Have you thought about living and working the Philippines? Ryan wanted to know if a young guy could make a serious attempt at making a living in the Philippines.
If you have considered packing your bags and moving to the Philippines, you’re not alone. The allure of tall coconut trees, white sandy beaches and a relaxing lifestyle is easy to understand.
Many foreigners come to the Philippines with a dream that runs along those lines.
When you’re working the rat-race in the west, living and working in the Philippines may seem like an impossibility. However, it is far from impossible.
Like I said, there are loads of foreigners who pack their bags and move to sunnier shores. They come to the Philippines to start resorts, dive shops and bars. For the savvy businessperson, there are loads of Philippines business opportunities.
One idea is to start a dive shop. Many people who are living and working the Philippines do so with a dive shop. They buy gear, hire staff and rent a shop. You can go diving almost anywhere in the Philippines, but a popular spot is the diving in Puerto Galera.
This opportunity also presents a few challenges. Have you ever run a dive shop before? Are you a qualified diver? If you want to start a successful dive shop, you want to be a highly-qualified diver.
Another idea is to start a resort or hotel. This is a very common option. In many of the tourist areas, foreigners have invested huge sums of money to build resorts. Some of them become wildly successful and make great money. However for each successful resort, there’s a handful of resorts that are never even opened or a barely scraping by. You see, many foreigners charge into the Philippines and forget the rules. They make silly mistakes, such as not getting clear title on the land before building their resort.
If you want to start a resort, it’s not as simple as “build it and they will come”. Like I said, in most tourist areas, there are numerous resorts that are all competing with each other. To succeed, you will need to gain an advantage, particularly in your marketing. How will you get people to the resort? Is the location good? Will you have a website? Will people know how to find your website when they search on Google?
Before you get started, it’s worth getting a rough idea of how all these components will come together. Doing this will enable you to successfully live and work in the Philippines.
Other options for working in the Philippines include starting a bar or restaurant as well as running adventure tours or something similar.
In the Puerto Galera nightlife surrounding Badladz, there are many bars and many restaurants owned by foreigners.
Before you jump on a plane to the Philippines, there are a few more things you need to know.
If you want to work when you come to the Philippines, don’t expect to do anything that a Filipino can do. If they can do it, they’ll get the job as they are much cheaper. Don’t expect to teach English. Don’t expect to get a job unless you really stand out from the crowd.
In the end, it is possible to start living and working in the Philippines. It will take patience, hard work and a sizeable lump of determination. But you can do it.
If you have any questions, contact us and we’ll answer them!
