Best work-from-home *careers*

March 30, 2018 2:18 AM

I want to move abroad from the US for a few years. I know this kind of a move will be expensive. I have a pretty severe stutter and use a wheelchair. I don't want to struggle in a foreign job market after having struggled in America for six years. I have a BA in psych with an interest in both scientific and creative fields, and some hospital-based experience, but not sure if I want to stay in science or medicine, but maybe? How can I build a life that allows for a reasonable degree of comfort and mobility by working from home?

I need to build a career that allows for a comfortable, if not extravagant life, with a job mostly performed in English, or using marketable skills until I get the hang of a local language. My first move would probably be to Israel, a country I love and have family in. I can understand the gist of most casual conversations in Hebrew but am not-job-ready language wise. I didn't mention this before the fold because I'm looking for suggestions broadly applicable to a move to and within any country...even the US, eventually.

Basically: What do I need to do AND where do I look to find a stable, NON-gig based salary no matter where I go? I don't want to struggle financially anymore. I'm open to learning all I can if it will help me move up in the world, around the world.
Edit: Not sure if I have the mind for coding as I struggle with detail oriented tasks, but am open to it if the Green really believes even a space-case can learn to code, or to other jobs in tech, or not in tech.

posted by marsbar77 to Work & Money (8 answers total)

In addition to figuring out the work, you need to also figure out your legal residency. Most 1st world countries, you can't just move there. Are you Jewish? You won't be able to move to Israel if you're not. You can't get employment in Europe without finding a company that will hire you as a Highly Skilled Migrant (which you aren't).
posted by humboldt32 at 2:57 AM on March 30, 2018

To clarify : I am Jewish, and an Israeli citizen. Would consider furthering my education in Israel to qualify for HSI status. Can't afford to do that in America.
posted by marsbar77 at 3:01 AM on March 30, 2018

Also, for future answers, please assume everything will be worked out legally. Looking for work from home recommendations where I can hit the ground running within 6-12 months. Thanks!
posted by marsbar77 at 3:05 AM on March 30, 2018

I suspect that higher level technical support for some kind of medical devices company would be a good fit. And there's a lot of that in Israel, but English would be the main customer language.
posted by ambrosen at 3:21 AM on March 30, 2018

Coding is hard to beat in terms of remote work availability. I believe even a space case can do it, the question is whether you’ll enjoy it. There are lots of free online tutorials for getting started. I’d try some out and see if it engages you.
posted by Cogito at 5:19 AM on March 30, 2018

Online content moderation. The company I work for (memail me) is fully virtual, in the sense that everyone works from home. They need people in every timezone to moderate 24/7, so they hire tons of expats and military spouses. Most employees are working hourly-paid shifts doing easy stuff like hiding spam from corporate Facebook pages. But if you have some management experience, you can get a community/account manager position that's salaried and all flex schedule. That job has allowed me to travel and even live in different countries while keeping a stable Canadian income.
posted by Freyja at 6:51 AM on March 30, 2018

Technical writing, or any type of writing but tech writing pays the most. MeMail me if you want to chat. I used to be a terrible engineer and now I use my my actual core skill (writing) to explain engineering things to non-engineers. It's a good career. Maybe you can try your hand at writing for psychologists who are terrible at reports and website content?
posted by MiraK at 7:06 AM on March 30, 2018

Check out WeWorkRemotely.com for ideas. Good luck!
posted by Bella Donna at 7:24 PM on March 30, 2018