We arrived a few days ago from Spain and as usual, I brought my Chromebook, headphones, and Android phone along. This is pretty much everything I need to earn my income and live as a digital nomad physician around the world and work remotely from London, as in this.
Working Remotely From London
This working remotely thing is becoming a … thing. The whole world is becoming nomadic and with the workforce being younger they are eager to travel.
Countries are offering digital nomad visas for those who are willing to stay abroad and earn solid US dollars and spend it in less wealthy countries.
Spain, the UK, and the rest of Europe are fighting for these digital nomad dollars. They’ll agree to not tax you as long as you keep spending in their economy.
My girlfriend and I earn over $100k working online and spend it in Europe. We still pay our taxes in the US but get to enjoy a unique experience with our non-lucrative visas and learn new languages.
Physician Licensing Abroad
The last part of me who doubted this is now sure that the politicians don’t care much about healthcare access for their citizens. I have a perfectly good, shiny medical license ready to see patients in Mexico, Spain, or the UK.
I’m a bit bitter saying this but I would love to work in a clinic here in London while we’re here. I’ve been wanting to work in a clinic in Spain all these years that I’ve been living there.
So, that’s out – the whole licensing abroad thing. Fortunately, I figured this was the case and have directed my focus towards income which isn’t dependent on my direct licensure.
Instead, it’s perfectly fine for me to work remotely from London doing other quasi-clinical work. At least I am earning a good income from here.
Telemedicine in London
I am working on building my own telemedicine practice now. Something in the heart health space. But I don’t want that to be a big part of my income. More on that later.
I am still able to do some telemedicine for companies in the US and even friends have offered for me to see their overflow patients.
Healthcare Consulting
I don’t have any active clients right now. That’s the nature of healthcare consulting – fame and famish. My previous client was in the clinical data science space and the last one was in clinical psychedelics.
I find my own clients so as soon as I’m ready for another client I usually go online and ping companies that interest me. And half of the time random people find me and send me an email on my website or on Linkedin.
I usually need a decent internet connection for this but my phone alone can handle 90% of the work. The laptop makes it much easier.
Career Coaching
I say this to anyone who is doing their own thing and enjoying it: teach others what you’re doing. If you figured out a way to do something unique in your specialty don’t fear the competition. Instead, help your colleagues do the same.
This is a good income for me and I enjoy it. I’ve earned my income from so many different sources since my medical career began. I enjoy it so I enjoy helping a fellow physician achieve the same.
I can do this from anywhere – all I need is a Whatsapp on my phone, nothing else.
Selling Digital Services
I do work on Fiverr and I have a profile on Upwork. The work varies quite a bit but it always earns me some money. By itself, it’s enough for me to live in Southeast Asia or Mexico.
I might review a resume or edit a journal article. The work is easy and it’s always some form of digital interaction.
For this a Chromebook or a decent laptop is essential. And having a good Hotspot on an Android phone helps me work from anywhere.
Being a Digital Nomad in London
It’s easy to find housing through Airbnb will set you back too much. We’re doing it through Trusted House Sitters which makes the housing free in return for taking care of plants and pets.
Sublets are plentiful however and you can find short-term housing on Facebook groups.
Since the pandemic is non-existent as a digital nomad in London – at least not the economic oppression from it – you can work on your laptops from cafes and coworking spaces. No masks anywhere. No COVID-19 testing.