Job Discussion Forums

[ghost]

Ghost has been travelling to the Philippines since 1999, many times, for rest and relaxation, between teaching contracts and on vacation.

Ghost has invested in property in Laguna Province, with the help of a Pinoy attorney. Ghost has also studied Tagalog, and regional culture, in conjunction with a course at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, so it (ghost) is much more familiar with the Philippines than many people would suspect.

The fact that ghost mingles and lives with the Pinoys/Pinays on a regular basis, and has been adopted by the people in the Barangay as an honorary visitor and semi permanent citizen away from the tourist traps of Boracay and Palawan, gives it a broader perspective. The Filipinos themselves have told ghost not to count on ever earning a living as a teacher in the Philippines, and if some of the doubters go on to the forums of some of the Universities (like the forum of the University of the Philippines, Diliman) they will quickly come to realize that the vast majority of educated Filipinos communicate in English, and at a level comparable or better than most similarly educated North Americans, and Canadians. Another site of interest is the www.gov.ph/forum (official website of the Philippines), and on those forums, you will also realize how proficient the Filipinos are in English communication, which is used 90% of the time for written communication on those Pinoy boards.

For those reasons, and others, native speakers will never really get a foothold of the situation for teaching English as a second language in the Philippines...

Nagugustuhan ho namin dito!

ghost

[Worldly]

[White_Elephant]

Truth be told, I was offered an ESL teaching job in the Philippines. It was in Cebu and they paid a thousand USDs a month. I was offered this job when I was not looking and they never saw my resume. I thought the pay was miserable and I wasn't interested in the Philippines, anyway. I wasn't even "adopted" by the "Philippino" people either.

Maybe it's not what you know but who you know that matters.

[ghost]

[Big L]

Don't let the misinformed deter you if you want to teach
in the Philippines. I recently finished almost three years
living and working there, and you can find a school, or other work, if you
are really motivated to stay. Beyond the low pay, actually living there
and not being a tourist, or a pretend resident, has some real advantages.
I was making alot more than the mayor of Cebu (his pay is about
28,000 p) and didn't need a bodyguard. I will post soon with more details
if anyone is interested, or you can contact me if you have questions.
It is amazing how much misinformation there is about a country
where most folks nominally speak English. If you want to read about
the country, there is a bunch of good sites, including philstar.

[teachsab]

There is money to be made in the Philippines. It will not come in the pre-packaged model of a private school in Korea or a private school in Japan. The competition is tough, just like Ghost said. Many people have more education and experience than you do. Honestly though, I can personally tell you that it is possible. I don't have a masters degree or anything special, I'm just super aggressive and confident. I sell myself and at the end of the day I see a future here that I didn't see in other countries. It wasn't easy in the states during the fifties but many rich people today were made during that time. I used my ESL experience to get into the door, with a fair amount of salesmanship, and now I am pleased.

Also a note for Ghost. Don't get caught up with the crab mentality that many Filipino's get caught up in. They don't know that it is possible to actually make money in the Philippines, they have to go overseas. Guess what? That is what the majority of people want them to believe. I know many Filipinos that make over 200K PHP a month, and they are under the age of 25. I also know many ex-pats that make a lot more than that.

To be a little selfish though, I hope everyone just stays in South Korea and Japan. Less competition for me, lol.

Good Luck All!!!!

[diver]

Big L wrote

[Yaya]

I went to the Philippines for the first time last month, and LOVED IT. I hit Cebu then Boracay, and really liked it. I've also met many Filipinos in Korea, where I live and work, and they say setting up a business in the Philippines requires little cash. But others say getting reliable staff and shakedowns by cops or officials are troublesome. I also knew an ex-Navy Seal who spent three years in the Philippines as a diving instructor, but left in disgust.

English is my mother tongue and I'm also fluent in Korean, so perhaps going in with a Korean investor in something other than ESL might be the ticket.

[blowinlicks]

Mr. Kalgushki and others,

Thank you very much. Ghost is way out of line here. I am married to a Filipina and I think I am well-acquainted with the people and the culture, at least with regard to the employment prospects there and its relation to foreign teachers. I strongly suspect malfeasance.

Ghost - lay off the generalizations. Nearly all are completely ludicrous and
are merely inflaming some sort of "imagined predjudice" with regard to Filipino teachers, FTs and the very wise people who previously responded.

[ghost]

[spinelli35]

I'm kind of wondering why everytime a post about the Phillipines comes up Ghost tries to deter other teachers from working there?

The original post from the OP was dating back to 06 of last year and Ghost is still at it.

I applied to jobs in the Phillipines last year, and although I didn't get a response right away..about a week or two later my inbox got flooded. That's no word of a lie.

Now if so many teachers in the Phillipines were as "qualified" as you claim they are, why in the world would they be posting job ads all over the place looking for teachers from nativespeaking countries?

South Korea and Japan would be doing the same thing if that were the case. Just hiring Pinoys and Pinays. It's the whole blonde, hair blue eyed, aspect of having a teacher from an English country that attracts parents to want to pay for their kids schooling with a particular school/organization.

MOD EDIT

Teacher who want to work in the Phillipines go for it!

The jobs are plentiful and they would welcome you with open arms. They love the west, they love Americans and Canadians and they would love to learn English from North Americans..not just Pinays.

The food is probably amongst the top 3 in Asia..MOD EDIT, the weather is great, the beaches are fantastic and you can actually live like a king on even 700 U.S. a month, and most locals speak enough English to understand you but the majority have terrible grammar and their english is dyslexic. However they are the most kind and generous people once they get to know you, and you are family not a teacher.

Thank you

[Big L]

The only thing that changed in 6 months is the exchange rate! It is
south of 45 peso to a buck . I was getting paid in US dollars two years
ago...and the rate was steady at 56. Keep us posted on how the job search goes..

[Serious_Fun]

yes...yes...but where is this so-called "Philip Eanes" located, and how did he get so many islands?

[JZer]

[ghost]