Jobs/Making a Living in the Philippines

[ladislav]

Since I came to RP ( Rep. of the Philippines) in 1991, I have been racking my brains over how one could make a living here. In the 1990ies, the economy was not good. Not that it is good now, but it is much better. Still, the closest I could accomplish job-wise had been to go work in Saudi and other Arab countries, sweat in 125 degree heat with no women for months on end then go to RP and have fun for a couple of months. I tried to apply for jobs at universities and international schools but to no avail.
Things seem to be changing. The country has always been friendly socially, but as far as employing non citizens, it had very strict laws that made finding work, even for ESL teachers a hard undertaking. Plus the country spoke perfect English, so why would they need us? Well, apparently things are different now.
1) As more and more Filipinos leave for greener pastures, there are now fewer and fewer people that can teach. Because there are fewer teachers, the English standards are slipping. There is a new non-English speaking generation that has grown up and that now needs to take TOEFL just like the Chinese and the Japanese. Filipinos did not use to have to do that- they were an English speaking nation, but not anymore.
As talented teachers leave for the US, foreigners can now find ESL jobs , particularly teaching Koreans who have invaded the country in enormous droves. There are not enough Filipinos to teach them good English.
2) The Philippines has discovered and established a new national industry- Call Centers. People in these need to be taught how to speak American English to deal with demanding American customers who cannot understand the Filipino English which has somehow developed into a strange brogue with Tagalog phrases or even strange English expressions that are uniquely Filipino interspersed. Kind of like some weird Asian Creole. These people need to be trained and there are not enough Filipino trainers with American accents for a country of 90 mils.
3) There are not enough foreign language teachers and speakers, either. If you are a Spanish or a Russian speaker or a Dutch speaker, you can find jobs.
The work permits are also being issued.
The country seems to have become less strict towards employment of foreigners. Even foreign bar girls have been issued working visas.
I have been scouting various Philippine job bulletin boards ( google ' jobs philippines') and go through them with a fine tooth comb. Email some 20 places a day there and people start responding.
So, what is the catch? Well, the jobs do not pay that well. A thousand dollars a month is kind of standard, more or less. But that is a good salary in RP and one can live there and savour life they way it should be savoured.
Then, one can also teach online and take some assignments from the US.
They key words are patience and persistence. I figure it takes 2-4 months of very serious effort to kind of get established in RP. But if you want to live on this Planet of Girls and spend months and months or years bathing in heart-rendering romance or spending nights with heavenly beauties the likes of which you could never dream of, it may be worth your while.
I still have not found a job here , but I am seeing that it is much more possible now whereas it was impossible in 1991.

[starkeep]

i have a job for you. buy a rental borcay condo? many are advertised and have high returns. or own a gypeny there. or own a food business there. Many opportunities if you play your cards right.

[globetrotter]

8) i have a job for you. buy a rental borcay condo? many are advertised and have high returns. or own a gypeny there. or own a food business there. Many opportunities if you play your cards right.

I read these offers on expat long term rental sites and I just laugh.

The audacity to charge $1,500 USD a month to rent a 3 br condo in the RP. It's greed meets cluelessness and fear. It also highlights the USA tendency for people to screw each other over to make a buck, something not prevalent everwhere. Some cultures stick together. US Whites, nope. Dog eat dog.

That condo should be no more than $400.

[Winston]

Ladislav,
I have an opportunity for you and me (either or) that seems like a great idea and I'd like your input on it.

In the Mall of Asia in Manila, there is a kiosk outside called BELGIUM FRIES. Dianne and I LOVE it. It's sooooooo good, the best fries I've ever tasted. I wonder why not every mall has one there.

So I was thinking, if it is a franchise, why not contact the owner and ask if we could open one at SM Clark? It would be a hit seller for sure, since all the other food at SM Clark sucks. What do you think? It seems like an easy winner?

Maybe we could invest in that franchise together and open a kiosk in the mall and hire a few workers and manage the supply inventory, and then that's it right?

Your thoughts?

[momopi]

If I'm not mistaken, frieten is just twice-fried potatoes. There's someone here from Beligum and you can verify with him. You can buy a french fry cutter and small fryer with basket for under $100 USD, print a few internet recipes and give it a try yourself first.

The Franchise contact is old (2007) so I donno if it's valid, good luck:
http://franchise-pinoy.blogspot.com/200 ... fries.html