Get Paid to Work From the Beach in 6 Months or Less

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Find more ways to make money overseas in International Living Postcards —your daily escape

Dear International Living Reader,

You can move overseas and take your income with you...even if you have a job!

Seems impossible...but that dream becomes reality every day for careerpeople who want to enjoy the benefits of living overseas...be it full- or part-time. These outside-the-box thinkers are finding clever ways to make their job portable.

I recently had a conversation with a sales executive living in Mexico who had a “full-time” job in the United States. How did he pull this off? He took a hard look at his job, and this is what he found:

He traveled about 10 days a month to see clients, prospects, and his salespeople. He spent the rest of his time in his office at the company headquarters on phone calls, receiving presentations, and reporting on the performance of his team.

Along with his job came a commute through traffic that was about 25 minutes each way (on the good days). He was just itching to move to Mexico, but felt trapped by his circumstances.

Then he went to work and followed a seven-step process that liberated him from the status quo.

There are a few specific steps, though...get them out of sequence and you’ll struggle. Get them in sequence and you’ll smooth your transition, amaze your friends, and keep your cash flow flowing.

Interestingly, this would have been impossible just a few short years ago, but with a good Internet connection (even in the smallest of towns), you can join a meeting via video in the United States just as if you were there.

Here are the seven steps to making your career portable:

1. Make a list of the things you do for your employer during the typical month and decide which ones actually require your physical presence.

2. Find technologies that give you the ability to work remotely from your office no matter where you are. Start using them so your peers and direct reports get comfortable working with you this way...three to six months is a good “familiarization” period. Popular software tools are: Skype for phone, conference calls, and video conferencing; GoToMeeting for sharing presentations and other visual information on your computer; and a good portable e-mail program like Google’s Gmail so you can get your mail anytime and anywhere you get on the Internet.

3. Identify the “metrics” that are critical to your job...like being able to make 25 phone calls a day, being in e-mail contact for six hours of the day, and being able to participate in meetings on one day’s notice.

4. Armed with this information, have a discussion with your boss about making the move. Make the point that you can cover your duties and responsibilities. This is a back and forth. You may get resistance. Collaborate with your boss to design something that works.

5. Put together your work and technology plan and test-drive it for three to six months before you leave.

6. Talk to your tax adviser to make sure you comply with state and federal laws.

7. Review visa and working issues for moving to the new country. You want to make sure you know exactly what documentation and permissions to get...but your best bet is a conversation with an in-country attorney or immigration specialist.

With all that done, you are ready to make the move. I recommend renting in your desired country for six months. That way, if your plan doesn’t work or needs tweaking (it will), you can make the necessary adjustments.

More companies and organizations, especially those with large offices in major metropolitan areas, are looking at home-basing their employees to save on gas, pollution, and commute time. A plan like this can play right into that trend.

With a little prudent study, your ability to live overseas may be closer than you think.

Winton Churchill
For International Living

Editor’s Note: If you would like some more words of encouragement to help you live the life of your dreams, wherever that may be, then Winton will be giving a more in-depth presentation on this subject at the IL Live and Invest Overseas conference in California, Oct. 3–5. Register now to take advantage of the Early Bird Discount.

Read related IL Postcards:

- The Secret of Freedom and Wealth

- Become a Published Travel Writer in Less Than 3 Months

- Yes, You Can Retire in the Next 12 Months