I’ve mentioned before that for many Filipinos, the opportunity to work from home is a dream. Because for the longest time, working abroad was the dream. That was the goal. It’s so hard to find a good job that leaving your family is worth it, just to provide for them.
It’s so common that there’s an acronym for it: OFW (overseas Filipino worker). It’s an official government acronym in the Philippines.
Being separated from your family is hard enough. But did you know that the chance to work abroad for Filipinos is also difficult, time-consuming and expensive?
Filipino families actually go into debt just to help their breadwinners get a job abroad; that’s how hard it can be to find a job there.
Let me give you an idea of how much it would cost a typical Filipino to work abroad.
Let’s assume they already have a job offer.
To start the process of becoming an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), Filipinos are expected to shell out between PHP 28,000 to PHP 400,000. This is just the ballpark figure, depending on the job and country they’re going to.
So, for a family earning P20,000 or P30,000 per month, they’ll have to go into debt. It’s quite common for families to sell or pawn their homes and farmlands just to come up with this money.
Part of that money goes to placement fees with the agency that got them the job. On top of those fees, the agency can also get the worker’s first month’s salary. The legitimate, government-registered agencies are entitled to it.
The rest of the money goes to the cost of getting the required documents. Documentary requirements include a passport, birth certificate, government-issued ID, marriage certificate, medical clearance, etc.
They can’t just ask for these documents to be delivered to their house. To get these documents, Filipinos go to different government offices and line up. If they live close to a government office, it’s a short commute. If they live in a far-flung area, the cost adds up.
Getting just one document, like a birth certificate, can take an entire day. Some documents, like an NBI clearance, can take longer, especially if your name has been flagged in the system (a common occurrence if you have a common name).
All in all, getting all the required documents can take a week, often longer.
Depending on the kind of job they applied for, they might need to get additional certifications like an employer’s on-the-job training certification or technical certifications from TESDA (it’s their government agency that regulates technical-vocational schools). Many employers and countries also require First Aid and Basic Life Support training certificates from the Philippine Red Cross for certain jobs.
The cost would be a lot more if it weren’t for the Philippine government requiring foreign employers to shoulder some of the expenses like their round-trip tickets, work permits, etc. But this is only enforceable if the Filipino was dealing with a legitimate job placement agency and not a scam agency.
Even if the Filipino worker has the money to pay all the fees, the process takes a long time. In the best case scenario, getting that job offer and flying out of the country can take 6 weeks. In most cases, it can take longer, depending on the country they’re going to.
This is what they have to go through if they go through the LEGAL process of finding overseas work.
Because of this, many are scammed by illegal agencies with the promise of high-paying jobs and shorter wait times. Best case scenario is they’re only scammed out of a lot of money. Worst case, they’re trafficked or pushed into criminal activity.
That’s how hard it can be to find a good job in the Philippines.
So, getting a great job that lets them work from home is like winning the lottery. They get a stable job and the prestige of working with a foreign company without the expense, stress, and risk of leaving the country.
Can you find the talent you need and allow them to work from home?
John