Do you want to start working remotely, autonomously or even project by project? You are not alone! More and more people in Portugal are deciding to look for a new job that offers them more freedom and flexibility. It's true that starting the search for a remote job may not be an easy task, but there are websites and tools that can help you in that lifestyle change.
Coverflex has prepared a guide with all the information you need to know, from the websites where you can find remote work ads and the apps that will make it easier for you to manage your time and goals to the fields of expertise in which it's most likely you'll be able to do remote work.
The platforms to find new opportunities
1. Upwork
Positioned as one of the largest remote work platforms, Upwork brings you offers in numerous areas such as design, marketing, translation, accounting, law or engineering and architecture. To have access to these opportunities, you must register and pay attention to customer publications with the description and the amount they are willing to pay for it. Just take into account that this site charges a percentage for each accepted work.
2. Remote Europe
On this platform, the search for opportunities is divided between the professional's career level, type, category and working hours, or even the country or organisation in which they intend to work. However, as the name implies, the offers are limited to the European area, so if you are interested in going further across borders, this is probably not the most suitable search engine for you.
3. People per Hour
Founded in 2007, the People per Hour platform works on the basis of hires per hour, that is, the freelancer must create a profile with some details about their professional career, together with their portfolio, and indicate how much they intend to receive per every hour of work. At the end, clients will be asked to rate the professional in question, and the average rating will be displayed on each freelancer's profile.
4. Fiverr
Unlike other platforms, Fiverr allows freelancers to expose their projects, facilitating the process of attracting new clients. In addition, it also offers the possibility to attend some free courses and receive advice on working methods or specific articles on different professional areas.
5. Linkedin
Even though it's a more traditional platform, LinkedIn also offers a number of job opportunities around the world and for a variety of companies. In addition, one of the most recent features of this social network is the possibility of applying a filter related to the location of the advertised function. This filter can be a country or city or the word “remote”. This way, you can automatically filter job offers and find those that offer remote work and focus on the functions and requirements of the vacancy.
Management and organisation tools
1. Trello
When you have lots of projects on your hands, it is essential to prioritise and manage tasks. Trello, in addition to being very simple to use, allows you to divide your work per working day or organise projects by clients, for example.
2. Basecamp
Keep a closer communication with your customers with Basecamp, a platform that also has the advantage of allowing you to share materials and also to schedule remote meetings or to activate alert notifications whenever you want.
3. Paymo
Knowing how much to charge per project can be one of the biggest difficulties of freelance work, especially when you are starting your career. However, there is also an app that can help you with this dilemma. By measuring the time you will spend on each task, Paymo helps you calculate the amount to ask your customers, thus ensuring that you are charging a fair amount.
4. Nomo
The fear of not being able to properly manage finances is a common one, especially among remote workers and/or freelancers. With this app, Nono, all your receipts and invoices are properly organised and ready to be sent at the right time. With the help of your phone's camera, paper documents are easily converted to PDF format and stored in a database, ensuring that no invoice is left undeclared.
5. Fever
And since working remotely is much more than simply working or following a schedule from 9 am to 6 pm, Fever is our suggestion to have fun and enjoy your free time in a country from which you are working but which you are also discovering. This app promises to provide the best experiences in cities like London, New York, Paris, Brazil or Singapore. There are programs for every day of the week and all kinds of events, so you know what you can do in the city/country where you are, where to go and what to visit.
Areas where you are most likely to work remotely
Returning to the office on a full-time basis is not something that all employees want, a study released by Ricoh Europe reveals. For these professionals — those who fear their employer will opt for the full-time face-to-face model — there are other options to consider. Some may even imply a career change.
IT & telecoms, media and financial services are on the podium of the most flexible areas when it comes to telecommuting. In addition to being the sectors that offer the most remote opportunities, they are also the ones where it's most likely you'll find companies that practice the four-day work week, according to the report “Remote Jobs & Work From Home Statistics 2022”, prepared by Officeology.
1. TI & telecoms: 24,8%
2. Media: 17,8%
3. Financial services: 15,7%
4. Actuarial: 15%
5. Marketing and PR: 14,6%
6. Sales: 12,7%
7. Recruitment consultancy: 11,6%
8. Social care: 11%
9. General insurance: 10%
10. Transport and logistics: 9,4%
Check the full report here. This report analysed more than 180,000 job vacancies in the UK, aimed at a hundred different roles and cities.
