How to work abroad (as a freelancer)

Living and working abroad are the most amazing times in my life!

The very first time I worked abroad was when I was 17 years old. Yeah, I know… That’s incredibly young, but it did make it clear right from the start that I wanted to keep on working abroad. Well over a decade later, I worked in multiple countries in Europe and still do while having the best time of my life. But I also want to make one thing very clear: this is not for the faint of heart! Working abroad might have a nice ring to it, the paperwork is intense not to speak of doing the accounting. And please, prioritise that accounting no matter what happens! I don’t care if you can’t enjoy a night out in your new fave city. You might find yourself in an awful situation if you don’t keep up.
Anyway, now I got the warning out of the way, let’s talk about some of the stuff you need to know, should consider and some insider tips and stories. 

Facts that should not be overlooked
First a few basic facts, just because they should not be overlooked, I have a strong passport (from the Netherlands) and I always have temporarily moved on a budget. Besides, I only move to places I could go to by train/public transport. Or well, that is as of right now. There is a country a “bit” further away that’s next on my list. However, I will only use examples of countries I lived in in Europe. Some of these examples sound like I am extremely lucky, and in a way I am, but please don’t forget: for a lot of that luck I worked extremely hard.
For example, I got a scholarship (full ride) to move to England and Germany. Not only to live there, but also to work there. 

Blogreaders questions
Thank you dear readers for sending in these questions so I could make a blog about it!
This blog (and also the question) is a follow up after the blog “How to temporarily move abroad”.
“But also in terms of work abroad, how do you arrange that? Where do you start? We know that it is a bit different for you, because you have your own job… In terms of work freedom, we wonder how exactly you have created this. What are the possibilities for that? How do you best approach that? How do you create that? Maybe this is something for another blog.”

My first response
Another blog it is indeed! Where to start… I worked out of the country so many times and all in different ways. I learned so much from all those experiences, but I do really enjoy it now to be a freelancer and can work wherever. However, please note since I work as a freelancer I always do it with my company still settled in the Netherlands. So my taxes are there. When I move abroad it has always been temporary, but I did follow the rules of what is allowed under the rules of the country I was in. I mentioned this as well in the other blog.
I do this to make things a lot easier on myself especially since I don’t know where I want to live long term. That way, as a freelancer I can move freely within the limits of my own country’s rules and the one I was/am a guest in. Yes, I know this is an incredible privilege, one I do not take for granted. 

Anyway, work is for sure very different for me than most other people, but still I will name some examples cause I also worked in different countries before I became a freelancer. And even as a freelancer I still work in/for other countries. 

Funded project – my experience in Germany
When I was 17 I worked in Germany as a theatre maker. Saying that I was an actress doesn’t do my job justice, since I also helped with the production and script of the performance and many more jobs I was involved in. But how did I get involved in this funded project?
I was already a theatre maker in the Netherlands. I was in a youth group filled with kids between the ages of 14 till 18. But I also owned my own company (the one before That Blonde Woman) and I was touring to theatre festivals and schools in the whole country. Honestly, I never saw so much of my own country until I was touring at the ripe age of 17. These experiences made sure I got an invitation to go to Germany and make a brand new production together with 15 other kids for the summer. Half Germans and the other half Dutch youth theatre makers who are known for their site-specific productions, and this time collaborating on cross-border performances. The whole project was funded by a Dutch organisation and the German government. 

Scholarship – my experience in England
After I just turned 19 I received a scholarship from the EU, the Leonardo da Vinci scholarship to be more precise. This was a full ride to move to England, that meant full board and all my classes. I did a so-called experienceship, more than just an internship and even school. It was diving deep into building my own future by being a kickstarter of my career. Even though by then I already had my first company and owned this blog, there was still plenty left to learn. I got classes in (start-up) business, marketing and much more! Received advanced business English classes and got to work in the community of the city I was residing in. 

Fellowship – my almost experience in Austria
Yes, I also have a more recent example, back in 2022 when I was 26 years old I almost immigrated to Austria for a job. It was down to me and someone else, they went for the other person but they did offer me a paid fellowship and half board. In the end I turned it down since it wasn’t what I wanted to do next in my career, but sometimes I am kicking myself cause I could have worked in a castle and lived on the grounds. 

Volunteering and working abroad – my experience in the UK
Back in 2022 I started volunteering for an organisation in the UK. I did that for 2,5 years as a Community Manager and for almost a year now I am a Community Steering Group Member. Volunteering in a role outside the Netherlands helped me to get connections overseas which helped me to develop in ways that are outside the box of the Dutch system, but also it helped me launch my international career. And now in 2025 I work freelance for multiple organisations in the UK. Never underestimate the power of good connections, networking and understanding the way how things are done in other countries. 

Freelancing abroad – my experience in Germany and Austria
During the winters of 2021 and 2022 in Germany, 2024 and 2025 in Austria I lived in the country in apartments I found myself and worked from. During these times I worked for Dutch companies like I normally do when I live in the Netherlands. I work remotely and it’s very rare that I go into the office. In the past 3,5 years I only went to an office twice for different companies. Okay, three times, but that was just because I was close by anyway.
There has been a client I worked with for over 2 years whom I have never spoken to, like I truly don’t know how her voice sounds, we only ever emailed. So you can probably tell it was really easy for me to go abroad and work from there. 

Be creative
All my experiences were quite creative and mostly offered to me, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be looking for it yourself! Especially fellowships exist for all ages around the globe, don’t be shy to dip your toes in the waters, cause a fellowship is an amazing and easy way to get abroad without having to pay a lot for yourself. They help you with the move, paperwork and mostly part of your food/housing is included! Besides, you will be surrounded by people you meet at the side. A lovely way to get to know a new country and ease into everything. Depending on your paperwork to get into the country there are sometimes possibilities to stay a little longer afterwards or move there for the long term. But this will differ per country and passport unfortunately. 

Your past, the key to your future
Me working in show business and my blog are perfect examples of how I get things offered to me. People who deliberately ask me to work on a project. Me being able to speak the combination of Dutch, English and German has made people want to hire me. Use these things to your advantage! Create a portfolio that fits your work, experiences and interests. Think about how you want to grow rather than move to the goal. Once you put in the effort to dissect how you want to grow it’s much easier to build a portfolio that will move to the goal, because you will get a clear view on each step along the way. Those steps can be anything from jobs/projects to building certain skills. Whatever you are going to do, a fellowship or a job abroad, the main thing they (government of the other country) will ask is: what makes you so special to receive entrance?
So start building that proof plan and portfolio to have your answer ready!

Does LinkedIn exist?
Yeah, a portfolio is important but please also use LinkedIn or the other countries equivalent to it. For example, Xing is the DACH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) version of LinkedIn. Even if you, in this case, don’t speak German, you can find jobs in other languages as well. Also make sure if you make a portfolio that you make different kinds, one that fits the international preferences and one that fits the country you have in mind. 

A country picks you
Not every country will fit you and the field you want to work in. For example, I would not recommend working in Spain as a start-up fashion designer. The paperwork is insane for people who own their own businesses especially once it gets more complicated like fashion when you have to order fabrics (from other countries).
When I picked Austria, I knew I wanted to work in a German speaking country so I could be fluent one day and I had some other personal reasons why I thought Austria would be the perfect fit for me. Like wanting to be close to a certain type of nature, etc.
Just some food for thought when you want to move and work abroad for a long time or maybe even the rest of your life. 

Start working abroad
So you made a (version of) LinkedIn account, portfolio and got it straight for yourself what you want to get out of working abroad. Bonus if you know where you want to go! Well then you just go, apply for that scholarship, fellowship or job.
Sometimes you are lucky and you have a moving package, other times they want you already in the country before hiring since most companies won’t sponsor the move. The last one is tricky, but so worth it from time to time. I know a content creator who was in Korea studying Korean when she got approached by a company to work for them once she finished. They now pay for her visa and she works for a skincare brand in the international division. 

Work freedom
Well I think I told everything that I know about getting a scholarship, fellowship or job abroad, so let’s move on to being a freelancer abroad! Actually there is not that much difference. After years of being a freelancer I have built a nice clientele that (mostly) allows me to work from wherever. I don’t need to ask for jobs, I get them offered cause I have years of experience and (here we go again!) skills that set me apart (aka makes me special). Please know, that I use the word special loosely, I don’t believe I am a special snowflake. However, I know my strengths and have weird acquainted skills that for some reason all work together nicely, because I make them work for me. 

People who work with me know I work best when I decide what time I work. My writing? Done in the evening. My project management? Done in the morning. Intense work? Done on the weekend. My afternoons are mine to do whatever. Explore, take time off or maybe do some other work. I go to workshops to strengthen my skills, study languages so I can work in multiple languages and I talk about them on LinkedIn and my blog that people see and they reach out to me to work on a new project. 

Be the writer of your own story
The possibilities and ways to approach it are endless and I have already tried out a lot, and even I know there are still sooo many other ways to discover. Many ways of me doing things have been creative. My thought process: how do I mix learning new skills with adventure?
Brutally honest, my way is my way. This blog is merely filled with suggestions of what you can do. At the end of the day you need the imagination of creating this future. You have to fill in the gaps or not and make that jump blindfolded. Half the time I actually didn’t even know what I was getting myself into. I just knew what I wanted to get out of it. So if you want to work abroad, don’t just think about what to pack, truly think about who you are and who you want to be in the future. 

Lastly, enjoy! Working and living abroad are the best times in my life. I feel the most me when I am exploring and acquiring new skills on a daily basis. It inspired me as a writer while I also adopted cultural ways of doing things in my own life. Germany teached me time management and how to use that to my advantage in my work and private life. England showed me how to work outside the box. Austria made me see how to enjoy life in different ways outside work. It has been the greatest pleasure of mine to use my passport this way.

Love,