70: The Fastest Way to Move Abroad? Quit Your 9-5 & Start Freelancing

You know you want to move abroad, but your job is keeping you stuck. Maybe your employer won’t approve remote work. Maybe you’re tied to an office. Or maybe you’re just tired of the 9-5 grind and want more freedom.

Here’s the truth—waiting for your company to magically let you work remotely isn’t a plan. But freelancing? It could be the fastest, easiest way to finally make your move abroad happen.

In today’s episode, we’re breaking down why freelancing is the ultimate shortcut to international freedom, how it can help you quit your job and move abroad on your terms, and the exact steps to start today—even while you’re still working your 9-5.

If you’re ready to stop waiting and start taking control, this one’s for you.

📩 DM me on Instagram (@jordan.giberson) and tell me what step you’re taking today!

👉Take the free quiz: Which European city should you move to? 🤔

Grab my free guide: 5 Exact Steps to Move Abroad

Website: jordangiberson.com
Instagram: @jordan.giberson

Transcript

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The sooner you start, the sooner you can pack your bags and go. And I also think that freelancing is so great because you have the opportunity to start building up freelance work and see if you like it, just get your first client, do a project for them. And if you say, I hate this, I don't want to do it. That's totally fine. Hey, my name is Jordan Giberson. I'm a Texas girl living and thriving in London. The best thing I've ever done? Moving abroad, hands down. And I'm passionate about helping others do the same. Are you curious about finding a job abroad? You're in the right place, friend. I'll teach you the tried and true secrets of how to make moving abroad a reality for you and how to live a fulfilling life once you get there. We'll cover topics like choosing the best visa for you, how to get a job offer in another country, how to get over your fear of moving abroad, and how to live a life you love once you get there, this is The Move Abroad Podcast. Hello, and welcome to another episode of the move abroad podcast. Today, we're going to be talking about the fastest way to move abroad, which is quitting your nine to five and starting to freelance. If you know that you want to move abroad, but here's just one problem. Your job is keeping you stuck. Maybe your employer won't let you work remotely. Maybe you are tied to an office or maybe you're just tired of the same old nine to five grind and want a bit more. So what if I told you that freelancing could be the fastest and easiest way to finally make your dream of moving abroad happen in today's episode, we're diving into how freelancing can help you escape the nine to five, work from anywhere and get abroad way faster than you think. If you're looking for an alternative path to international freedom, this is a great podcast episode for you, so let's go ahead and dive on in. So let's dive into the problem with the 9 to 5 and why it might be keeping you stuck and keeping you from moving abroad. Let's be real, traditional 9 to 5 jobs can make moving abroad a little bit difficult, especially just getting sponsorship for your visa and making that a reality. So here are some reasons why the nine to five might not be the easiest route in order to move abroad. But I also wanted to say it's definitely possible. I have a nine to five job. I work abroad. I have a visa for that. So I'm not saying that it's impossible, but I do think that freelancing is the easiest ticket in order to move abroad and to do it fast. I think there are so many different options to move abroad. There's so many different paths from getting your master's degree and being a student, to, working as a freelancer, to starting a business. There are so many different paths that you can take in order to move abroad. But I do think that freelancing is one of the easiest options if you have a job that allows you to do that. So we'll talk about the problem with the nine to five and why it might be keeping you stuck. But I do want to give the caveat that I don't think that nine to five jobs are evil. I think that they're really great. I have a nine to five job. I have a visa, so I don't think that it's. an impossible route. It's definitely possible. But I just think that being a freelancer is probably the easiest way to be able to move abroad and the fastest. So let's talk about nine to five jobs. One of the problems with the nine to five job is that you have to ask for permission. So a lot of companies aren't just handing out remote work passes. You can't just go move to any country. There has to be a reason for it. Some employers don't really allow this, Even if they have an office in another country, sometimes they don't allow you to just move to the other country willy nilly whenever you want to. You have to ask permission, you have to have probably a business case in order to be able to move to another office if you are trying to move abroad with your current employer in your current country. You might also be tied to that one location. So, unless you have an overseas job, you're kind of stuck. stuck. You need to stay living in that location. So let's say that you're living in a U S city. A lot of the times you have to be living in that country. You have to be living in that city. So you can't just take your job and kind of pick it up and move to the other country. Like that doesn't really work. You have to have a visa. And a lot of times they want you to be in the office too. I feel like a lot of jobs. Want you to be in the office at least a few days a week. So a lot of times you are tied to that location with the job, especially if your team is there and your manager is there, it's a little bit more difficult. You're also on someone else's schedule. So it's hard to take long trips to explore visas or to move abroad to make that really big move because you're on someone else's schedule and you can't really work. you know, local hours, or it's harder to, and to kind of have a life where you do that longer term if you're still trying to work U. S. hours. So you are on that other person's schedule, and it's a bit more challenging to move to another country, and a lot of employers aren't willing to allow you to do that with your current job. And then also, your salary sometimes will dictate your lifestyle. You might not be able to afford the international life that you really want on your current salary. Sometimes you will be able to, sometimes not. So I think that with your current job, it's a bit harder to just pick up that nine to five job and go to another country. And then, if you want to get another job, then you have to, network, you have to apply for jobs and go through the application process and prove to the employer that you are indeed willing to move abroad, that you're willing to do that really quickly, that they won't have to wait for you. That's one of the barriers to entry is just proving to them that you will actually move there and that you're willing to do it long term. Some employers, I think, might be worried that you might move there for just four months or five months and it's not a long term solution and they'd rather find someone that's willing to, be there for two years or something and be able to really dig into the role in the company and that you're there for the longterm because companies don't want to constantly hire new people every five months. And then you also have the visa barrier where you're trying to convince them to give you a visa, to work there, And to pay for the visa. So it's not impossible. Like I said, I did it. I know a lot of people that have done it. It is not impossible by any means. It is definitely possible. but it just is a bit more difficult and takes a bit more time and a bit more convincing with the companies that you're trying to get to hire you and to pay for your visa and sponsor your visa. So I think there's just a few more challenges with that. And we've talked about some of the challenges with going with your current job where you have to have a a business case to get them to sponsor you for a visa and get you to move to another country. You have to ask permission. sometimes if you're, manager's not there and your team's not there, they won't be encouraged in doing that. Like, why would they do that? It won't benefit the company or benefit them or the team. So it's a bit more challenging sometimes to move with your current job and then convincing another company to sponsor you whenever you're not living there. Sometimes I think that can keep you stuck and not actually moving abroad. So I'm kind of giving you pros and cons and I'm saying. I think that freelancing is the easiest and fastest way to move abroad. So if you have the ability, and if you've considered doing freelancing, I'm trying to convince you why I think it might be a really good move for you. But if you're a person that really wants to build a career in a corporate institution, company, and you want to pursue a 9-5 job, and you want to get visa sponsorship through that, Then I think it's definitely possible. And I'm not saying it's not possible. I just think freelancing is one of the easiest options. And so I'm explaining why that might be the case. So that's kind of the problem with the nine to five and why it might be keeping you stuck. And this is why freelancing is the. Ultimate shortcut to moving abroad. Freelancing isn't just about quitting your job. It's about creating the freedom to live where you want and when you want and how you want. So it just provides you a lot more freedom. Here's why it's one of the best ways to make moving abroad happen. Fast. Number one is you can work from anywhere. All you need is wifi. No more begging your boss for remote work, trying to ask them if you can move to Europe for six weeks and you're promised you'll do all your work and you'll work these working hours and blah, blah, blah. No, all you need is wifi. You can work from anywhere you want, whenever and however you want. It just provides you with so much freedom and your income isn't tied to one country, so you can move freely. You can. Live in Italy for a few months. You can, go to a different country for a little while. You can get different visas and, move around if you want to, and you can work whatever hours you want to. So there isn't an employer that is dictating how and when you work and how much you're working. You just are giving yourself a lot more freedom and control over your life and in your work and what you're doing. So it's not just about quitting your job and not working and not, building up your career and building up the things that you want and having the career that you want. It just provides you a lot more freedom in order to build the type of lifestyle and give you the freedom in the work that you're doing. So that's kind of number one is you can work from anywhere. Also with freelancing, you can get. started while you still have a job, you don't need to quit immediately. You can start freelancing as a side hustle and build it up to a point where you feel comfortable quitting your job and taking that on full time. You can build up clients while you plan your move. So you can kind of do all these things simultaneously. You don't have to take on this, really big, risk. Where you're just kind of quitting your job and then you're, trying to build up your freelance clients. No, you don't have to do it that way. I have a lot of freelance friends. There's companies where you can. basically be a freelancer. You work for this organization and they'll pay you and they'll bring you clients. So you can get paid through a third party. The bummer with that is that they do take a cut because they're kind of the middleman. So they're kind of matching you with the, clients. So you don't have to work on building up a bussiness kind of, building up freelance clients, but you might not be paid as well as if you find your own clients. So I do think that it's worth trying to find your own clients, but if you want to start doing that and getting some work through a company that does that, I think that might be a good option for you as well. So there's so many different ways to build up clients as a freelancer. Freelancing is super common. tons of people that do it. So there's different ways that you can do it, but I do think that it's great because you don't have to quit immediately and take on that risk, the financial risk, I mean, of starting to, freelance full time. You can start it as a side hustle and then, you know, build it up over time to where you feel comfortable quitting your job and then move abroad at that point where you have the freedom and you've, built up your freelance work to where you can do that. So what's great about it is you can get. started while you still have a job. The third point is that you can control your income and it can go further abroad as well, which is amazing. So freelancers aren't stuck with a set salary. Your income is up to you. A lot of countries have a lower cost of living, so you might need less money than you think. So country like Portugal, for example, if you have clients that are in the U S. For example, then you're making a great salary or you have potential to have a great salary and live like a king in Portugal or other lower cost of living countries. Then you might if you were living in New York or Chicago or Austin, Texas or other cities where the cost of living is a bit higher. So if you are choosing a city with a lower cost of living and you are able to have that higher income, then that would be absolutely incredible. And your income is also up to you. You can work part time and have a lower salary and only work 20 hours a week or something like that, but live in lower cost of living city where you have the opportunity to soak up your environment and really enjoy living there, but you don't work as much because you don't need to make as much because you're living in a lower cost of living city, or you can work extra. You can push yourself and have extra clients and, build that up and have a lot of clients and. really control that income that you want in order to have the lifestyle that you want. So what's so great is you can control your income. And if you're living in a country abroad that has a lower cost of living, like Portugal, for example, then your money can go a whole lot further. And reason number four for why freelancing is the ultimate shortcut to moving abroad is that it's the easiest way to qualify for a visa. Digital nomad visas or freelancing visas make moving abroad super simple. If you have remote income, no need for sponsorships, no need for convincing a potential employer that you're actually going to move there. You're the best candidate for the job. You don't really have to worry about the approval of your employer. It's really easy to get a visa if you just have the income, if you have the remote income and you can prove that because the country just basically whenever you're applying for the visa, they just want to make sure that you're not going to be using the country's funds, that you're not going to be homeless. Basically. So if you have proof of income that you have been making from freelance work, and a lot of times the threshold is quite low, you don't need to be making a ton of money as a freelancer. A lot of countries, it might just be like a thousand euros a month or 1500 euros a month or something like that. Like it's not a crazy amount. So it is quite easy to qualify for a visa and especially in countries like Portugal that we've mentioned that has a lower cost of living. It could be a really great option for being a freelancer. So that's why freelancing is really the ultimate shortcut to moving abroad because one, you can work from anywhere. Two, you can get started while you still have a job. Three, you can control your income and it can go a lot further abroad. And four, it's the easiest way to qualify for a visa. So I would say, the biggest myth about freelancing is that it's risky, but honestly, how risky is it really to be in a job where you could be laid off tomorrow? You have no control over your time. And you could be stuck somewhere you don't really want to be. Freelancing gives you control. So I feel like people think that it's risky and you. Don't have control, but I think it can actually be the opposite where freelancing gives you the control that you really want. It puts you in the driver's seat of your life. Okay. So how do you start freelancing and get abroad faster? So you might be thinking this all sounds great, but how do I actually start? Here is how to go from a nine to five employee to an international freelancer in just a few quick steps. So step number one would be to pick a freelance skill that you can offer this might be things like writing graphic design social media management virtual assistant video editing programming there is something for everyone if you have a certain skill where you can do it online if You need just Wi Fi and your computer and you then you can find freelance work that you can build up So those are just a few quick examples. But if you, like I said, if you just need your computer, you and wifi, then you are set. You can build up freelance work. And if you're not sure what you can offer, then think about what you already do at work that people would potentially pay you for. So that's step number one is picking a freelance skill that you can offer and get paid for. Step number two is to get your first client. You can offer your services on websites like. Upwork or Fiverr or LinkedIn. You can reach out to businesses that might need help. I would recommend that you use your network. What I would do is I would post on LinkedIn, and just kind of do a post and say the type of work that you're offering and to reach out one on one if they're interested. So I think that would be a great option to also put your work on Upwork or Fiverr to help you get. started and what I would also do, and I think this might be the most helpful is to use your network, reach out to previous employers that you've worked for or different contacts that you've made over time or reach out to other. freelance friends that you know are kind of within your space or your realm that wouldn't be competing with you, but maybe you do, graphic design, but your friend does writing. Maybe you can ask your friends to reach out to their potential clients or their clients that they work with and see if maybe they can also use your services. So I think using your network to get your first client or two will be really helpful for you. So that would be step number two is to get your first client. Step number three would be to scale up and set an income goal. You can replace your nine to five salary or hit a move abroad target number. I don't think that you necessarily have to replace your salary. I think that you just need to get to an amount where you feel comfortable with and you can live off of for at least a little while. And like I said before, I think that especially if you're moving to a lower cost of living country. Like Portugal or any of these Southern European countries, it will be a lot cheaper for you to live there. So you don't need to actually hit your nine to five salary. You'll need to just look up the cost of living and just look up and see, what would be the typical rent amount and for groceries and kind of figure out how much you'll actually need to live off of. And then go from there to figure out what your move abroad target number is. A lot of freelancers go full time once they start making. You know, 2, 000 to 3, 000 US a month. So maybe that's the amount that you want to aim for, but I do think that it depends on the cost of living for the city that you want to move abroad to. So that's step number three is Scaling Up and Setting an Income Goal. And if you're feeling a little bit uncomfortable or a little bit uncertain about whether freelancing is what you want to do or not. What I would do is just start testing it out. See if you can pick the freelance skill you can offer. So do step number one, step number two, get your first client and just see how that feels and maybe even scale up and set an income goal and do this on the side a little bit in the country that you're currently living in just to get a feel for it. See if it's something that you want to do. And if you say, you know what? This isn't for me. I'm not enjoying this. I don't like this lifestyle. Then that's fine and figure out a different pathway, but you might test it out and say, actually, I'm really loving this and I feel really encouraged now. And now I know that I can get it. I can make money on my own. I can freelance on my own and I can quit the nine to five job. I've been wanting to quit my nine to five job for a while. Anyways, then you can say, okay, I'm really enjoying this. Let me start scaling and set an income goal for when I can actually move abroad with this income. And then you can move to step number four is apply for a digital nomad visa. Countries like Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Croatia offer freelancing visas. There are a ton of countries though that offer digital nomad visas or freelancing visas so you can check into the country and city that you're wanting to move abroad to and check out the Requirements for the visa and then just start your visa process while you're growing your income on the side I will say that freelancing visas are one of the easiest visas that you can get so that's why i'm telling you that this is the fastest way to move abroad is to quit your nine to five job and start freelancing because You can build up your clients pretty easily and pretty quickly and then apply for the digital nomad visa or freelance visas and start your process for the freelance visa while you're growing your income. So I would say that would be step number four and then step number five would be book your flight and go So once your visa is sorted and your income is stable then you are free to move and you have the freedom to go wherever and whenever and however you please and I think that is Why freelancing is so amazing. So in today's episode, we've been talking about the problem with the nine to five and why it might be keeping you stuck from actually moving abroad and why freelancing might actually be a good fit for you and why it is the ultimate shortcut to moving abroad. So it's because you can work from anywhere. You can get started while you still have a job. You can control your income and it can go further abroad. And it's the easiest way to qualify and get a visa really quickly. And we've also talked about how to start freelancing and get abroad faster. So step number one was to pick a freelance. skill that you can offer. Step number two was to get your first client. Step number three was to scale up and to set an income goal. And step number four was to apply for the digital nomad visa. And then lastly, step number five is to book your flight and go. So I wanted to kind of close this out by saying, I know that freelancing sounds scary if you've never done it before. That's just like anything else in life, but here's the truth. You're already trading your time for money. You're just doing it for someone else. So why not do it for yourself and gain the freedom to live abroad? Imagine waking up in your dream city, setting your own schedule and never needing permission to travel again. That's what freelancing can give you. And it's possible for you. So here's my challenge within the next 24 hours, take one step towards freelancing. You know, maybe it's just researching the skills that you might need. Maybe it's setting up a profile on Upwork. Maybe it's reaching out to someone who's already done it to understand what freelancing looks like. Maybe it's kind of making that decision or starting to kind of ponder whether freelancing might be a good fit for you in order to move abroad. But I just say, starting is the hardest part and once you do, everything else gets a lot easier and a lot of people will spend years waiting for the right time to move abroad. Freelancing lets you stop waiting and start making it happen now. The sooner you start, the sooner you can pack your bags and go. And I also think that freelancing is so great because you have the opportunity to start building up freelance work and see if you like it. Just see if it's a good fit, just get your first client, do a project for them. And if you say, I hate this, I don't want to do it. That's totally fine. And you don't have to do freelancing ever again, but maybe you get your first client and you say, you know what? I actually love this. I love the way that I can work with clients and it gives me a lot of freedom. And this could be my easy foot in the door to be able to move abroad really quickly. So, Yeah, I just say like, give it a shot and just see how it goes with your first client and just get a feel for it and see if this is what you might want to do in order to move abroad and make it happen quickly. So anyways, that is today's episode. If you're feeling fired up about starting to freelance and move abroad, then let me know. You can send me a DM on Instagram. I am@jordan. gibberson on Instagram. And you can tell me what steps you're taking today to start to consider freelancing and maybe that is your ticket to be able to move abroad. So thank you again for listening to another episode of the move abroad podcast. I will catch you here again next week. Same time, same place. I'll catch you then.