Last year, a study found that 94 per cent of employees agree that they should be able to work wherever they want––as long as they get their work done. Whether that’s fully remote, a hybrid mix or having the option to work from abroad for a set period of time, our work styles have radically shifted since the onset of the pandemic, and for workers, this has been a good thing.
2022 saw the rise of a slew of digital nomad visas; a type of visa specifically designed for individuals to work remotely. They’re generally aimed at those who work in the technology industry, and typically, have more relaxed requirements than traditional work visas. Digital nomad visas often offer a more flexible and cost-effective way for people to live and work abroad.
Europe has been quick out of the traps with Portugal, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Malta, Romania, Spain, and Norway among the countries all offering them.
While each country has different rules and requirements, most require you to demonstrate that you have a viable source of income, a reliable means of supporting yourself financially, and the ability to work remotely.
Further afield, the Indonesian government is offering a “second home visa” that permits wealthy foreigners, professionals, investors and retirees to stay in the country for up to 10 years––but you’ll need proof of funds worth around £115,000 to be eligible.
This kind of flexibility has proved hugely attractive: the untethering from the office that happened as a direct consequence of the pandemic saw a 96 per cent increase of digital nomads in 2020 over 2019.
Rise of the fauxmad
Now, we’re seeing another aspect of this trend as “bleisure-curious” employees––aka those who would like to combine business within a holiday––are taking advantage of new flexible workplace policies.
Less nomad and more “faxumad”, these are people with regular 9-5s and commitments at home; going full digital nomad doesn’t appeal as a consequence. But what does is the ability to work remotely from a hot, sunny country for a month or two at a time.
Companies have responded, with Airbnb among the first. In April 2022, its CEO Brian Chesky pointed out that, “Our business wouldn’t have recovered as quickly from the pandemic if it hadn’t been for millions of people working from Airbnbs.”
The company now allows staff to work up to 90 days abroad. Other companies have followed suit including HubSpot and Shopify, both of which have 90-day work from anywhere policies.
In 2021, Facebook announced that it would allow its people to work from anywhere for up to 20 days, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced that its staff will be able to temporarily work from a location other than their main office for up to four weeks annually, with manager approval.
Businesses that are offering this benefit are ahead of the game: a Work From Anywhere white paper revealed that 55 per cent of companies believe that work from anywhere will be a core employee benefit over the next 10 years.
If working from a warm, sunny terrace with access to a pool appeals while the weather at home won’t improve for several more months, becoming a fauxmad could be the ideal solution. Below are three jobs available at companies with work-from-abroad policies, and you can discover plenty more on the The London Economic Job Board.
Senior Connectivity Partner Manager, Airbnb, London
Airbnb is looking for an experienced and proactive Connectivity Partner Manager to accelerate its connectivity partnerships. You will own a portfolio of key partners, and act as the key representative for these partners, execute a global win-win strategy for your portfolio, and develop strong and trusting relationships with executives and decision makers/key influencers within your API customers portfolio, ensuring that the partnership is held to the highest industry standards. Seven-plus years’ experience in connectivity or a strategic partnership role at a global technology or tech hospitality company is required, as is world-class account management experience with a strong track record of successfully growing client relationships. Get the full job description here.
Software Engineer (Leadership) – Infrastructure, Facebook App, London
Facebook is seeking an experienced Software Engineer to drive the team’s goals and technical direction. You will effectively communicate complex features and systems in detail, and understand industry and company-wide trends to help assess and develop new technologies, and lead long term technical vision and roadmap for large cross-company efforts. To apply, you’ll need experience leading projects with industry-wide impact, vast experience communicating and working across functions to drive solutions, and extensive experience coding in C, C++, Java and/or C#, as well as significant experience building server applications. Apply for this role now.
Software Engineer, UI, Google, London
Google Cloud’s software engineers develop the next-generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. The company is looking for a Software Engineer, UI, who’ll build products for reliability information within technical infrastructure and the Google Cloud Platform. You will work closely with UX to design a compelling product for users, and support partner teams onboarding onto the platform by creating robust infrastructure and UI. Experience in computer science, data structures, algorithms, and software design is required as is experience in front-end development and web applications. Get the full job spec for this role here.