How to Answer "Why Do You Want to Work Remotely?" (With Sample Answers for Nigerians)

Recruiters at remote companies ask this question early, often in the first 15 minutes of a screening call or as a required box on the application form. It looks like small talk, but it filters people out. A vague or self-focused answer suggests you want any remote job, not this one. A specific answer shows you understand how remote teams work.

This guide explains what the interviewer is checking, gives you a three-part structure, lists the answers that hurt candidates (with rewrites), and gives sample answers for common Nigerian situations. It also covers how to talk about power, internet and time zones.

Quick answer

Answer in three parts. First, say why remote work suits the way you do this specific job, such as focused time or async writing. Second, give one real example of delivering work independently, with a result. Third, mention your working setup (backup power, two internet options) and the hours you can overlap with the team. Keep it to about 60 to 90 seconds when speaking or 100 to 150 words when writing.

Why remote employers ask "Why do you want to work remotely?"

The interviewer is checking three things: your motive, whether you can manage yourself, and whether you can communicate without being in the same room. For candidates applying from Nigeria, there is often a fourth: whether your hours and setup will actually work.

They want to know if you want this job or any remote job

Remote roles attract huge numbers of applicants, so employers look for signs that you chose them on purpose. Doist, the fully remote company behind Todoist, says it uses the cover letter to judge whether a candidate is excited about the company's problems or just wants any remote job. It treats a missing cover letter as a deal breaker. Your answer to this question does the same job in an interview.

They want evidence you can manage yourself

Remote work has real downsides, and experienced remote employers know them. In Buffer's 2023 State of Remote Work survey of 3,000 remote workers (fieldwork October to November 2022), 23% said they struggled with loneliness, 22% with not being able to unplug, 20% with staying motivated and 19% with working across time zones. An interviewer who has managed remote staff is listening for whether you've thought about these problems or only about the benefits.

They are testing your communication

Remote teams run on writing. Zapier, which has always been remote, says on its blog about why it works remotely that remote work "requires more discipline" and that teams have to write things down because nobody can tap a colleague on the shoulder. Automattic runs parts of its engineering hiring process over Slack and other text tools, so how you write during the process counts as part of the assessment. A rambling answer to a simple question is a warning sign for these employers.

For international candidates: hours and reliability

A London or New York manager hiring someone in Ibadan will wonder, even if they don't ask, whether you'll be online when the team needs you and whether a power cut will take you offline in the middle of a customer call. A good answer deals with that before they have to raise it.

A three-part structure for your answer

Use this order: reason, proof, setup. Each part takes one to three sentences.

Part 1: A reason connected to the work

Good reasons describe how remote work makes you better at the job. Some examples:

• Focus: fewer interruptions for deep work such as coding, writing, analysis or editing.
• Async habits: you already prefer written updates, documentation and clear tickets.
• Time back: you would use the hours you used to spend commuting for preparation, learning or the work itself (not just "less stress").
• The company's model: you want a team that is remote-first by design, not one that tolerates remote staff. Mention something specific from their careers page or handbook.

A personal reason such as family, health or avoiding a long Lagos commute is fine as a supporting detail. It just shouldn't be the whole answer.

Part 2: Proof that you deliver without supervision

This is where most answers fall short. "I'm self-motivated" means nothing without evidence. Give one short story with a number or a concrete result. It can come from:

• A previous remote job or freelance contract (Upwork, Fiverr or direct clients).
• An office job where you worked largely alone or with a team in another city.
• A school project, NYSC assignment or volunteer role you ran with little supervision.
• A personal project such as a portfolio, a course you finished or a small business you ran.

If your remote history is thin, read our planned guide on explaining your remote work experience in an interview. If the interviewer pushes further on independence, see how to show you can work independently.

Part 3: Your setup and your hours

Mention this briefly and as a fact, not an apology. One or two sentences are enough: where you work, how you handle power and internet, and which hours you can cover in the employer's time zone. The section below on power, internet and time zones explains how to phrase it.

How long the answer should be

About 60 to 90 seconds when speaking, roughly 150 to 200 words. For a written application box, 100 to 150 words unless the form says otherwise. If the interviewer wants more, they will ask.

Answers that hurt you, and how to rewrite them

Most weak answers have the same problem: they describe what remote work does for you and say nothing about what it does for the employer.

On the travel point: many remote contracts state the country you must work from, because of tax and employment law. If location flexibility matters to you, raise it as a question later in the process, not as your reason for applying. If you're planning a longer move, our digital nomad visa guides cover that separately.

Sample answers for common situations

Treat these as templates. Change the details to your own facts, because an interviewer will ask follow-up questions, and a borrowed story falls apart at the first one.

Example (hypothetical): first remote job, coming from an office role

A customer service officer at a Lagos bank applying for a remote support role with a UK software company:

"For the past three years I've handled customer complaints by email and phone at a bank, and the part I'm best at is written support: clear replies that close the issue the first time. Your support team works mostly in Zendesk with async handovers, which is how I already like to work. Last year I helped move our branch's complaint log from paper into a shared spreadsheet, and that cut our follow-up time noticeably. I've set up a home workspace with an inverter and a backup MiFi, and I can work UK office hours, which in winter is 10am to 6pm here in Lagos."

Why it works: the reason comes from the job (written support), the proof is concrete, and the setup and hours come last in one sentence each. In a real interview, use a figure you can stand behind instead of "noticeably". For role-specific questions, see our customer support specialist interview questions.

Example (hypothetical): freelancer moving to a full-time remote role

"I've worked remotely as a freelance content writer for two years, mostly for clients in the US and UK, so I already work to written briefs, shared editorial calendars and deadlines across time zones. What I want now is to go deep on one product instead of switching between five clients. Your blog covers developer tools, which I've written about for two clients, and I'd like to own that voice properly. I keep a fixed working day from 1pm to 9pm Lagos time, which overlaps with most of the US East Coast morning."

Why it works: the candidate explains why remote and why full-time, which is the real question for a freelancer. It also avoids hinting that they'll keep side clients.

Example (hypothetical): developer applying to an async-first company

"I do my best engineering work in long, quiet blocks. Most of my productive coding happens when I can work on one problem for three or four hours. Your handbook says you default to written RFCs (requests for comments) rather than meetings, and that's the environment where I've done my best work. On my last project, a three-person team spread across Abuja, Nairobi and Berlin, I wrote most of the technical documentation and we shipped the payments integration without a single live planning meeting. I work from a dedicated room with solar backup and a fibre line plus a 4G fallback."

Why it works: it refers to the company's own documentation, which shows research, and the proof is about written collaboration, the skill this employer cares about.

Example (hypothetical): recent graduate or NYSC corps member

"I want my first full-time role to be remote because the work I've enjoyed most, data cleaning and reporting, is focused and can be done alone, and because I learn fastest when I can work through documentation at my own pace. During NYSC I built a monthly attendance dashboard in Google Sheets for my place of primary assignment, and the coordinator still uses it. I know that starting remotely means I have to ask questions in writing and not wait to be checked on, so I've been practising that by sharing weekly progress notes on my portfolio projects."

Why it works: it admits the real risk of a first job being remote (learning without a desk neighbour) and shows a plan for it. Employers respect that more than false confidence. For more on starting out, see our guide to remote jobs for students and fresh graduates.

Example (hypothetical): written version for an application form

"I'm applying because your support team is fully async and works in writing, which is how I do my best work. I've spent two years resolving customer tickets by email at a fintech, where I kept my first-reply time under two hours on most days. Working remotely lets me put the time I spent commuting into preparation and product learning. I have backup power and two internet connections, and I can cover 9am to 5pm UK time."

That is about 70 words, short enough that a reviewer reads all of it.

Talking about power, internet and time zones from Nigeria

You don't need to bring up Nigerian infrastructure with an apology attached. State your setup as a professional would, in one sentence, and move on.

What to say about power and internet

Interviewers who have hired in Nigeria before already know about grid outages. What they want to hear is that you have planned for them. Mention what you actually have, for example:

• An inverter, solar system or generator that covers your laptop, router and lights.
• Two internet options, such as a fibre or 4G home router plus a MiFi or phone hotspot from a different network.
• A fallback plan: "If both connections drop, I message the team from my phone and move to a co-working space."

Only claim what is true. A good interviewer may ask, "What happened the last time your power went off during work?" Have a real answer ready. For practical ways to stay online, see our planned guides on the best internet options for remote work in Nigeria and staying productive when your connection is unreliable.

What to say about hours

Be specific. "I'm flexible" is vague. "I can work 9am to 5pm Eastern" is something the hiring manager can plan around, as long as you've done the conversion correctly.

Nigeria stays on West Africa Time (UTC+1) all year with no daylight saving. When the UK, Europe and the US change their clocks, your overlap with them shifts by an hour. Mention that you know this, because it shows you've thought about the practical side.

If a role needs full US Pacific hours, think honestly about whether you can work through the night in the long term before you promise it. Partial overlap, such as four shared hours, is often enough for async teams. Our planned guide on answering questions about working across time zones covers the follow-up questions.

Should you mention money or earning in dollars?

Not as your answer to this question. Earning in dollars or pounds is a legitimate and common reason Nigerians look for remote work, and no employer expects you to work for free. But "Why do you want to work remotely?" is a question about how you work. If you answer with pay, the interviewer hears that any remote job with a foreign salary would do.

Keep money for the salary stage. When that comes, prepare properly with our planned guide on negotiating a dollar salary for a remote job. For how the payments reach you, see how to receive dollar payments in Nigeria.

Adjusting the answer to the company and the format

The same three parts work everywhere, but the emphasis changes.

Remote-first, async company

Put most of the weight on written communication and independence. Refer to something from their public handbook or careers page. Companies like Doist say asynchronous communication is their default, so an answer that celebrates "lots of video calls" misses the point.

Company with remote staff but a head office

Emphasise availability and responsiveness. These teams often expect you online during core hours and on calls more often. Say which hours you can match.

Hybrid or "remote with occasional travel"

Don't say you dislike offices. Say you work well remotely and are happy to join in-person meetups if the role includes them. Check first that the role is actually open to someone living in Nigeria. Many "remote" roles are remote only within one country, and no answer will get around that. Our planned guide on checking whether a remote job accepts Nigerian residents explains how to read the location line.

Different interview formats

• Recruiter phone or video screen: the short spoken version, 60 to 90 seconds.
• Written application question: 100 to 150 words with no filler. Answer in your own words, because reviewers spot copied template text quickly.
• One-way recorded video: you'll have a time limit and no one to respond to, so rehearse to fit it. See how to prepare for a one-way video interview.
• Hiring manager interview: expect follow-ups on your proof story, so know its details.

How to prepare your answer in one evening

1. Read the company's careers page, remote handbook or "how we work" page. Note one specific thing about how they work.
2. Write your reason in one or two sentences, connected to the role's main tasks.
3. Choose one proof story and give it a number, a date or an outcome you can defend.
4. Convert the team's working hours to Lagos time and decide what you can honestly commit to.
5. Write one sentence on your power and internet setup, and test that setup on a call with a friend.
6. Read the whole answer aloud, time it and cut it to 90 seconds. Practise the key points rather than memorising every word, so you don't sound scripted.
7. Prepare for likely follow-ups: "How do you stay motivated?", "Have you worked remotely before?" and "What would you do if your internet failed before a meeting?"

For the full interview process, see our planned guide on how to prepare for a remote job interview, and for the questions that usually come next, our common remote job interview questions and sample answers. The question often asked straight after this one has its own guide: answering "Why should we hire you?" for a remote job.

A final warning: genuine employers don't charge you for interview coaching, "onboarding kits" or equipment before an offer. If a so-called recruiter asks for money at any point in the process, read our guide to spotting remote job scams in Nigeria before you reply.

Frequently asked questions

Is it okay to say I want to work remotely to avoid the commute?

Yes, as a supporting point. Saying you want to escape traffic sounds like a complaint. Saying what you will do with the time you get back sounds like a plan. Follow it with a reason connected to the work and some proof that you deliver independently.

What if I have never worked remotely before?

That's common, and you can still give a strong answer. Use proof from any situation where you worked with little supervision: a solo project at work, an NYSC assignment, freelance gigs or a portfolio you built. Admit that remote work brings challenges, then explain how you will handle them, for example with written updates and a fixed daily schedule.

Should I mention that I want to earn in dollars?

Not in this answer. Pay is a fair reason for wanting remote work, but this question is about how you work, and leading with money suggests any foreign salary would do. Discuss pay when the employer raises salary or when you reach the offer stage.

Should I tell the interviewer about power cuts in Nigeria?

Mention your backup instead of the problem. One sentence about your inverter or solar system and your second internet connection is enough. Only describe equipment you actually have, because experienced interviewers ask follow-up questions about it.

How long should my answer be?

Aim for about 60 to 90 seconds spoken, or 100 to 150 words written. That's long enough to cover your reason, your proof and your setup. If the interviewer wants more detail, they will ask.

Is "Why do you want to work remotely?" the same as "Why do you want to work here?"

No, though they overlap. "Why remote?" is about your motive for remote work and your readiness for it. "Why here?" is about this particular company. A strong answer to the remote question still names something specific about the company, which often makes the second question easier.

What if the job is hybrid or needs some travel?

Then don't present remote work as a way to avoid offices or people. Say you work well independently and are glad to meet the team in person when the role needs it. First confirm that the role is open to applicants based in Nigeria, because many hybrid roles require living near a specific office.

Key takeaways

• Structure the answer as reason, proof and setup, in that order.
• Make the reason about how you do this job, not only about your comfort.
• One concrete story with a result is worth more than any list of adjectives such as "self-motivated".
• Mention backup power, two internet options and the Lagos hours that overlap with the employer, briefly and accurately.
• Keep pay for the salary stage, and don't present remote work as a way to travel.
• Rehearse to about 90 seconds spoken or 150 words written, and prepare for follow-up questions.

Next steps

Write your three-part answer tonight, then test it against a real vacancy. Browse current listings on WorkRemote's remote jobs board. Each listing shows where applicants may live. After you search, use "Get email updates" to receive a free daily email of new matching jobs. For questions specific to your role, find your field in our interview question guides. If you want one-on-one practice with someone from our team, interview prep sessions are part of WorkRemote Premium (₦29,999 a month, cancel any time). Applying for jobs on WorkRemote is always free.

Sources

• How Doist Makes Remote Work Happen, Todoist/Doist
• 2023 State of Remote Work, Buffer
• Why Work Remotely, Zapier
• How We Hire, Automattic
• How to Answer "Why Do You Want to Work Remote?" in an Interview, Mondo
• Exchange rates by currency, Central Bank of Nigeria