How To Make Money In The Philippines As A Foreigner

I'd say the lion's share of people that come to The Philippines already have a source of income, whether it be a pension, a VA Check, SSA/I, or something. That's why traditionally, the Philippines has been known as a retirement destination.

But that's changing. Like me, more and more millennials decided to spend our young lives exploring rather than in a cubicle, so we still need income. If that's, you then read further.

Let me start off by saying that if you're going to live in Manila, the general consensus is that you'll need to take in about $2000 USD per month. That's to live in a safe area with amenities that you're used to back home (such as hot water), going out to eat once a week, and going to the cinema.

In the provinces, you can get by on $1000 or less. I lived on $750 in Bacolod City. If you want to know more about the cost of living in The Philippines, you can read about that here. You can also read some of my hacks to save money in Manila and The Philippines.

How to Make Money in The Philippines if You're a Foreigner

It's tough to get a job here, and honestly, unless you have some highly sought-after skill/ability, the pay will be so low it won't be worth your time. That's why I did some research, and these are my best ways to make money in The Philippines for expats.

Work at a Call Center
Start a business (not recommended)
Teach English online
Become a freelancer

Work at a Call Center

Upsides:

Steady Hours
You can get a long term visa/work permit
Health insurance
Meet Employed Filipinos

Downsides:

Working nights
Abnormal rest days (ex. Monday & Friday)
The pay won't be what you're used to in the West

If you can speak another language besides English, it will be relatively easy to get a work permit. I speak Spanish, and I was offered a job at a call center earning approximately $1200 USD per month. I've heard if you speak Mandarin Chinese that you can earn a lot more than that, though. There are many sites you can go to search for jobs in a call center. Jobstreet.com comes to mind as the most prominent.

Start a Business (not recommended)

As I stated in my previous article, Things I Wish I Knew Before I Moved to Manila, you will undoubtedly be approached by a local asking you to invest in a 'great business opportunity. Or maybe your girlfriend will ask you to start a Sari-Sari (convenience store) with her. It's easy to be fooled by the relatively low cost of rent, supplies, labor, etc. However, I strongly advise anyone not to start a business unless they've lived here for at least a year. A lot of guys end up broke after starting a business here. Here's why you should wait to pull the trigger on a business

It takes time to understand the business culture here
Dealing with government officials and graft can be a huge headache
Most businesses have to be in a local's name
It's not as easy to fire bad employees as you might think
It may be difficult to find good reliable employees
Chances are your idea has been tried before (piggeries, restaurants, sari saris)

If you plan to go into BPO (a call center), then you shouldn't expect to make a profit for at least a year. If you have enough money, $75k, you can get an investor visa which is a pretty sweet deal. You can read my article on that here.

Start a Blog/Youtube Channel

Upsides:

Easy to get started
Low cost of entry
It can be a lot of fun
You might be able to earn a lot of money

Downsides:

A ton of competition (there are over 1 billion blogs and thousands of hours of video are uploaded to youtube every minute)
It takes a long time to get results
Results are not guaranteed

Obviously, this is one of the paths I've chosen to earn a living, but despite what all the gurus you see in the advertisements tell you, it's not that easy to make a sustainable income with a blog or a youtube channel. When I started blogging and YouTubing, I made about $100 my first year–hardly a sustainable income.

That being said, if you write/talk about something you're passionate/interested in, then it is relatively easy to way make money. You have to put a lot of time, energy, and effort into it. Oh, and don't expect results for at least 6 months to 1 year.

Teach English Online (highly recommended)

Upsides:

Very easy job (you speak English through a video call)
Most companies pay in US dollars
It's a lot of fun!!
You get to work during the day
Set your own hours
Earn a lot of money

Downsides:

Most companies don't guarantee hours
It can be slow at first while you're building your reputation with the client base.
Some people may not enjoy working with kids
Not as easy to get hired as it used to be

It isn't easy to get work in The Philippines, but online is a different story. Teaching English online has surpassed blogging as my main source of income. I love teaching anyway, and my students seem to like me as well since my current rating is 9.47 out of 10 with iTutor. Right now, teaching English online is the hot commodity for making money abroad. The demand is huge, and as more Asian families enter the middle class, the market for English teachers will only grow bigger and bigger.

Why I Like VIPKid The Best

They're easy to get hired with
Most of my students are teenagers or adults
No ramp-up period in the beginning (they assign the students to you)
You don't need a TEFL/TESOL to be hired

There are a ton of companies out there to choose from. I personally went with iTutor, the reason being is because…well…they hired me. LOL! The most popular ones I keep hearing about are VIPKid, and PalFish (download the app). Another thing I like about VIPKID is that I don't have to market myself to students since they assign the students to me. That means I didn't have a slow period when I first started. They also will hire you without a TEFL so long as you get one within 90 days of being hired.

Requirements to teach English online

Be a native or near-native speaker from the US or Canada
Bachelors Degree
TEFL/TESOL Certificate
Good internet connection
Patience

No degree? No problem! Some companies hire native speakers without a degree. BiboGlobal and NativeCamp come to mind.

Other Online Freelance Work

Teaching English and blogging aren't the only things you can do online to make money. If you like to write, you can become a freelance writer on iWriter or Fiverr. If you have a useful skill chances are good there's someone willing to pay for it online.

What's great about Fiverr is they have categories for almost anything. Seriously, you can find a freelancer to walk your dog or to wake you up in the morning! If you can think of it, it's probably on Fiverr. You just have to use your imagination and find a way!

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