A great many of my searches here at PhilFAQS, the place where you get answers on living in the Philippines, revolve around “getting a job” here … normally from folks who are thinking about moving back to the Philippines, moving to the Philippines for the first time, and people unsure about opportunities for their children should they live here in the Philippines, or continue to live in the Philippines when their children reach maturity.
First of all, it’s no secret that i am not in the “jobs in the Philippines” business. I consider traditional “jobs” to be something that is slowly but surely moving in the direction of the buggy whip and the dinosaur. I also don’t necessarily equate “landing a job” as an “opportunity”. Sure, there will be times when a conventional job might seem to be the only route that seems open to someone, but I don’t necessarily see that as “opportunity” … more like having a puncture and being able to put on a spare … it keeps the car going but it’s hardly something that most of us wants to happen.
Where, for example, would we be today if Bill gates or Larry page or Sergy Brin opted for the undoubtedly high level job “opportunities” any of them were eminently qualified for? They would now be middle-aged plodding corporate “staff”, juggling their finances every month to insure enough income to educate their children and plan a retirement and we, the world, would be eminently poorer.
Here are a couple things that people should think through regarding even wanting to “get a job” here in the Philippines. especially if they are already employed in a foreign country.
- First, you don’t need a job here that even approaches what you are making in your current position. Let’s say a foreign worker and/or husband and wide working together clear $100,000 USD annually. That sounds pretty “successful” in most people’s book, although in some places in the US that couple might not be living near as well as some might think. But the bottom line is, the couple needs nowhere near $100,000 USD to live a very comfortable lifestyle here in the Philippines. My wife and I live very comfortably on an average of $1200 USD per month, (Say $14,400 USD per year)(including a generous amount going to savings, reserve for replacing our car in the future, sending one “surrogate daughter”, our niece, to college and eating plenty American-style pizza ordered in (too much pizza, judging by my waistline)). We also hop on an airplane whenever we want to, visit friends in Davao, fly to Macau to renew my free visa, etc. We are not hurting in any way.
- Secondly, jobs, even jobs in the Philippines, cost money as well as pay money. Suppose I had a job working for a firm here in the Philippines who employs foreigners … perhaps a big call center in Makati. I’d be spending several thousand dollars a year on business clothes, commutation costs, gifts, socializing at the office and a big thing … Philippine income taxes. Makes the ‘gross” of a job a heck of a lot more attractive than the small amount I would actually “net” from working for someone else, that is for sure.
So what could take the place of a J.O.B. (Just Over Broke) for someone wanting to live here in the Philippines? One thing that jumps right into my mind is, earn money from outside the Philippines while you live here in the Philippines. How on earth could one do that, Dave? Well, of course regular readers will know what I’m going to say next … the Internet.
Now of course you could honesty and ethically earn money directly via the Internet. that’s what springs to most people’s minds as soon as the ‘net comes up in conversation. And the next thing that comes to mind is … “Oh I couldn’t do that, I don’t have the technical skills, I am not an engineer or a “geek” and all sorts of self-defeating thoughts along those lines come into play. You would, of course, be wrong. But how would you bridge that gap between what you could accomplish and what you think you can’t accomplish? Here are some resources you could start with:
- The Portable Lifestyle This is a company run by a young couple (Jon & Kathryn). Originally from California they now travel the world, pretty much continuously, on their own schedule. They have two small children with them, by the way, they are not waiting until the are “old enough”, when perhaps health issues or other constraints will time them down. I have sold several of their products (which are fully money=back guaranteed, by the way) and have nothing but good reports. They also publish an excellent free Portable Lifestyle Newsletter. Recommended.
- My Online Income System. This is a complete. no-tech business system authored and distributed by a young American single-mom, Kimberly Hoffman. As many of you know, I earn income by promoting products online … those which I consider worth the effort, that is. I’ve been promoting this for a couple weeks now and sales have been gratifying. The methods Kim teaches are sound and her income potential realistic … several hundred dollars a week, honest profit. With that you can live in the Philippines full time quite comfortably. Since you have a full two months to try the system out with return privilege if it doesn’t work for you, I recommend those of you My Online Income System
Now, as many of you also know, I try not to heavily promote in this blog, so I promise you won’t see a steady diet of ‘click here and buy’ posts here, but I truly believe these two programs are well worth a look-see.
In the spirit of providing you the best in totally free information applicable to life in the Philippines, retiring in the Philippines and earning a living in the Philippines, here is the reason I was inspired to write this article today.
Fellow blogger Michael Dunlop over at the Income Diary published a great interview yesterday, from a couple who cut their chains and learned to become successful and independent without the bonds of a J.O.B. It’s entitled “My Wife Quit Her Job and became an Internet Entrepreneur” and it is well worth a read and a thoughtful review. If I had to chose one single quote out of the whole interview it would be this one:
What would you say is the biggest single reason for your success?
The biggest single reason for our success is that we got off of our butts and took some action. It’s really tempting to remain on the sidelines and endlessly gather information but at some point you have buckle down and tell yourself, “Alright, let’s do this”.
The couple in question, based in California, took themselves from zero income to over $100,000 USD online in just one year.
(There’s that magic $100K I mentioned earlier, if you still think you need it, heck, just earn it).
How, I am sure you are asking. Superior technology? Selling the ‘next big thing’ in electronics? Some sort of esoteric magical self-improvement formula gimmick? Multi-level marketing of magic berry diet pulls. Writing eBooka about writing eBooks?
Nope .. take a look here at their online store. They sell wedding linens. Yep, handkerchiefs and such with the fancy trappings that go with a formal wedding. Not only are they doing this (sales up 70% during the so-called ‘global financial crisis’), but, although they seem to be happy living where they are, I don’t see a single thing that would prevent them from running their established business from the Philippines instead of the US. (actually, since I have a suspicion many of their products are made in Asia anyway, they might even have an advantage in being based here). I may cover that in another article.
I recommend their blog, it is very informative and has lots of actionable thoughts … the step by step story of how they built their business from ‘zero’ to ‘hero’. I particularly liked this post, Five Reasons To Quit Your Job. Enjoy.
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