10 BEST Digital Nomad Jobs For Beginners
So you’re looking for digital nomad jobs for beginners, huh? Dreaming of traveling the world while watching the dollars fall into your bank account?
Well, same, but let’s be a little more realistic. The digital nomad lifestyle is amazing, but it doesn’t come without its fair share of work.
If you want to make money by working remotely as you travel the world, then you’ve come to the right place—this is literally what I do (and have been for over a decade now)!
I won’t lie to you—it took a lot of work to get where I am now, and I won’t pretend that it’s been all sunshine and rainbows the whole way.
I don’t recommend quitting your 9-5 and booking a flight with the hopes of becoming a successful blogger (or drop shipper, or trader, or influencer, or any of the other buzzwords you see online when looking for digital nomad jobs for beginners). It’s just not realistic.
I’ve put together a tried and true list of digital nomad jobs you can do with little to no experience, so you can make those travel dreams a reality without going through the trial and error of trying every single job you see on the internet.
You can thank me later!
Table of Contents
Digital Nomad Jobs for Beginners
Oh, and a PS, I’ve done almost every digital nomad job on this list, and I had literally no experience.
This was way back in the day before the term digital nomad even really existed! So that means it’s even easier nowadays!
1. Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant is one of the best digital nomad jobs for beginners because it doesn’t require any sort of degree or certification—you just need to have great organizational skills and attention to detail.
A day in the life of a remote virtual assistant could include scheduling appointments, doing online research, answering emails, and other admin-related work.
You’re literally just someone’s assistant, minus the need for an in-person desk and doing those lousy coffee runs. This is a job I actually loved doing, and it kept me on the road, even while I was doing van life in New Zealand!
How to get started:
- Learn how to become a virtual assistant.
- Check for open positions on FlexJobs, UpWork, or Freelancer.com.
2. Social Media Manager
If you spend a lot of time on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and other sites, then you may be a valuable asset to companies searching for a social media manager.
This remote job involves representing a brand (or brands) and building a presence on all their social media outlets. You’ll post photos, write engaging captions, create content, and interact with other accounts on behalf of your client.
How to get started:
- Research how to become a social media manager.
- Clean up your own social media platforms to show off your skills.
- Learn the ins and outs of as many social media platforms as possible.
- Search for jobs on UpWork, Fiver, and FlexJobs.
3. Teach English Online
Speak English? Well, putting those language skills to work and teaching English online is one of the easiest digital nomad jobs for beginners.
If you’re a native English speaker, you pretty much have a guaranteed job teaching online to foreign students.
Some companies want teachers with bachelor’s degrees, and most will require a TEFL certificate, but even those with no experience should be able to teach English online without a problem!
This is literally how I became a digital nomad, and haven’t looked back since!
How to get started:
- Get your TEFL certificate.
- Figure out how to teach English online and find schools to apply to.
- No degree? No problem. Learn how to teach English online without a degree.
4. Writer/Copywriter
I mentioned that starting a blog isn’t an ideal digital nomad job for beginners, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use your writing skills to make some money while you travel!
Becoming a writer or copywriter for an existing blog or company is a great intro to the blogging world, and you can make some pretty good cash doing it.
Pay may start low, but once you build up your portfolio, you can charge higher rates and take on bigger projects.
I randomly and accidentally became a writer for other blogs, and then thought, wait a sec, why am I not writing for myself?! And that’s kinda how I become a full-time blogger, but that’s another story.
How to get started:
- Research how to become a writer/copywriter.
- Decide on a niche and hone your skills.
- Build a profile on a freelancing site like Upwork or Fiver.
- Look for remote writing positions on FlexJobs and LinkedIn.
5. Editor/Proofreader
If you don’t have the skills to craft organic content, you may still be able to get a job working with written content by editing or proofreading material.
Some writers still need help finalizing content before publishing, and that’s where your keen eye for detail, formatting skills, and grammatical knowledge may be of use.
You’ll likely be able to find jobs with non-native English speakers, big companies, or smaller blogs.
How to get started:
- Brush up on grammar rules.
- Browse this list of companies that hire remote proofreaders and editors.
6. Freelance/Gig Work
If you’re not really sure what kind of remote work you want to pursue, it might be a good idea to just go ahead and create a profile on a few freelancing sites and see what kind of jobs are available—you may be surprised at what you find!
There are plenty of beginner digital nomad jobs for beginners on these sites that you may qualify for, even if you don’t have tons of experience.
I’ve done tons of freelance jobs. There are usually small projects, but I’ve got longer-term work out of them, too.
They are great for building up your resume for more steady work, too, as well as testing the waters and seeing what type of work you actually like before getting in too deep.
How to get started:
- Check out my beginner guide to freelancing.
- Make a profile on Upwork, Contra, Fiver, and other freelancing sites.
- Browse open jobs and see what you’re interested in.
- Apply!
7. Remote Work (With Your Company)
Maybe you love the job you have, but you don’t like being stuck in one place. One of the best digital nomad jobs for beginners could be the job you already have!
Many companies have gone remote since 2020, so it’s worth checking with your boss to see if your job could be done online rather than in an office.
Keep in mind that things like time differences and mandatory meetings could be a hindrance to your digital nomad lifestyle.
Some jobs also unfortunately have stipulations where you can’t work abroad for longer periods of time. Double check!
How to get started:
- Talk to your boss to see if your current position can be done remotely.
- If yes, iron out the details.
- If not, search for jobs with similar positions open that can be done online.
8. Translation
Calling all bilingual readers! If you can speak a second language fluently, then you possess all the skills you’ll need for one of the best digital nomad jobs for beginners—translation!
This job is almost always in high demand, so whether you want to translate copy for websites, financial documents, educational material, or whatever, you’ll likely have plenty of options.
There’s also, of course, the opportunity to TEACH your language too!
How to get started:
- Read this guide to becoming a translator.
- Market yourself on freelancing platforms (including these 15)and showcase any certificates or proficiency tests you may have.
✨Everything you need to know to move abroad✨
9. Customer Service Rep
Becoming a customer service representative is one of the best digital nomad jobs for beginners since you won’t need many skills to qualify for this position.
Of course, good communication skills and some patience are required, but other than that, you should be able to secure a position fairly easily.
Remember that some of these jobs require a US phone number, so read the fine print before jetting abroad!
How to get started:
- Check out available remote customer service jobs on We Work Remotely.
- Look into the companies you are applying for so you have at least a basic knowledge of things you’ll be helping customers with.
- It’s best to apply directly with the company rather than job sites, so don’t hesitate to reach out about available positions.
10. Data Entry
Perhaps the easiest digital nomad job for beginners is data entry. This one is so easy it’s borderline boring, but if it pays the bills, who cares?!
Data entry is inputting data from one format into a different format, be it physical material, spreadsheets, PDFs, or Word documents.
Since this one doesn’t take much skill besides fast and accurate typing, it is a bit more competitive, which means your income may be on the lower end.
I remember doing data entry while in Malaysia for half the day, and then I spent the rest of the half eating amazing Indian food and hiking in the mountains!
It paid for my time there and worked out perfectly to get my feet wet while I started out my digital nomad life.
How to get started:
- Read this guide on finding data entry jobs
- See open positions for data entry jobs on Upwork, FlexJobs, and LinkedIn.
11. BONUS: Start Your Own Services
You may be new to the digital nomad lifestyle, but that doesn’t mean you don’t possess any skills, right?
Instead of jumping through hoops, applying for jobs, and scouring freelancing sites, why not set up your own site to offer your services to clients?
This may take a while to become lucrative, so you might want to pick one of the digital nomad jobs for beginners from above to support you financially until you start making money from your own services.
How to get started:
- Think about your skills and what you enjoy doing. Then, figure out if it’s something you can do online while you travel. Be realistic!
- Find out how to sell your services online.
- Set up your own website to offer your services. Squarespace and GoDaddy make it pretty easy to do it yourself. You could also hire a freelancer from Upwork or Fiverr!
Check Out These Articles Next:
- 28 TOP Digital Nomad Visas for Remote Workers
- How to Become a Digital Nomad
- 26 Digital Nomad Jobs: Best Remote Jobs for Travelers!
- 53 LEGIT Remote Work Websites So You Can Work and Travel!
- 20 Online Jobs With No Experience Needed!
I hope this helped give you some good and realistic options for your first digital nomad job!
