According to Jennifer Stevens, executive editor at International Living, the list is vast, but it isn’t comprehensive. “We created it to give people a sense for the scope of opportunity out there,” says Stevens. “We’ve written lots about the different ways expats abroad fund their lives. Sometimes it’s with online work—like writing or drop-shipping. Sometimes it’s in-person services they provide, from running a consignment store to wedding planning. Certainly, the online opportunities provide great flexibility and portability. But it’s worth pointing out that business owners in many places tell us that it’s much easier to start a business abroad because it’s often less expensive and less bureaucratic than it is at home.
1. Sell Your Photos
Do you have photo skills or live in an area where images are in demand? “Stock photography websites are huge repositories of photographs, covering almost every possible subject you could imagine,” advises
. So how does it work? Photographers can upload their images to any one of a number of huge databases, allowing magazine editors, designers or any organization with a website to buy them. And the beauty of stock websites: Photos can be sold any number of times—so you can continue to make money without any effort. Photography sites to check out include
2. Create How-To Videos
“In recent years, YouTube has grown into the go-to source for all manner of video courses and guides
“Instructors can monetize their videos by charging a subscription fee or password protecting content for paying customers only.”
from one real estate agent who made $100,000 in one month on YouTube. Another piece of advice from
: Get to know the phrases that people search for. To find potential search phrases, start typing “how to [your topic]” into YouTube’s search bar and notice what phrases are generated in the auto-fill dropdown. Make sure to use the same keywords when you write your video title, description, and tags.
3. Become a Copywriter
Want to earn a great income no matter where you live
-a house by the sea in Latin America, an historic
European city or even on a Greek island? Copywriting
could be ideal for you. According to International
Living, "copywriting is a mega-industry, ripe with
opportunity. And yearning for people who can fuel it
with fresh marketing messages and one of the best
benefits of the freelance copywriter's lifestyle is that
you can get paid in U.S. dollars...yet live virtually
anywhere in the world." Express Writers has tips on
how to become a copywriter and is also a resource for
jobs.
4. Teach En glish
"If you're a native English speaker, you may not
realize it, but you already have the number one
qualification you need for a fun, portable income that
can hand you a steady paycheck from anywhere in the
world," says International Living. Some resources
include GoOverseas.com, TeachAway (teach English
online to Chinese students), iTutorGroup (teach
English online to Taiwanese children and adults ) and
English Hunt (teach English on the phone to adult
students in Korea)
5. Turn Your Interests Into a Podcast That Pays
"Podcasting doesnt have to be complicated," says
International Living. With a microphone, laptop and
free recording software, youll be up and running.
Plus, podcasts don't need to run every day (once a
week is best) and are better when they're short. There
are a number of ways to make money from a podcast.
The most ohvious is commercial sponsorship, but you
Eorm to advertise your own
6. Set up a Content and Web Developm ent Business
Do you know how to do web and content
development? You can offer these services to anyone
via online tools that make developing beautiful
websites a snap. Some resources include WordPress,
Weebly and Joomla.
7. Become a Tran slator and Interpreter
Do you speak another langua ge? Anywhere you find
expat communities-and where English is not the first
language you'll find a need for interpreting and
translation services. You can also do translation and
interpretation online. You'l find a number of
resources for being a translator or an interpreter here;
one of the best is Welocalize, which ranked at the top
of this list of the top 20 companies for remote jobs in
2020.
8. Try Drop-shipping
Have you heard of drop-shipping? It's a method of
retail where the seller doesn't actually have a physical
inventory. Instead, when a customer makes an order,
you purchase the item from a third party, and they
ship it directly to the customer. "This means you'll
never have to fork over a single dime to store your
products or maintain your inventory," advises
International Living. "And you'll never have to buy
products in bulk, hoping to sell enough to recoup your
investment." This method can be done with online
9. Tutor
"Establishing your own tutoring service can be a
lucrative business that provides you with a
comfortable and flexible lifestyle," advises
International Living. "The best part of all, you can set
up a tutoring business in almost any country in the
world." A tip: Offer discounts to clients who promote
yf-mouth marketing is still one
arketing tools you can have
is es International Living. The
st of the best online tutoring
pply to be a tutor at
10. Become a Freelan ce Proofreader
Proofreading is another lucrative online career. "Most
a gencies will pay around 259% of the price of a
translated document to a proofreader," advises
International ILiving. "Agencies charge about $75 for
the translation ofa five-page standard business
document. So proofing the same document-which
takes about an hour-pays out about $18 to $20." You
can work full time, part-time or around-the-clock.
Mediabistro-a site that offers resources for media
professionals-has tips on how to become a
proofreader.
