginners

Aside from online job sites, one of the most straightforward methods to begin is to utilize your present network.

Many of my digital nomad jobs were discovered while conversing with friends and coworkers about what I was doing.

They forward me any job possibilities they come across (or meet someone who they believe I can assist). And I do the same for them!

Networking with other bloggers and freelance writers- which I’ve done both online and through meeting people during our travels- has helped me a lot.

It’s beneficial to link up with individuals in your field and establish mutually beneficial relationships.

Being independent is great, but remember that it’s always more advantageous to have others supporting you as well.

This lack of security might be disheartening at first sight, but if you produce excellent work every single time, people will take notice eventually.

The freelancing world is full of unreliable and inconsistent workers, so by being perfect each time you deliver a project, clients will appreciate your efforts even more.

The key to a consistent digital nomad income (at least as a freelancer) is impressing your clients so much that they wouldn’t want to let you go.

You’ll be able to avoid looking for new clients every month instead of having short-term customers who send you a regular supply of business.

Digital Nomad Jobs for Beginners: FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions about digital nomad jobs for beginners. If I missed one of your burning questions, then contact us so we can add it to our list!

How much can you earn as a digital nomad?

When it comes to digital nomad income, there is no limit. You will not make bank from Day 1. Just like anything in life that has value, takes time and effort.

The good news though, as a digital nomad, you can pick a location according to your income level.

So, if you’re just starting out in a “lower level” digital nomad job, aim to live in a country with a low cost of living. That’s what David and I did when we first started our businesses.

We lived in Southeast Asia and then Mexico. As your income grows, so will your options for travel (or you could choose to stay put and live luxuriously).

The best part about the digital nomad lifestyle is that it doesn’t matter how much you make–you can still live and travel well.

Whether you bring in $20,000 or $200,000 annually, there are plenty of places where your dollar will go far.

What skills do you need to be a digital nomad?

There are a lot of digital nomad jobs for beginners that don’t require any special skills.

However, the more digital nomad skills and talents you acquire, the more opportunities you will have to make money.

One of the reasons I advocate blogging (even if it isn’t your primary source of income) is because it enables you to develop a large number of skills that improve your marketability as a digital nomad.

One of the best things about being a digital nomad is that you can learn new skills on the go.

And some of those skills are more useful than you might think. Here are just a few of the digital nomad skills that would be helpful to know (or learn) as you travel:

• Anything related to graphic design, photo or video editing
• SEO practices
• How WordPress works and functions
• The ropes of affiliate marketing
• Basics of eCommerce (e.g., Amazon, Shopify, dropshipping)
• Copywriting tips and tricks
• Coding languages such as HTML and CSS

When you’re new to online business, it may look like there is too much to learn. Don’t Panic! You can do this by taking one day at a time.

TALK TO A WORLDSCHOOLING AND FAMILY TRAVEL EXPERT ABOUT ANYTHING!

Struggling to plan your travel adventures?

As a former HR Director and full-time worldschooling mom since 2019, I’ve got answers. You don’t need to do this alone.

Get More Info!

Instead of aimlessly scrolling through Instagram, use your free time constructively by learning something new each day.

This could be anything from watching Youtube videos and listening to podcasts, reading books or taking courses.

Final Thoughts: Digital Nomad Jobs for Beginners

I hope this gives you some ideas for digital nomad jobs that are perfect for beginners.

Remember, the digital nomad lifestyle is all about location independence and working online. So, if you have any skills or talents that can be done remotely, you have the potential to start a great digital nomad career!

The most important thing is to get started and not let the fear of the unknown hold you back. The internet has opened up so many opportunities for people to travel and work at the same time.

So, if you’re feeling called to the digital nomad lifestyle, go for it! I’m cheering for you!