"Remote" is the least reliable word in a job advert. It is used for genuinely location-independent roles, for hybrid roles with a commute, for roles remote only within one country, and occasionally for roles that were remote when the advert was written and are not now.
The cost of misreading it is high, because it is the term people accept a job over and resign a job over.
The four things "remote" is actually used to mean
Fully remote, geography flexible. You may live anywhere within a stated set of countries. Rare, because employers face real tax and employment-law obligations wherever you sit, and most will not take that on lightly.
Remote within one country. Common and usually honest. You work from home; you must be tax-resident and legally able to work in that country. Occasional travel to an office.
Remote-first with anchor days. Home most of the time, but with a required in-person cadence — a monthly team day, a quarterly week. Fine if you know about it, expensive if you discover it after moving.
Hybrid described as remote. Two to three fixed office days. The advert says "remote working available" and means "you may work from home on Fridays". This is the one that catches people, and it is why you should never accept a role on the strength of the word alone.
The questions that settle it
Ask these at the first conversation, not the last. They are entirely reasonable and the answers are concrete.
- How many days a month are you expected on site, and is that a policy or a preference? Preferences become policies.
- Which countries can the role be performed from? Employment, tax and payroll all hang on this.
- Is the salary adjusted for location? Some employers pay one rate regardless; others band by region. Both are defensible, but you need to know which before discussing money.
- Where is the rest of the team? A remote role on a team that is otherwise all in one office is a materially different job — you will miss context and it will affect your progression.
- What are the core hours and which time zone? "Remote" with mandatory 9–5 in a distant zone is a night shift.
- Has the policy changed in the last two years, and is another change planned? Many employers have tightened. Ask directly.
Get it in the contract
A verbal assurance about working location is worth very little when the policy changes or your manager does. If remote working matters to you, your contract should state your normal place of work and any required on-site attendance. If the employer will not put it in writing, that is your answer.
Pay attention to how the change process is described too: a contract that lets the employer vary your place of work at will is not a remote job, whatever the advert said.
Reading the advert itself
- A named city plus the word remote almost always means hybrid.
- "Remote (UK)" or "Remote — US, Canada" is a real, honest constraint and a good sign.
- "Occasional travel to the office" without a number is worth one clarifying question.
- No mention of location at all in a fully remote advert usually means nobody has decided, and the decision will not be made in your favour.
None of this requires suspicion of the employer. Most of the vagueness is carelessness rather than deception. But it is your commute, your tax residency and your family logistics, so make them state it plainly.