I'm a javascript developer working in London and I want to become a remote contractor so I can travel the world while working remotely.
Where can I find people or companies that can help me getting into the world of contracting and even be a intermediary?
Is anyone in this situation that want to share how they did it and how is going?
Ask HN: How to become a remote contractor?
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Re: Ask HN: How to become a remote contractor?
#2Best thing to do is look on r/forhire on reddit, build up a portfolio on upwork/etc, and check all the remote job boards like remoteok, weworkremotely, etc..
Freelancing is hard to start - -you need to be part marketer, you don't get paid for the time finding new clients, but AFTER you have a steady stream of good business, it gets a bit easier to keep filling your pipeline with jobs through word of mouth / etc.
Re: Ask HN: How to become a remote contractor?
#3Surprisingly, you have to do a lot of meatspace visits.
Re: Ask HN: How to become a remote contractor?
#4I did this building a small agency in the marketing and ad space.
Happy to advise on specifics but in general here’s how we did it:
Build up a portfolio of content (since we develop content) that shows we know what we’re doing.
Go on speaking circuit for your niche and give lectures on your expertise.
Take whatever comes your way for first few deals. Always get a solid statement of work & contract.
Rinse and repeat. If you’re ok with going slower this works well. I manage a team of 9 now and after some serious time spent training them I mostly just approve work and put out fires with clients.
Re: Ask HN: How to become a remote contractor?
#5Become a contractor in London first, which I assume you aren't. That should get you started into this world!
It has world-famous daily rates even for generalistic sectors like JS/React.
Try to save some money, so you can afford the luxury of choosing clients later.
Re: Ask HN: How to become a remote contractor?
#6I did this building a small agency in the marketing and ad space. Happy to advise on specifics but in general here’s how we did it: Build up a portfolio of content (since we develop content) that shows we know what we’re doing. Go on speaking circuit for your niche and give lectures on your expertise. Take whatever comes your way for first few deals. Always get a solid statement of work & contract. Rinse and repeat.…
Also work entirely remote. Maybe 15% of my time is spent in the same city as cofounder. 85% is spent in others. Slack works best for communication.
8 employees are spread across world.
Re: Ask HN: How to become a remote contractor?
#7I did this building a small agency in the marketing and ad space. Happy to advise on specifics but in general here’s how we did it: Build up a portfolio of content (since we develop content) that shows we know what we’re doing. Go on speaking circuit for your niche and give lectures on your expertise. Take whatever comes your way for first few deals. Always get a solid statement of work & contract. Rinse and repeat.…
> Build up a portfolio of content (since we develop content) that shows we know what we’re doing. Go on speaking circuit for your niche and give lectures on your expertise.
Cannot emphasize this enough. I started a database blog years ago, and built it up into a 5-person remote consulting firm. Inbound marketing is king: build up your brand and people will bring you exactly the projects you want, for life (rather than you having to seek out work and settle for stuff you don't really want to begin with.)
Re: Ask HN: How to become a remote contractor?
#8I lived and worked in Edinburgh for 2 years working as a contractor for an engineering consultancy, I had to eventually leave the UK because my visa was going to expire.
They were so desperate for skilled engineers in Scotland when it was suggested I could keep working remotely they jumped straight on it. I'm now working 100% remotely for them in Canada.
As others have suggested getting yourself into the contracting market in London and then going remotely can work if you're a developer with the right skills though it may be slightly slower then trying to find remote work first.
Re: Ask HN: How to become a remote contractor?
#9Check out www.moonlightwork.com
Saw them on www.indiehackers.com, think that might help you!
Re: Ask HN: How to become a remote contractor?
#10It may make you feel dirty, but get on LinkedIn and connect with a bunch of recruiters. This is literally what they are there for. My LI feed and inbox are a constant stream of contracting opportunities in London, and a (small, admittedly) percentage of them are remote.
(Of course, they're no use to me, as I'm very happy as a mostly-remote startup CTO, but these opportunities are out there.)
Contracting tends to be something that's hard to break into but easier once you're there - what people want to see on a CV is previous contracting experience. So even if your first gigs aren't remote, they may help you in the long run.