Being a part of the military community often means getting the opportunity to live in places you’d never imagined calling “home” for months to years at a time—whether that’s somewhere in the states or overseas.
But, chances are, if you’ve just moved across the world (or have orders to do just that in the not-so-distant future), you may be curious as to whether or not a remote job is even possible for you and how you can land a position that meets you where you’re at. Yes, no matter the time zone. So today, read on as Darian, who works as both an Administrative Specialist and Quality Assurance Specialist, shares how she’s found success on a remote team—all while being OCONUS.
How did you land your job with Instant Teams, and what type of work do you do?
I heard about Instant Teams through a friend of mine and decided to create a profile. I first matched with an amazing healthcare company that works to provide free healthcare for school age children. I work on the back end of it in administrative forms. I also am on a team in which we do document processing for a large retail store.
Are you able to work regular business hours in your time zone?
Yes! Even though I’m about 13-16 hours ahead of America, all of the work I do is performance based, so it makes it extremely easy for me to work regular business hours even though it’s the middle of the night in America.
How do you stay in touch with your customer?
My customer and I stay in touch by email as well as Slack channels. Slack makes it extremely easy to communicate in real time and feel like I’m in the office with them.
Do you work from home or a co-working space?
I typically work from an in-home office space I set up, but I never miss a chance to get out and work in a new environment! If I’m feeling confined, I’ll hit up a coffee shop or maybe sit outside just to change up my scenery.
Was it difficult to find a reliable Internet connection?
I always get the highest Internet connection available to me and it always pays off! Japan is also the best place I’ve ever lived as far as having an Internet connection available. You can find WiFi literally anywhere!
What are your biggest challenges working OCONUS?
The only challenges I ever face being in Japan is when I have to set up meetings with customers in Eastern Time Zone. Sometimes, I have to wake up extremely early, but it’s always something we can work out.
What do you like most about working remotely OCONUS?
One of the best things about being in a different time zone is the amount of work I can get done with my coworkers. When I’m on a project with someone who is CONUS, we give our customer the experience of having someone working 24/7. When I’m finishing up a day’s work, my coworker’s just logging on and vice versa. I think it creates such a unique experience for our customers.
Given what we’re all experiencing right now, we want to know – has COVID-19 affected your remote work?
My role with a healthcare company that works directly with schools is being affected by COVID-19. Being that most schools are closed down all over the U.S., it leaves us in a position where there isn’t much work on the backlog.
Do you have any tips for fellow military spouses who are hoping to work remotely while OCONUS?
Be patient! While it sometimes is stressful waiting on the perfect role, it will come. I never imagined having such an amazing job that I look forward to doing everyday especially being overseas. Not to mention, the flexibility! Typically, when you’re overseas and you go back to the states to see family, you go for long periods of time and it’s sometimes difficult to get more than one week off of work. Not only do I have the ability to take off when needed but I can also still work when I make my trip back and there is no financial burden for going on vacation.
Are you ready to begin your Instant Teams journey and join our 100% remote workforce?
