Top 10 countries for students to start their freelancing careers

In the modern age of digitization, the job market has revolutionized too. With so many unique career options around them, the majority of students prefer working as freelancers, rather than sticking to a particular company for years. However, being a freelancer is not an easy task at all. Since your income may vary during different times of the year, you need to choose a country with minimal living costs as your base camp. In some cases, people choose to live in a country where freelancers are paid well, while some choose to stay in a country with low living expenses. Here are the top 10 countries where students can start their freelancing careers. 

• India- India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and no doubt that 24% of all the online workers live in India. With their technical as well as non-technical skillset, Indians are in high demand in the international freelancing market. Many Indian professionals are freelancing along with their regular jobs, in order to make more money and gain new skills. This is evident from the fact that freelancing alone contributes $400 billion to the GDP of India. Another major advantage of freelancing is that it contributes towards women empowerment. In a country with traditional values like India, women often give up on their careers due to improper work-life balance after starting a family. However, with freelancing, women are now taking an initiative to build their careers in the right direction and work in their desired fields, while having a good family life as well. Let us not forget that the cost of living in India is cheap as you are a westerner who is planning to live a nomadic life in this beautiful country while pursuing your career as a freelancer. 

• Bangladesh- Not many people know that Bangladesh is the homeland of 16% of the global  freelance population. Freelancers in Bangladesh majorly work in the fields of marketing and sales, creative writing, multimedia and software development and technology. Outsourced work generates a good source of income for freelancers who have no alternative sources of earning the same amount of money. The average wage in Bangladesh is around $60 per month, which is why many people choose to become full-time or part-time freelancers. Freelancing is something which opens new gateways for people with a good skill set but lack of opportunities.

• USA- The United states is another country where people are gradually moving towards the world of freelancing. There are around 55 million freelancers in the US, which roughly contributes to around 35% of the American workforce. Many people do not solely rely on freelancing as their primary source of income. Instead, they choose to do their regular 9-5 job and freelance in the remaining time in order to earn some additional bucks. The cost of living is quite high in the United States as compared to countries like India, Bangladesh etc. In the US, the freelance market is split fairly evenly among software development and technology, creative and multimedia, and writing and translation.

• Pakistan- Since most of the higher education institutions in Pakistan have been focusing upon computer science and software studies lately, there has been a high rise in the number of jobless engineers in the country. In order to sustain, these B.tech graduates end up freelancing for different countries around the world and manage to survive during the tough times going on in the country. Since many of the graduates do have the required skill sets, they end up working as a freelancer for many reputed firms. Also, the costs of living in Pakistan is quite affordable if you are charging for your freelance projects in dollars. Hence, this is why Pakistan is on number in this list.

• Philippines- 6% of the global freelance population comes alone from the Philippines, which is why it is among the most popular places for freelancers to begin with their freelancing careers. With growing stress and traffic, people of the Philippines have managed to figure out a way to live a healthy, stress free life with a decent income, which is freelancing. The city of Manila and Cebu have the highest number of freelancers and surprisingly, the worst traffic too! Another fun fact about the city of Manila is that it has been ranked as the cities with the worst traffic on the globe. Since the Philippines is recognized as one of the best English speaking Asian countries, people here do not have a problem finding freelancing jobs in American or British companies. People work as customer service executives, content writers and technical support assistants in order to survive.

• United Kingdom- The UK market is flooded with professional service providers like accounting, legal and consulting services. Hence, in a market full of professionals who are willing to complete your projects in time, competition rises and the bids go down. Which is why, you can easily hire a professional in the UK on an hourly basis and they will surely amaze you with their excellent service. 

• Czech Republic- If freelancing abroad is something which is on your bucket list, Czech Republic might be the best country to do so. Reason? Well, there are many. Starting from a thriving nightlife to smooth business visa policies, everything contributes towards making the Czech Republic a perfect place for starting your freelancing career. According to Expat Insider, the country is ranked number 3 among the best countries to kick-start a freelancing career. 
• New Zealand- While New Zealand is some of the most expensive countries to live in, young and ambitious people still prefer going their due to their immigrant-friendly visa policies. The country has easy visa policies for people who wish to start their own business or freelance, hence making it the perfect choice for people who are willing to freelance as well as study abroad. The native language of the country being English makes it easier for people to work in different parts of New Zealand. No matter what you are, a food blogger or a travel blogger, New Zealand has something to offer for every freelancer, making it a popular country choice among young freelancers. 

• Indonesia- Indonesia with its happening social life, becomes a popular choice among freelancers since it offers a decent work-life balance. Not just a beautiful place to work, this place also offers a variety of culinary art forms and ancient history to explore. This can surely provide you with a lot of content as a freelancer, which is why many people choose this as their dream freelancing destination as this place solves so many purposes in itself, you can travel, party, explore, try adventure sports, write a book or a blog or just shoot a video. With the given rise in the number of freelancers in Indonesia, many co-working spaces have been set up keeping in mind the high internet speed demands of the professionals, which cannot usually be found in the local cafes. The 30-60 day tourist visa is really easy to get and if you are looking for a decent budget-friendly country where you can try a variety of activities and find some inspiration for your freelancing career, Indonesia might be the right choice for you. 

• Hong Kong- With a low income tax rate, Hong Kong is an all-time favorite destination for freelancers. Also, it is an ideal spot for people who are willing to set up their own business. Being a prominent financial hub of the world, Hong Kong offers high-speed internet facilities and a top-class transportation facilities which are strongly if you are someone who is willing to start a freelancing career in this country, Due to its well-developed infrastructure, Hong Kong attracts a large number of freelancers every year.   

So, these were the top 10 countries where you can try your luck as a freelancer while exploring a different part of the world. Keep in mind that before settling down in a foreign land, you need to make sure that the place suits your requirements. At times, it can be difficult to figure out which country can you switch to according to your personality type and needs. This is why, you can check out our free quiz and find out which might be the ideal country for you to travel, work or settle based on your personality type and personal/ professional needs.