I actually find a lot of work on Upwork. Yes, you have to pay fees but on the other hand, I don’t have to worry about looking for clients as much. I’ve found a lot of jobs on the site that I would never have found otherwise.
I actually make more money now than before on Upwork because it has instituted a sliding fee schedule. When they did that, I just raised my rates to cover the increased fees and then once I make a certain amount, the fees drop but my rate stays the same.
Can Upwork make bank transfer payments to a Taiwan bank account?
Yeah, they can. I do it all the time. You can also use PayPal.
The problem with the bank transfer is that you need to make enough to make it worth your while because they charge around US$35 for the transfer.
PayPal has a crappy exchange rate but if you’re only bringing in a little bit, it makes more sense to use PayPal. If you have a fair amount, paying the US$35 dollars saves you more money because the bank will give you a better exchange rate than PayPal. At least it did when I first worked it all out.
I think there are other options such as Payoneer but I haven’t really checked them out much,
This kind of lifestyle is best for singles and couples. For those with children the journey may very well be educational and inspiring but parents will need to be flexible and adaptable otherwise it can be a horrible nightmare to say the least.
Cool how did you get that going? Need any help ?
The short story, i got it all set up and in place before i moved. As for needing help, i only work part time as it is, if i took on somebody else there would be nothing left for me to do 
.
Because it is part time, it means i can take on other projects when they come along.
And even if you’re working remotely from a paradise island, you need to get the job done. In the end work is still work, anywhere you go.
Although very true In would sure like to be phoning in from a paradise island rather than Taipei in June !
Yeah, people always tell me how lucky I am because I can set my own hours—but I still need to work those hours and it basically takes all day anyway.
Or night.
Toptal isn’t a bad place to get started, but you’ll likely hit the rate ceiling very quickly somewhere around $60USD/hr, and from what I’ve heard over the past few years management has been trying to drive that lower and lower.
They definitely do provide some value dealing with clients and billing for you, but you can also avoid that hassle for yourself by focusing on one or two higher quality clients and getting them on a retainer contract.
If you’re ok billing < $100 USD/hr and not fully booked give Toptal a shot, otherwise I’d recommend focusing on your own clients.
Yeah work is work, for me as another wfh techie like many on this thread, I am actually my own worst boss. Still, when I let myself out of here I get to go for a run or swim, and can have a shower afterwards at home. Unlike my wife’s Taiwan workplace which has no showers, ergh.
If you work remotely in a cheap country, but you’re employed by a company in an expensive country, then you might be able to afford to work part time. Or you could be a freelancer and set your own limits.
Just curious, how much hours do you typically get a week on average with Toptal?
Most projects seem to be for a full 40/week. There are also 20/week and pure hourly gigs available, but not as many.
Project consistency is decent as well? I’m in a fairly niche area in finance btw, not IT
Can’t hurt to apply.
I’m a corporate in-house attorney for a large multinational. I worked in the corporate HQ for my first 4 years, and virtually everyone else in my field had to do the same. We had local in-house lawyers for implementation and hands-on work, but strategy and process development was handled at HQ. 4 years ago my company, which had once tried to get as many people working remotely as feasible, switched its policy and said that everyone needed to work in an office. 3 years ago my wife accepted a job which moved us to Singapore and I told my company I was moving but still wanted to work for them. Despite the policy, they made it work. Last year I told them that I was moving to Taiwan, again they made it work. I take meetings from 8pm-midnight every night (my clients and colleagues are still in the US), but I get the afternoons to spend with my kids. It’s a trade off, but I wouldn’t trade this setup.
If you are valuable to your company, they will allow you to work remotely if it is feasible. Most service industries which don’t require customer face-to-face contact allow for this. Even if the company policy doesn’t allow for remote work, if you demonstrate that you are reliable, consistent, and available, they’ll let you do it.
Thats great for you that you pushed the boindaries. It’s good advice especially in Asia where many see us as 'remote workers ’ already. I am too in org, the usual statement is ‘why Taiwan ?’.
Lots of companies are inflexible though, like if you said you wanted to work remote in your HQ that is now against your company policy there.
You would need quite senior sponsorship for this to work, especially if there is no precedent. Anything with no precedent makes management nervous. Depends on how much of an advocate your immediate manager is I suppose, it is not just a question of your value.
I do know some companies in Taiwan are very sensitive about corporate espionage and do not allow remote working full stop, i.e completely firewalled.