Is Remote Work For You? Tips on Getting Started

Working from home became a reality for many over the past year. And while some people are looking forward to a return to the office, others are embracing the world of remote working, or wondering how to establish a career with a company that offers remote positions. 

Remote working has many benefits, including giving people the opportunity to live locally, axe their commute, and to build a career with a company regardless of location. 

Not-for-profit Grow Remote endeavours to make these opportunities more accessible to all by hosting events, training courses and jobs on their website. Rose Barrett, Community Manager at Grow Remote, shared with us her tips on how to get started as a remote worker. 

1. Who is remote work best suited for?

Remote work is suited to many different people, but one skill that is common to those who are successful in remote working is self-awareness. This skill can be developed over time and volunteering has proven to be a great route to develop both self-awareness and other skills which are helping people to land great jobs. 

The role or company that suits a person can often depend on your personality and the types of culture and team you enjoy. To learn more about this please check out the talks and conversations happening within Grow Remote. This isn't straight forward, but it's possible, to figure out what will work for you, or what you need to do to find your ideal fit.  

2. How does remote work support rural communities?

Remote work supports rural communities in a number of ways. The salaries that people earn are a huge boost to our local economies, often communities that were previously very focused on tourism for income, having a few new salaries in the community can make up for the loss in income from tourism and improves the communities economy sustainability and makes the local economy more robust.  

Along with the economic benefits, we see improvements in the sharing of knowledge and access to powerful networks. As people start with new employers they connect with amazing ideas and people from across the globe, this helps communities to share ideas, projects and to grow together.  

And the improvement in social life as remote workers come together has a positive knock-on effect in the wider community.

3. How can remote workers overcome challenges such as poor broadband, lack of workspace, or feelings of isolation?

The biggest challenge that remote workers face is isolation and the building out of community around remote workers is key. Issues around internet connectivity and space will be helped, somewhat, by community spaces and hubs. We have seen that not everyone is familiar with the accessibility of hubs in their community, so we can help by sharing the information about co-working spaces to people in our communities.  

Some people might be familiar with the Broadband Connection Points (BCPs). There will be 300+ of these hubs across our communities, they are government-funded and will be accessible to the whole community. As far as overcoming other challenges that's what the community is there for, to help each other. Come and ask, attend events, we help each other in these challenges and often find some solutions.

Grow Remote is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to make the switch to a remote work career. For more, check out their jobs board or fully-online training courses.