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I would not categorically affirm that the willingness to work remotely comes with age, although it is true that when I was in my twenties I could endure long commutes and deal with packed public transport and angry, tired-looking faces, nonchanlantly . As you get older not only have  you got less energy, you come to the conclussion that it is best to save it for the things that really matter and that we are more appretiative of things we did not care as much about before.

I don’t think that it is a personality-thing either: you can be extremely outgoing and extrovert and still manage very well and enjoy your job even if you do no have your colleagues beside you. Plus, mind, you, working remotely does not mean that you can only work from the dungeons of your home; there is a huge offer of co-working spaces out there, which are a great option for those who want to set physical bounderies between their living and working habitats while mingling and interacting with other fellow professionals.

If you read last week’s posts about freelancing, you are probably sort of enticed by the commute-free, liberating feeling of nomadic lifestyle, if this is what is appealing to you, or simply want to be able to have a more flexible schedule the possibility of working from anywhere suits your independent-minded lifestyle. I believe there are lots of reasons for being seduced by the perks which come along with remote positions:

• Commute-free life. Hang-on there, though. Is there only bad stuff associated with commuting from home to work and viceversa? Right. This can be your moment of relaxation, you can take an impromptu nap or enjoy the only hour you have to read that book you started long ago…. that is, if you manage to find a sitting-spot on the train, or if you don’t have to drive home from work… Oh yes, thumps up for commute-free jobs!
• Being the master of the your working schedule… to some degree, that is. You still might have to sync up with colleagues who are on the other site of the globe, hence, on a different time zone. But that’s also where the charm of remote working resides…
• Enjoy a nomadic lyfestyle or simply working from anywhere you want…. if you are up to it or can afford that lifestyle. There is not one day that I don’t fantisize about how would it be to work from Koh Kradan and set off to another destination, but, then again, that lifestyle can be a bit of a challenge for families and professionals who combine their working schedules with full-time parenting.

Photo credit: Pixabay CCO

Perks versus downsides

OK, We’ve got the perks, but what’s the catch? I don’t think there is one, but there are downsides and cons, like pretty much everything in life:

• If organisation is not one of your top strentghs, you will have to polish your organisation skills and get better at it, otherwise it is going to be rather challenging.
• You will have to do some concessions, and work some unsociable hours if you have to synch with clients or co-workers in different timezones.
• You need to be methodical. Yes, we are adults and this is not school-like life, it is real life; but, if you are a feather head and find it diffcitul to brave potential distractions, then you have some work to so to keep them at bay.
• And last but not least, these positions do not apply to every industry and yes, they are still quite thin on the ground specially in some countries with a more traditional old-school approach to the labour market. On the other hand, these jobs are more and more sought-after. But… there is light at the end of the tunnel and there are a bunch of good sites focused on permanent or contract remote positions to follow:

• We Work Remotely:  The best site I have come across to find positions which are not restricted by a specific gepgraphich area. There is a good offer of Marketing, Design, Customer Support and Sales jobs, as well as in other sectors.
• RemoteOK.io : As the site claims, the focus is “to find you a job you can do anywhere”. Over 500K professionals are registered within the site and it offers a great selection of Marketing, Sales, Customer Support as well as Non-tech roles so this site must be in your radar when searching for remote positions.
• WFH.io : Site focus on Digital and Tech remote jobs, so if these are any of the fields you work on, check them out. They are fairly new but their growing curve looks promising.
• Jobspresso.co : Another good site for Marketing, Customer Support and Tech-related positions. With a base of over 50K registered professionals, it is one of the top sites to check.
• Europe Remotely: Site focused on remote positions for Web Developers based in Europe. Candidates can subscribe to a weekly newsletter to be notified  of new positions uploaded by companies.
• Outsourcely : The site targets start-up companies wanting to find reliable and long-term remote workers across different areas with a great offer of full-time and part-time positions.
• Jobbatical : Adding  an important disclaimer here; this site does not focus on remote positions where you can work from anywhere in the world as you please; it is focused on positions located in somewhat exotic and appealing locations, so you can apply for jobs while you travel, if this is what you want to do. Take a jobbatical, is the claim of their site. So, if you are unsure about taking a sabbatical, or thats not in the cards, you know what you can do instead …
• Indeed.com and LinkedIn: Even if remote working is not their core focus, these sites are huge in terms of registered companies and users and you may come across job postings for remote positions across different fields, so keep an eye out one them as well.

If you are considering giving remote working a try whatever the reason, this list could be a good place to get you started. It is not exhaustive or long-winded, but from my personal experience, it does contain the best ones to keep within your remote-working aspirations radar.

Did you use any of the above sites or other platforms not listed here which you think could be useful for people searching for remote positions? Let me now in the comments below!