Make Your Job Location Independent When You Work For Expats

photo: Arwen Abendstern

So far we’ve looked at 7 different ways to mobilize your job and become location independent. Here’s yet another approach: market your skills and services to expat communities anywhere in the world.

How would this work? Well, unless you want to move into the middle of the Gobi desert or Antarctica, you’ll find other transplants wherever you go. Most foreign countries have thriving expat communities. And guess what? They may love living in their new homes, but they probably miss some of the amenities of their native countries.

Maybe they can’t find a good physician, nurse, or therapist who speaks their language. Maybe their children need extra tutoring by an expert to help them fit into the local school system. Maybe they want an attorney to help them do their taxes from abroad.

Think about all the services that expats use:

• health care
• psychiatric care
• small business development
• consulting of any kind
• technology repair
• translation
• personal assistance
• legal advice
• beauty and pampering
• childcare

photo: Haags Uitburo

Even if the expat community in a country or city seems small to you, keep in mind that your competition will be reduced too. If you’re one of only a few people who provides a sought-after service, nearly everyone in the community will want to patronize you.

Expats will also pay dearly for favorite products they can’t get in their new homes. Does your current job provide you with connections to products you could import to a foreign country? These might include:

• foods
• books and movies
• electronic gadgets
• beauty products
• technology
• home electronics

Obviously, you need to put a little more work into starting an import/export business, but if you already sell products for a living or have easy connections to buying in bulk, targeting expats could be a lucrative long-term strategy.

You can settle in one area for a while and build up a solid relationship with the expat community there, or you can travel full-time and offer your services along the way.

Where to Find Expats

photo: spdl_n1

Do some research to find out where the biggest expat communities are located. You’ll also want to find out if your profession is in-demand among expats. The easiest way to do this ahead of time is to browse forums. Here are 20 expat forums to get you started:

Expats Anywhere

• Expat Forum
  Nearly 60,000 members. Several country-specific expat forums.
• Expat Forums Online
  A non-profit website where “expats and expat wannabees come together to share ideas and information, help one another to succeed, and build friendships along the way.”
• Expat Blog
  “Dedicated to expats who want to share their living abroad experience.”
• Expat Exchange
  Established in 1997. Expat resources and articles, international jobs, international real estate, travel warnings and more.
• Expat Focus
  Forums, country and city guides, an email discussion list, monthly newsletter, financial advice, property listings…

Expats from Specific Countries

• Canuck Abroad
  For Canadian expats living anywhere in the world.
• British Expats
  Especially for British expats anywhere in the world.
• British Expat
  Not to be confused with British ExpatS.
• Poms in Oz
  Especially for British expats in Australia.

Expats in Asia and Nearby

• The Moscow Expat Site
  The virtual community for English-speaking expats and Russians.
• Shanghai Expat
  For expats in Shanghai and other parts of China.
• Living In Indonesia Expat Forum
  For expats in Indonesia.
• Balipod
  A forum for people of any nationality who live in Bali or want to move to Bali.
• Allo Expat Malaysia
  Geared towards expats in Malaysia, but they also have forums for other countries in or near Asia.
• Expat Japan
  A growing community of people who live in or have an interest in Japan, its people and its culture.
• Dubai Forums
  Especially for expats in Dubai.

Expats in Europe

• Spain Expat
  The “leading independent information site specifically for expats moving to Spain or already living here.”
• Paris Forums
  Expats in Paris and surrounding areas.
• Expats Portugal
  For English-speakers living in Portugal.
• The Spain Forum
  Especially for expats in Spain.

Could you make your job location independent by targeting expat communities? Let us know what you think.

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