Where and how can people get started as remote PLC programmers? I am beginner so would take on only small projects?
Something like fiverr.com but with at least 20 dollar projects.

I'm not sure about fiverr but upwork (previously Odesk) can be a good place to get started.

We also have a full blog post on tips that can get you a job as an automation engineer without any experience. You can read this post here:
http://bit.ly/1WQpnUP