🌈 Slide into teleworking | Destination El Salvador OoO

Hey – Bienvenido de nuevo!

Did the pandemic open your eyes to remote work?

I’m in El Salvador this week to meet a woman who was forced to keep working in-office as COVID-19 swept through the country. Remote work became her saving grace.

El Salvador literally means ‘savior,’ so it’s a story I had to tell.

It’s episode 31, and we’re on the road filming extraordinary remote work stories in Central America.

Gabriela Santamaria and I head to the strangest restaurant in San Salvador for some real talk about what helped her take that leap of faith, how her life has changed, and how you can change yours.

This episode has it all: family, fun and a fantastic rainbow slide.

Buckle up because you’re next in line –

The Land of Liberation: San Salvador, El Salvador

Compared to Guatemala, El Salvador is positively tiny - but it has almost as many active volcanoes.

Jam packed into 21,040 square kilometers are 20 of them! Some say no matter where you stand, you can see a volcano in the distance.

If that doesn’t make you appreciate the volatility of life, what will?

With about 6.6 million people living there, you’d never guess that the capital San Salvador where I was gearing up to meet Gabi - had been destroyed twice in the last few hundred years. 

📝 One study listed El Salvador as one of the Central American countries with the least people working remotely. Of course, we have to change that.

For an increasing number of people in El Salvador, teleworking has helped them rise out of poverty. Gabi is a fulltime remote worker doing a customer service job for a US company by day, while belly dancing up a storm by night.

But what happens when your boss says no to remote work, even though pandemic lockdowns are in place? Do you risk your safety and your family’s future?

Let’s meet Gabi who found a way out.

Gabriela Santamaria: Remote Life’s a Picnic

I met Gabi at Picnic Steak House - the weirdest restaurant ever.

With fountains, elephants, giraffe and Pacman lights it fell straight out of a Lewis Carroll children’s book.

Her story began when COVID-19 reared its ugly head.

The country was in a vice grip lockdown, one of the strictest seen in the Southern Hemisphere at the time. COVID-19 hit El Salvador hard.

The World Health Organization estimates that 4200 people there died from it.

Rumors of human rights violations were rife. The Salvadoran military were given free rein to confront people breaking curfews, and confine them in camps.

😳 Despite the dangers – Gabi’s boss wouldn’t allow her to work from home. 🤬

She was afraid that she would lose her job at any moment.

Her company had switched from working with regular clients to helping the government with calls, as it offered financial aid to people struggling to survive.

😱 The only work available to her was a night shift.

So, Gabi was forced to drive alone at night, with the military and police in the streets. They would pull people over, and anything could happen. She never felt safe.

Luckily, her brother had a solution.

His US-based remote company had 10 short-term positions available, because their conference had been cancelled for the year and they needed more people onboard.

🤸 Gabi jumped at the opportunity! 

Though the job was temporary, it was safe and that made it worth the risk.

They called her and she was hired for a 7-week stint. Two weeks later, her supervisor called her again and offered her a full-time position working remotely.

It’s been 3 years since those calls, and Gabi’s entire life has changed.

Gabriela’s Remote Work Motivation

Gabi has always lived in El Salvador, though since switching to remote work she’s now able to travel. The flexibility and the higher pay has made it possible for her to see more of the country, and to go overseas.

🌐 She can work anywhere she can access a decent internet connection.

The switch from in-person to remote was a significant change.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 She enjoys much more time with her family

💵 Pay that is 3X bigger than her previous salary

😍 Far less stress and far more safety and security

“It’s possible that you can get things done without being stuck in a cubicle.”

💎 Fun Fact: The average monthly salary in El Salvador is $398.21, after taxes.

Why Companies Should Hire Salvadorans

I asked her what people in El Salvador have to offer companies looking for remote workers and she gave me a great answer.

You’ll find:

🧠 Smart, qualified people who enjoy what they do

⌨️ The kind of hard workers who always do a lot of preparation

💡 People who build as much knowledge as they can

“This is the right place.”

Remote Career Advice for Salvadorans

Then I asked Gabi why other Salvadorans should take that leap of faith and make the switch. She had this to say.

You’ll enjoy:

🤑 A better income

💪 Greater stability during these volatile times

🚀 The opportunity to learn and grow

💃 Gabi’s Passion: Belly Dancing

Belly dancing is her favorite thing to do in her spare time.

It gives her the chance to work with other women, and to have a community network on hand that helps her invest in herself.

The Rainbow Slide: A Leap of Faith

To end our amazing interview together, Gabi and I decided to experience El Salvador’s famous rainbow slide.

The slide is not for the faint of heart.

What a fantastic way to illustrate Gabi’s journey to remote work.

We took on the slide and what a rush!

All the fear, hesitation and adrenaline in the beginning was quickly replaced with a massive burst of endorphins and energy by the time we reached the bottom.

And it’s the same when you’re looking to make the switch to remote work.

✨ It may look like the distance is too far, or too dangerous to travel – but there are so many rewards waiting for you if you take the plunge.✨

Gabi doesn’t know where she’ll be in 10 years’ time, but she knows that she’ll be working remotely. That single leap of faith has freed her forever from the tyranny of the cubicle.

📣 Remote Workers: We Choose You!

Are you ready to be our next remote work hero? I’m on the hunt for people in your country who have incredible remote work stories to tell.

Soon I’ll be choosing who to interview for the next batch of Out of Office episodes!

If you have a great remote work story to tell, and a unique activity for us to do together in your country, apply! I’ll choose the stories that resonate with our community.

🎭 Next week – it’s part 1 of our biggest episode yet! I meet a creative superstar who has mastered the many arts to become one of Brazil’s top-rated freelance remote workers! Tune in Thursday for this unforgettable episode.

That’s it for this week – and remember – the future of work is Out of Office.

Andrew