# WORKING in the PHILIPPINES...



## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

I know that several members have asked this question about working in the Philippines and it is generally thought that as foreigners, we are not allowed to hold any type of employment. Or at least to not take any jobs out of the hands of the local residents. However...following a link from Mcalleyboy on another thread post, (thanks MB), I ran across this current list of Forty-Three, (43), approved professions that the Philippine government will allow foreigners to hold here in the Philippines.

http://www.immigration.gov.ph/images/Professions.pdf

These are typically professions that the Philippine locals are not pursuing or are not advanced enough in skill to provide the level of expertise required in the current Philippine society. However...while reading through the list, I was surprised at some of the entries!

Interesting information for those who might wish to pursue a working career, or perhaps some extra supplemental income while residing here in the Philippines. It seems the Philippine Government will allow foreigners to hold quite a variety of employment positions without question, according to the posted announcement.


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## 197649 (Jan 1, 2013)

WOW Cebu your right I am surprised at several of them particularly the medical field. But then many many of the Filipinos who do become a professional become an OFW and make 3-4 times the money they can make here. Which brings me to the point of why would a medical professional or any other professional work here? I don't see them getting paid what they believe they are worth. 
Myself I would never consider working here period. Takes away from my FUN time. But I do volunteer, since I love animals the local animal shelter is a fun place for me to go and take care of animals. Plus if I don't want to go today no problem I AM A VOLUNTEER, I meet lots of new friends.


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## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

You can add Chiropracters to that list. As the Philippines doesn't recognize it as a medical practice. So no licensing or restrictions. I know of two US Chiros in country.


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## kingi (Aug 31, 2013)

My guess is those expats working in the medical fields there would be doing so through altruistic interests mainly. Semi retired doctors and nurses looking for something more to life?


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

I was looking hard for a job but it's so difficult for me because I live far from Manila, Manila has all the call center jobs but I have ran into an expat that work's for a Call Center company and he gave me some valuable information, I'll try to post it all here, these are transcript copies put together from my conversations with an American expat working here.

*Requirements (it's a tough world here so get ready)*

1. Permanent resident or if not a permanent resident you'll need a Work Visa (it's a process).
2. NBI clearance, current or one not older than 6 months. 
3. Local police clearance (Not hard). 
4. Local residency permit from your city hall. 
5. Barangay clearance from your Barangay Captain. Your wife can help with that one. They usually require a local college degree with 72 credits but as an American with English as our 1st language, we can usually bypass that. Let them know that you've had previous call center experience and where. 

*Note; once hired by the company:*

They will put you through a few tests but they're easy (At least to us Americans). They will ask you if you have an employee reference. Tell them yes. "hopefully you know someone, maybe from these expat boards you can buddy up with a reference name " but basically he gave me his name and all his information.

*Once hired, very important:*

1. Take the copy of the employment contract and go to your local SSS office and apply for your SSS#.
2. Same with BIR. You will need a tax id #.
3. They will send you for a physical exam at company expense.


That's basically it in a nutshell the requirements and like I mentioned at the beginning if you're not a permanent resident 13a Visa card holder then you'll have to go through a bunch more loopholes for a working Visa and the initial fee is something like 8,000 peso's with an annual 3,000 peso fee, here's a short cut for the Philippine Bureau of Employment for those that aren't permanent residents.

http://www.ble.dole.gov.ph/faqs.asp


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## 197649 (Jan 1, 2013)

Again WHY would anyone want to work here? You not going to retire from the income you earn. If it is busy work or just to have something to do VOLUNTEER.
I guess working for since I was 15 until I couldn't anymore (disabled) 60 for 45 years is enough for me.
If your young and a go getter I might understand it. But then I'd wonder why come here when you can go make good money elsewhere in 1/2 the time. 
I view the Philippines as a mixture of Florida and Oregon or Washington (rainy season you know) only cheaper


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## Nickleback99 (Aug 6, 2011)

c_acton98 said:


> Again WHY would anyone want to work here? You not going to retire from the income you earn. If it is busy work or just to have something to do VOLUNTEER.
> I guess working for since I was 15 until I couldn't anymore (disabled) 60 for 45 years is enough for me.
> If your young and a go getter I might understand it. But then I'd wonder why come here when you can go make good money elsewhere in 1/2 the time.
> I view the Philippines as a mixture of Florida and Oregon or Washington (rainy season you know) only cheaper


That'll be me...R E T I R E D !


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## fuji0001 (May 5, 2014)

Nurses??? No way. There is a glut of Philippine nurses here in California (USA). They tend to work in the care giving, hospice, short-long term nursing facilities. My GF is an RN at one of these places and when there is a company get together most everyone is Philippino. Has to be more to it than skill set. Like far more $$$$ work in the USA??? 

Another is Accounting. I was a hiring manager in IT for many years, looked at a few thousand resumes it seems like. Also seemed like nearly every resume submitted by a Pinoy listed University degree in accounting. 
Oh well, if it means more single attractive Pinay's come over here, I won't argue LOL


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## 197649 (Jan 1, 2013)

Nickleback99 said:


> That'll be me...R E T I R E D !


I am with you Nickle. May I add enjoying it so much I only wish I could have done it earlier


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## bidrod (Mar 31, 2015)

I came here to retire, and Work is a dirty word to me. I have a retired pay that is equal to the monthly pay of the President of the Philippines. I realize that everyone does not have that opportunity, but most wages here are not that great. If you can not support the life style you want to live without working here I would recommend you stay where you are til you can, JMHO.


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## 197649 (Jan 1, 2013)

bidrod said:


> I came here to retire, and Work is a dirty word to me. I have a retired pay that is equal to the monthly pay of the President of the Philippines. I realize that everyone does not have that opportunity, but most wages here are not that great. If you can not support the life style you want to live without working here I would recommend you stay where you are til you can, JMHO.


You my friend are lucky.


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## bidrod (Mar 31, 2015)

c_acton98 said:


> You my friend are lucky.


Not really that lucky, the President of the Philippines monthly salary is only 120,000 php a month.


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## fuji0001 (May 5, 2014)

yes but i bet he never has to buy his own drinks


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## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

fuji0001 said:


> yes but i bet he never has to buy his own drinks


Haha


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## esv1226 (Mar 13, 2014)

these guys enjoy perks ordinary people cannot afford. i suspect he doesn't have a single bill to pay. he is provided with house, car, clothes and all - including personnel.


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## simonsays (Feb 11, 2009)

esv1226 said:


> these guys enjoy perks ordinary people cannot afford. i suspect he doesn't have a single bill to pay. he is provided with house, car, clothes and all - including personnel.


Don't forget, when he visited AC before election I doubt he had to pay for the bar girls 

Anyway, when he goes overseas, it's amazing that in his 120k salary he can host friends and buddies for boys nights 

Ps. I think the Chinese president earns less, but a great guy he is. He managed to send his kid to Oxford in his peanut salary


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

c_acton98 said:


> Again WHY would anyone want to work here? You not going to retire from the income you earn. If it is busy work or just to have something to do VOLUNTEER.
> I guess working for since I was 15 until I couldn't anymore (disabled) 60 for 45 years is enough for me.
> If your young and a go getter I might understand it. But then I'd wonder why come here when you can go make good money elsewhere in 1/2 the time.
> I view the Philippines as a mixture of Florida and Oregon or Washington (rainy season you know) only cheaper


I'll second that...I AM RITIRED and loving every minute of it. I Was like c_acton and have worked for so many years, (46 and a half)...I don't want to work anymore. Life is too short and there is too much to sit back and enjoy. The hardest work I intend on doing is carrying my scuba gear down to the boat dock and I might not even do that if they have good customer service at the dive center.


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## Lanhawk (Feb 25, 2015)

Working is not working if its something you like doing. Most expats that want to work, have some sort of internet business going. You could go to Odesk or Fiverr, find something you can do at home ( as long as you have internet acces) and make a few US dollars without all these regulations. Me, I like to cook so me and my wife will run a little restaurant, you don't make a gold mine but you make enough to pay for living. Some expats run blogs, or youtube channels, get enough viewers then setup a patreon site where views can send money to support them. I know one expat that sells martial arts supplies on the web, he gets a few locals to make the supplies, pays them for their work, then sends our the goods via LBC.

Anyways there is just a few ideas.


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## JShannon (Jan 28, 2014)

I had origionally been planning to start a business when I came here for something to do, since then I have my 13A. Upon reflection I do not plan to do that anymore because of many different issues, one being I wanted to set it up and have others look after it. 

I trust my wife and her family explicitly but not many have the knowledge nor experience to help out in managerial roles so would have to go outside to find the experience which would require way more time to look after it than I want to do. Then being a kano owner of a business there are many horror stories out there.

My wife is just completing a conversion course from nursing to teaching, I am encouraging her to follow through and teach for a few years to get the experience to be able to continue doing that to support herself if I am not around. 

Between her teaching and my retirement income we could live very comfortably for a long time.

Bottom line for me is if you don't have to then don't bother.

If you fall into one of those in demand professions then it might be worth it.

Being an experienced employee at a call center will get you a max of 500PHP a day, where I am minimum wage for that is about 300 a day. Is 6 days a week for a monthly salary of approx 12k PHP worth it for the effort?

Obviously yours to decide.

I will stay with the retired crowd.


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## 197649 (Jan 1, 2013)

Just think guys if we retired in our home countries what would we be doing. I know being 100% disabled my pay is not bad but in the Ole USA I could not afford to PAY ATTENTION


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

c_acton98 said:


> Just think guys if we retired in our home countries what would we be doing. I know being 100% disabled my pay is not bad but in the Ole USA I could not afford to PAY ATTENTION



I'll second that! My disability pay from both the VA and the Social Security System provide me with a good income and I am living quite comfortable here in the Philippines but back in the States I would certainly be struggling...

Not only could I NOT afford to pay attention myself but I could not even afford to pay an illegal alien sub standard wages to pay attention for me...


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

*The Poor House*

I read an article within the last week or so that was shocking beyond belief. It said, in part that the cost for just an average apartment in San Fransisco was now over $3,000us dollars per month! Stupid, ridicules, and unreal are terms that don't do that article justice. 

Think about that for just a minute and let it soak in. 
If rent is 3 grand per month, just imagine the move-in cost. First, last, cleaning deposit, security deposit, and key deposit. 
Many people would have to take out a small loan just to move in! That says nothing at all about deposits for utilities and the cost of the actual move.

This is the kind of information that truly adds to my satisfaction in making the move here over 12 years ago and never going back.
I'm American; I love America and what it provided for me and countless generations before me.
But at the same time, with costs of living like that or anything close to it, I am most thankful to be living here in the islands no matter what kind of BS we have to put up with.

I wanted to work here but without a work permit it seemed too risky and a not right thing to do.
So I ended up running two hotels. One in Manila and the other in Baguio. Even managed a restaurant full time in Subic Bay for some time.
But still without that work permit, I was able to do it as an unpaid volunteer for the owner of these companies. And for some reason, working these jobs as an unpaid manager, it turned out to be a lot more fun than working a full time paid position in each--go figure:confused2:.


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

Jet Lag said:


> I read an article within the last week or so that was shocking belief. It said, in part that the cost for just an average apartment in San Fransisco was now over $3,000us dollars per month! Stupid, ridicules, and unreal are terms that don't do that article justice.
> 
> Think about that for just a minute and let it soak in.
> If rent is 3 grand per month, just imagine the move-in cost. First, last, cleaning deposit, security deposit, and key deposit.
> ...




I agree Jet Lag! The cost of living in the US is ridiculous for certain. I know I could not afford to live there in a retired situation but here in the Philippines, I can live quite comfortably.

One thing that troubles me in the US right now is the excessive influx of illegal aliens and no effort to stop this flow of people coming to the US. I know my community used to be English speaking and now all the stores and malls have signs in both English and Spanish and all of the local school teachers were forced to learn Spanish to meet the needs of the huge growing illegal Latino populations. Taxes keep going up to pay for all these new bi-lingual programs. The US Census Department reported that the Latino community was by far the fastest growing segment of the US population...out numbering all other ethnic backgrounds combined! AND...the largest number of this growth was attributed to people entering the US illegally and not being required to leave. Homeland Security has the number of illegals from Mexico and a few other Latin speaking countries at more than 20 million people!

It won't be long and America might not be America any more. We have always openly accepted all people from all nations and all walks of life across our borders but the huge influx of illegal aliens has certainly changed the face of our country forever. I don't recognize America as I did when I was growing up...its just not the same place any more and I for one am completely satisfied with my permanent move to the Philippines with no plans to ever return to the US, (except maybe a visit), but never again to live there.


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## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

Cebu Citizen said:


> I'll second that! My disability pay from both the VA and the Social Security System provide me with a good income and I am living quite comfortable here in the Philippines but back in the States I would certainly be struggling...
> 
> Not only could I NOT afford to pay attention myself but I could not even afford to pay an illegal alien sub standard wages to pay attention for me...


Im quite comfortable in usa on my disability,and also my family is quite comfortable in philippines. I dont know how you guys cant manage here in usa. Still the greatest country on earth and sinking fast!!!


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## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

lefties43332 said:


> im quite comfortable in usa on my disability,and also my family is quite comfortable in philippines. I dont know how you guys cant manage here in usa. Still the greatest country on earth and sinking fast!!,but then im countryboy,and countryboy can survive.....wife also,,we are blessed.!


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Housing costs vary from state to state*



Jet Lag said:


> I read an article within the last week or so that was shocking beyond belief. It said, in part that the cost for just an average apartment in San Fransisco was now over $3,000us dollars per month! Stupid, ridicules, and unreal are terms that don't do that article justice.
> .



Back in 1985, I made E-5 in 3 years but couldn't afford to live off base in San Diego, California, I was single at the time and it was a requirement to give up 3 months worth of rent at $1,500 per month for a two bedroom, two bath apartment, so totally cost to move in would have been $4,500, can you believe that, would've been cheaper to live in Tijuana and travel back and forth every day, that's what many of the Dual citizens were doing.

Retired out of Guam and the movers were an all Philippine crew, they were thinking about moving to California for jobs and I mentioned to them that the apartment costs were outrageous and that the pay wasn't so hot either, so all their hard work would've gone to the cost of living even if they had several families in one house, I recommended that they live more in the bread basket states, even my home state of ND (they need workers) and their response to me was that California is beautiful and warm so a nice place to live, same with NY...Lol.


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## ReneD (Oct 1, 2012)

I am from The Netherlands, but for my study I visited San Francisco and Silicon Valley.
We were told that because of the many people working in SV, prices went up in SF. Because they make much more money then average. They were transported from SF to SV by special 'Google busses', which p***ed off the locals. They didn't like seeing a bunch of rich kids with their own transport system causing a steep rise in costs of living. Things got out of hand so Google stopped with their marked busses, but I guess they still organize transport to the valley. 
So San Francisco probably is not 'average USA'. I loved it there by the way! But too expensive to live there unless you are starting up a business.


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