Posted 1 year ago #
A lot of jobs I see are for people on location. In a global market and with project budgets I'm having a hard time trying to get my head around this. Besides which with my disability it can be hard to travel and live at a job site (that's just a fact, not a pity story ;)), that is something that can be overcome. Does leave the added cost for living on location, which is above the budget for some projects.
How do you suggest to a customer to allow you to work from your own location?
I'm not sure that you'll get a full answer for that sort of question here. In general terms, I guess you would just explain to them the things that you have said above, and also provide an assessment of how location independance for you might be of benefit to them - e.g you would not be requiring a desk in an office, etc..
Posted 1 year ago #
Hadn't thought of it like that. Thank you for thinking with me. :-)
Posted 1 year ago #
What kind of work are you looking for? If it's just freelance work, there are plenty of websites that will connect you with customers who expect you to be remote.
However, if you're looking for a FT job, it's going to be tough unless you know someone personally or if you're already working somewhere. I've worked with many technical folks who work from home 100% of the time but they've already established a reputation with the company before cutting over.
Lastly, working from home increases your competition big time. For example, if you live near a metro US city, you might want $50/hr, which is pretty low. However, you'll be up against developers around the world where even the most experienced may charge only $10-20/hr. Not trying to burst your bubble but why would they want you, who potentially costs more than double? If you can't answer that question, then they can't either.
Posted 1 year ago #
@ Gabe
For example, if you live near a metro US city, you might want $50/hr, which is pretty low. However, you'll be up against developers around the world where even the most experienced may charge only $10-20/hr. Not trying to burst your bubble but why would they want you, who potentially costs more than double? If you can't answer that question, then they can't either.
Judging by the attitudes and responses I see online from both sides of the North Atlantic, and from both ends of the Pacific, my first response would be ... "native English speaker/writer, and contactable by non-international telephone calls within the same / very similar time zone".
My second response, based entirely upon a very visible/vocal online trend this last couple of years (will only work for US citizens though) is to play the "(I was) Made in America" gambit - I am seeing incredible amounts of "don't buy from foreigners" type sentiment online nowadays coming from US business people and private citizens - it's really scary, and very much parallel to China in the 1950s before they closed the borders.
Still, if it works for you .... ;-)
Posted 1 year ago #
From my experience, an overwhelming majority of WP users are individuals and small businesses. In both of those cases, the lowest qualified vendor is often the winner.
If you are able to capture a niche of folks who are willing to pay more for whatever reason, whether it be ease of communication or patriotism, then power to you. It just seems to me that you're chasing a very small percentile. Let's hope I'm wrong. Best of luck to you!
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