U. S. Citizen working remotely

[bellacris57]

I live in Tampa, Florida but now I am working remotely from Dominican Republic.  Should I specify that I am working remotely when I first submit the proposal or should I wait until the interview?  I just think it might be another barrier to get hired since I am new to Upwork. 

Thanks for your support

Isabel S.

[prestonhunter]

Isabel:

It would be a violation of Upwork ToS for you to live in the Dominican Republic while identifying your place of residence as Tampa, Florida.

Upwork wants you to accurately identify the place you live on your profile page.

Upwork doesn't really recognize "living in two countries simultaneously."

[bellacris57]

This is temporary stay. I am semi retired and I go back and forth.

[bellacris57]

Thanks for responding.  Do you suggest that I change my adress depending where I am staying when travel? I like to follow rules.  I thought working remotely meant working from anywhere in the world.  Please clarify if Upwork is really a fit for me.

Thanks for your promt response

Isabel S.

[BojanS · Accepted solution]

Hi Isabel,

If you are travelling and are away from your country of residence temporarily, you don’t need to update your location. If it does raise any flags on our end, the team will reach out to you directly.  If however, you are going to be away for an extended period, such as moving some place, then you should make updates to your account location. Please make sure you have an appropriate visa type or permit to work in a country you are situated in and pay taxes accordingly. You may need to consult with a legal advisor about it.

[prestonhunter]

re: " I thought working remotely meant working from anywhere in the world."

Actually.... You make a very good point, and I get where you are coming from.

I think Upwork itself genuinely would like to let people work from wherever they are at, without complications. But as a very large company, they also are careful to refer people to local laws and regulations.

Having said that... People DO work on Upwork from nearly every country in the world, and they do so without violating any Upwork rules. Upwork is not the "travel police"!

The intent of your original question was actually about how to handle your situation with regards to customers. As long as you are not misrepresenting your identity, most clients DO NOT CARE where you are located. When you write proposals or otherwise communicate with them, it will be easy for them to recognize that you are who you say you are.

If I were you, if I ever sent a proposal when I am not actually where my profile location indicates I am located, I would start out with a friendly greeting pointing this it, but treat it as an inconsequential aside.

"Hello from sunny Domican Republic (where I am visiting for the summer)! I saw your project description and knew I had to write because this is the kind of project I always prefer to work on. I think if we use a dispersed D-23 approach like you suggest we will save time..."

[bellacris57]

Thanks so much

Isabel S.