Location independence, nomadism, remote work and slow traveling are all budding terms for a movement of people who are traveling and working at the same time.
These “homeless” bums do an array of online work, which earns them a decent wage that allows them to hop from country to country. Some of this work includes, but it definitely not limited to:
Freelance writing; Software Engineering; Document translation; Travel blogging (the most popular); All kinds of marketing (SEO content writing, affiliate marketing, blogging, product reviewing); Online courses and coaching using exclusive material in a subject matter; and lastly: Online Language teaching.
I am teaching English online to Chinese children through a company called VIPKID.
The platform uses a video chat feature along with a guided power point on which the student and the teacher can interact. This gives the student a real life tutor to guide them through instruction.
Parents all over China choose VIPKID to give their children an American-style common core based education in English.
As a full time teacher in a US school, I am using VIPKID to supplement my income and in the future provide a way to make money on the road. I have been teaching online since April 2016 and I love it! There’s a ton of useful training from the VIPKID education support staff and there is also a whole community of online teachers who keep in constant contact. Many of these teachers are in various exotic locations around the world.
Teaching online offers some big perks for the gypsy traveling soul.There are whole communities of online English teachers currently bopping around the globe. With this freedom however, teachers are limited to areas with strong WiFi. Teachers with the travel bug don’t have to sign a contract to stay in one place for a year, with online teaching, they can go anywhere.
A strong connection is absolutely crucial to the survival and continued income for these online English teachers.
These teachers are able to set their own schedules and plan their travel. For example, a teacher might load their schedule full of classes on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in order to free up Thursday Friday and Saturday to get on a plane for a new place. When looking for a new place they are sure to go to countries and cities where WiFi is strong enough to support their online video chat platform. Most teachers use Airbnb and check reviews for any indication of “strong WiFi” in the reviews. Teachers usually have to scope out a location and test the connection before administering online lessons.
These teachers usually have flexible schedules allowing them to open up certain availability for exploring new places. Many teachers are also leveraging cost of living by staying in countries with a favorable exchange rate. More simply, they are earning a decent wage (in the US dollar between 12$-22$/hr) and paying for their living expenses in a lesser currency, be it the Peso, Thai Baht, or the Vietnamese Dong for example in Latin America or Southeast Asia.
There are many emerging companies who are actively seeking teachers with a native-English accent and teaching experience. Some only even require an associates degree.
If you are a teacher who is interested in teaching abroad but you can’t decide which country try being location-independent through VIPKID and teach anywhere!
Feel free to use my referral link for the application process. VIPKID. I receive a minor chunk of change every time I refer a new teacher (and you will too, if you get hired). The truth is, I really enjoy this job and if you follow the pointers above then you have a high likelihood of landing a job with VIPkid. Good luck!
boludoenglish 