§ Remote work

Non-compete clause

also called non-competition clause

A contract term that stops you working for competitors or starting a competing business for a period after you leave a job.

Right, in plain English

A contract term that stops you working for competitors or launching a rival business for a set time after you leave a job. How enforceable it is swings wildly by country: some throw them out or make the old employer keep paying you through the period, others hold you to it strictly. A moonlighting clause is a different restriction, about side jobs while you are still employed, not after you leave.

Someone moves abroad planning to keep serving the same industry, having signed a non-compete without checking whether the new country enforces it. It turns out the local courts uphold it, and they are locked out of exactly the clients and work they relocated for.

Why it matters

Enforceability varies wildly: some countries strike these down or require the employer to keep paying you during the period, while others uphold them strictly. A nomad who signs one without checking local law can be blocked from the very clients or work they moved for.

Commonly confused with

Moonlighting clause

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