I noticed a lot of digital nomads have to take a pay cut or have money saved up. Is it even possible to be a US citizen and have a remote job with good pay? I say this because if I want to live in a foreign country for say 3-6 months and then return back the US I don’t want to be making only 30k a year.
It is, but you have to approach it from a different angle, IMO.
Be an expert in what you do and be the one dealing the cards. If you’re constantly chasing and applying for whatever jobs are posted out there, you have to play by their rules and deal with whatever they decide to throw you.
Either approach people as a service provider, saying you can do this, this and this and this is your price - or, at the very least, just make sure you’re able to stand your ground and say “Cool, I can easily do this and I can even throw that into the package you’ll be getting, but here’s the caveat: I work remotely”.
Also, as some others have already said: it’s easier to be remote on a contract vs. to be a FT/Perm employee with a salary and some sort of perks attached, which means you have to spend time on growing your network and maintaining it: industry people, but also key fixers like Talent Managers, HRs etc. who will reach out to you if they have a leak to fix that you might do.
I generally don’t take a payout on my rates vs London - at least not a massive one, I might take £10, £20 off on an hour but only if it helps with securing the contract because the client just doesn’t have the budget I would normally ask for. Why would I? I’m still providing the same skills, making the same things happen regardless of where I am. I charge for my knowledge and value I bring in, time saved to the other side, etc.