Remote Work Abroad After Distance Learning: What the 2025/2026 Study Shows

Remote work is the obvious next step for distance learning graduates. If you learned location-independently, you bring exactly the self-organisation that location-independent work demands. The Auslandsjob.de 2025/2026 study with 1,588 respondents shows how strong that wish has become: 62.3 percent want to work flexibly or location-independently abroad, and 85.4 percent would most like to go abroad temporarily for their own employer. In this article you will learn why your distance degree is the perfect preparation, what else the study reveals, and which routes you can take to work remotely abroad.

Distance learning and remote work: the same principle, just with a salary

You managed your studies alongside your job or entirely from a home office. That means you have mastered a skill many people struggle with at work. You schedule your own time. You meet deadlines without a boss breathing down your neck. Zoom, Notion or Slack: you already know these tools from your studies.

Remote work demands exactly these skills. Anyone who can learn location-independently can usually also work location-independently. For distance learning graduates, remote work is therefore not a foreign world but the logical continuation of their studies. Working abroad is closer for you than you think. Instead of credit points, this time there is a salary.

The jump is easier for you than for others. You do not have to get used to self-organisation first. You already have it.

What the study shows: remote work abroad is no longer a niche wish

The desire for location-independent work has long been mainstream. That is confirmed by the Auslandsjob.de 2025/2026 study, for which Auslandsjob.de surveyed 1,588 people.

According to the study, 62.3 percent of respondents want to work flexibly or location-independently abroad, meaning hybrid, fully remote or as a digital nomad. Only around one in five still wants on-site presence work.

Another figure is even clearer. According to Auslandsjob.de, 85.4 percent would experience it as an increase in attractiveness if they could work abroad temporarily for their existing German employer. So many do not want a new job at all. They want to do their current job from another country.

The reasons for leaving are clear. The strongest motive is new cultures and languages at 56.2 percent, followed by a better work-life balance at 54.4 percent. As a destination, Spain leads clearly with 43.6 percent of mentions, ahead of Portugal, Italy and Greece.

The following table shows which work models respondents want for going abroad:

Source: Auslandsjob.de 2025/2026 study, n = 1,588. Around 15.8 percent of respondents were still undecided.

Anyone who sees a distance degree through has proven they can organise themselves, and that is the most important currency in remote work. Our study shows that 85.4 percent of respondents would most like to go abroad temporarily for their own employer. For distance learning graduates, remote work is therefore not a leap into the cold but the next logical step.

Frank Möller, Managing Director of Auslandsjob.de

Your routes into remote work abroad

Wanting it is easy. The question is how you actually approach it. For starting out or taking the next step after your distance degree, there are four proven models:

• Remote job abroad: You are permanently employed at a company and work from the country of your choice. This suits you if you want security and a steady income.
• Workation: You keep your residence in Germany and work from abroad for a few weeks or months. Ideal for a first test of whether life on the move suits you.
• Employer of Record (EoR): A local provider employs you in a legally secure way in the destination country while you work for your company. This pays off when your employer has no branch on site.
• Digital nomad: You work self-employed or freelance and change your location freely. This is for anyone who puts maximum freedom over security.

Honestly: for the start, a permanently employed remote job is usually the most relaxed option. Digital nomad sounds good but demands clients, bookkeeping and self-discipline from day one. For a short test, a workation is enough. Anyone who wants out permanently is better off planning straight away with permanent employment or an EoR. The study shows most people plan long-term: 32.9 percent even want to emigrate permanently.

Conclusion

Your distance degree was the dress rehearsal. You learned to organise yourself, to work digitally and to deliver without constant supervision. That is exactly what you need for remote work abroad. The Auslandsjob.de 2025/2026 study shows that the majority wants precisely this: to work flexibly and location-independently, many of them ideally for their own employer. Whether remote job, workation, Employer of Record or digital nomad, there is a fitting model for every plan.

Before you take the step abroad, though, the right degree should be in place. In a consultation I clarify which distance programme fits your career goal and which prior learning can be credited. And if you want to know which routes abroad suit you specifically, Auslandsjob.de lists open positions and the matching models. For the study part, book a free initial consultation.