Freedom Starts Here: A Beginner’s Guide to Remote Work

TL;DR: Remote work offers freedom, flexibility, and the chance to build a life without having to adjust and move your entire life around work.

Get on with the juicy parts here:

🧭 START WITH YOUR WHY
🛤 CHOOSE YOUR REMOTE PATH
🛠 SET YOURSELF UP
📄GET REMOTE RESUME + ONLINE PRESENCE READY
🌐KNOW WHERE TO LOOK (JOB BOARDS)
🧪START SMALL
🧡 ONE LAST THING

🧭 Start With Your Why

Before diving into job boards or productivity hacks, ask yourself:

Why do I want to work remotely? Is it about escaping a commute? Spending more time with family? Earning more? Working while traveling?

Knowing your "why" gives you direction — and helps filter out paths that look good on the surface but don’t support the life you want to build.

When I was starting, I had always imagined myself working by the beach or from a mountainside with a stunning view. I always knew what I wanted to happen and why I wanted remote work instead of an on-site corporate job. A few years of working remotely, I have been able to do all the things I imagined myself doing, and more:

✅Work on the bus
✅Work on the plane
✅Work in the airport
✅Work in coffee shops
✅Work by the beach
✅Work in the car
✅Work whilst travelling
✅Work with a mountain view

🛤 Choose Your Remote Path

Remote work isn’t one-size-fits-all. You’ve got options:

Full-time employee:

Work for a company with a remote or remote-first culture. Full-time employees get structure, salary and government-mandated benefits. Whilst this is great, there are only a handful of businesses in the country that offer a complete work-from-home setup. Philippine-based companies usually provide a hybrid work setup, but that’s not really what what we want.

Meanwhile, working full-time for overseas businesses and clients does not provide government-mandated benefits, as they are entities outside the country. They are not compelled to follow Philippine labor laws. It means that it is less secure but pays more.

However, there are a few agencies based in the Philippines that offer full remote work, which will be covered in the next issue.

Freelancer or Contractor:

One of the most accessible paths into remote work is going solo as a freelancer or contractor.

If you’ve got a marketable skill (writing, design, marketing, development, project management, or even strategic thinking), there’s a good chance you can package that expertise and offer it directly to clients without ever stepping into an office.

There are distinctions between a freelancer and a contractor:

A freelancer is more flexible and usually project-based. They juggle multiple clients, choose their own hours, and have a high level of autonomy. Freelancers tend to work independently, offering services like writing, design, development, or consulting. They're hired to deliver outcomes.

In remote work, freelancers are often used for overflow work, creative projects, virtual assistants, or specialised admin tasks where full-time staff aren’t required.

A contractor is typically brought in on a fixed-term basis to fill a defined role within a company. They may be remote, but their setup often mirrors that of an employee. They work on set hours, attend team meetings, and are accountable to a manager. Contractors usually work with one client at a time and may be under contract for months or even years. The relationship is more formal and structured.

In remote work, contractors are often indistinguishable from full-time staff in terms of day-to-day involvement. They are usually in a contractual agreement, rather than a regular binding employment contract. This is common in tech, marketing, and customer support roles.

Remote founder:

Build your own thing — product, service, newsletter, e-commerce shop, or agency. High risk, high reward. But it’s not really for most people who are starting up. It’s great when you have already built your path. But it can be too much work if you have just carved out your own path. It is worth considering, though, especially if you want to delve more into selling products.

Each path has different challenges and different freedoms. You don’t have to choose forever, just choose where you want to start.

🛠 Set Yourself Up (Even Before You Land the Role)

Even if you don’t have a remote job yet, you can start preparing by acquiring the necessary devices to start your journey. For starters, you can:

• Create a quiet, intentional workspace (even if it’s just a corner). You should have a dedicated space in your house, even in your bedroom, that screams productivity every time you sit down or even look at it.

• Get a reliable internet connection (non-negotiable). Your existing home internet should work fine, but it should have a minimum speed of 50 mbps.

• Get a good device for work. Your existing laptop should work as long as it runs smooth with different Google Workspace platforms, basic Microsoft Office apps, or browsers like Chrome or Edge.

• Familiarise yourself with remote tools like Slack, Notion, Zoom, Google Workspace, and project mangement softwares like Monday, Trello, Hubspot, and more

• Practice managing your own time without someone watching. This can be a bit challenging at first. Having all the time in your hands can feel incredibly liberating, but it can also lead to a frantic scramble to make up for the hours you think you "wasted." It gets better as time goes on.

I will write more about remote work essentials in the next issue!

📄 Get Your Remote Resume + Online Presence Ready

Remote-friendly employers look for people who can collaborate across distance. Your online presence is necessary to provide trust signals to your prospect clients about your work ethic. There are a few ways to do this:

• Resume: add "remote" where relevant (e.g. Marketing Manager, Remote – 2023 to Present). Tailor your resume for remote work jobs.

• LinkedIn: update your LinkedIn profile with your past and current work experiences. Show that you can work independently, communicate clearly, and be proactive at work.

• Portfolio or bio: position yourself as someone who thrives remotely, not just tolerates it. Highlight projects that showcase your technical, analytical, communication skills, and more, relevant for remote work.

🌐 Know Where to Look

Ready to explore the world of remote jobs? These platforms are a great place to start if you want to browse a range of available remote jobs, whether you are looking for full-time roles or freelance gigs. From general job boards to remote-specific sites and niche listings, here’s where you can begin your search:

🇵🇭 General Job Boards

1. JobStreet Philippines – One of the most widely used platforms for both local and international roles.

2. Kalibrr – Tech-forward platform popular with startups and younger professionals. Offers a streamlined application process and skills-matching features.

3. Indeed Philippines – Global reach with a localised version for Philippine-based roles.

4. LinkedIn Jobs – Widely used by professionals in urban areas and by recruiters for both corporate and digital roles.

5. WorkAbroad.ph – Specialised in overseas employment for Filipinos.

🧑‍💻 Freelance & Remote Work

1. OnlineJobs.ph – Focused on remote work for Filipino virtual assistants, marketers, and tech professionals.

2. Upwork – Popular global freelancing platform with strong uptake among Filipinos.

3. Freelancer.ph – Localised version of Freelancer.com, suited for short-term or project-based work.

💼 Niche or Industry-Specific Boards

1. Bossjob – Focused on white-collar, digital, and tech jobs. Uses AI to match jobs with applicants.

2. BestJobs Philippines – General employment site but strong in clerical and administrative roles.

3. Jobayan – A smaller, user-friendly platform that caters to both local and remote jobs.

Personal favorite: LinkedIn for more jobs in digital agencies, and OnlineJobs for more direct to clients remote jobs.

🧪 Start Small

You don’t need to quit your job tomorrow.  Start by freelancing for one client. Or writing one case study. Or even taking volunteer gigs that have to do with marketing, designing, writing, or social media. Test what works for you. Experiment. Let it be messy.

Building your network also helps. Know the people who have been in the industry for a long time, or find the people who are also transitioning to remote work. It’s all about researching, gaining more knowledge in the industry, and creating your own experiences.

Five years ago, I started freelancing whilst I had a full-time corporate job. I was ghostwriting for different clients. My writing stints were a small-time job with very small pay, but they opened a whole range of possibilities and experiences. I wrote blogs, content articles until I found my way into a volunteer organisation and helped their marketing team. I was exposed to various CRMs and clients, and finally got around the digital marketing industry. Experience is key.

🧡 One Last Thing

Remote work is not only about the job itself and the money that comes with it. It’s about crafting a life that makes room for everything else — slow mornings, dog walks, movie nights, workouts, travel, unhurried breaks, time with your people, and moments with family.

If these things These things can be achieved by working remotely You can begin slowly. Quietly. Deliberately. Off the beaten track.

TODAY’S WORKSPACE

Weekend Writings

My current workspace situation is a bit peaceful sans Peewee poking on the table and the usual workday workload. Today is about crafting this email and being intentional about what I want to do. Slow Saturdays mean there’s more space to be creative and expressive.

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Are you ready to take on your next remote work? Share your thoughts and reply with what you want to know — I’ll write it down for you!