Feasibility of Filipina working in Koh Samui

[Frankingsteins]

Hi everyone,

These forum posts have been helpful more times than I can count over the last few years, when I've spent a few months in Thailand at a time. I was hoping anyone in the know could help me out with a specific issue.

My girlfriend (from Philippines) has her heart set on getting a job in Singapore, which will involve flying in blind and just hoping some employer replies before the month (and my patience!) runs out.

We're stopping off in Samui first so I can meet up with some friends there, and because it's so much nicer. These friends are staying there on an education visa, living the good life in a condo and learning Thai for a few hours a week. That sounds perfect for me, since I work online anyway and can live where I want to - formerly I was travelling for three years, but recently I've been renting an apartment in my girlfriend's home city, which is completely uninspiring and where her job prospects are dismal. We both want to get the hell out.

If my girlfriend could get a job on Samui, that would be ideal. Do you think there's realistically any chance of a Filipina landing a job that pays more than minimum wage there? (Hotel, English teacher... office jobs even?) And where she obviously won't be exploited or anything. She has a friend who worked at a hotel in Samui and was cheated on the pay, so she isn't optimistic.

I want to help her get started earning a reasonable income and being more self-sufficient, but the prospect of spending my days cramped up in a Singapore flat when I could be looking out at the sea would be going backwards in my life.

More info: She has very good English and an American accent (call centre honed); 26 years old; already earns a part-time income selling graphic designs online, but that isn't sustainable; no demeaning maid work.

If anyone can offer experienced advice either way, that would be appreciated for making our plans.

[PattayaPhom]

Minimum wage is THB 300 per day and graduates salary at least THB 15,000 per month. All the Fillipinos I know are nannies, office lakies or teachers, max salary is 15K a month. Maybe different on Samui but apart from the language skill she would need to bring some expertise to the table to warrant paying her anymore. Flights direct to Samui from Singapore so if her salary there is 3 or 4 times that of Thailand why not stay there and visit Samui on a regular basis.

[Frankingsteins]

Thanks - those are just the sort of figures I was hoping for! 15K isn't significantly more than she'd earn in the Philippines for regular office work, so I can see why she isn't interested.

I'm just not optimistic about her chances in Singapore, as dedicated as she is. I stayed in Singapore hostels a couple of years ago and saw all the Indian, Thai and Filipino wannabe workers poring over newspaper ads every morning and hanging up their suits on the bunks, they were still there when I came back a few weeks later. There can only be so many entry level jobs to go around.

[PoorSucker]

Minimum wage is THB 300 per day and graduates salary at least THB 15,000 per month.

Thanks - those are just the sort of figures I was hoping for! 15K isn't significantly more than she'd earn in the Philippines for regular office work, so I can see why she isn't interested.

To get extension of stay based on employment she needs to have a minimum salary of 35.000 baht / month.

The company that employ her must hire 4 Thais per foreigner that work in the company to get her a work permit.

Minimum salary for foreigners working in Thailand

Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan, USA

50,000 baht/month

Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan

45,000 baht/month

Other Asian Countries not listed, Central and South America, eastern Europe, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, and Turkey

35,000 baht/month

Africa, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam

25,000 baht/month

[Tropicalevo]

Looking at your penultimate paragraph

"More info: She has very good English and an American accent (call centre honed); 26 years old; already earns a part-time income selling graphic designs online, but that isn't sustainable; no demeaning maid work."

but I would think that neither Samui nor Singapore will be an easy option for you GF. I know of people with long term Filipino GF's (long term meaning more than a decade) and they still have problems at times.

Both countries have views on single Filipino ladies entering - and it is not a view that you might want to think about. It will not be easy to obtain a job/work permit for her here.

I do know that some hotels/service companies offer Filipinos jobs (beacause of their English skills) but you would probably think that the work is demeaning. Maybe try talking to villa rental/management companies or anyone else in the tourism business, but I am guessing that your GF's only asset /experience here is her English? Does she have nursing qualifications? Teaching qualifications?

Sorry if my thoughts are negative, just telling it as I see it. You have a toughie there. I wish you both luck.

[Frankingsteins]

We've been to Thailand and Singapore before, just for tourism, and there wasn't any problem at immigration. We'll have an outward flight to show, which I can cancel if she gets a job.

We'll check a couple of high-end hotels in Samui, but otherwise it's probably off the cards. I thought as much, but wanted a reality check either way.

She'll be looking for employers in Singapore that arrange work visas on their behalf once they're already in the country - it's a thing some of them do, but we'll see how likely.

Edited May 14, 2014 by Frankingsteins

[livinthailandos]

First of all for Filipinos at our hotel we have to provide work letter so that they can get non immigrant b visa and after done work permit provided. Pay starts at more than regular wage however we only accept candidates with experience working in hotels already. If her only qualification is English she is not going to get hired, and when we do post for a job available open to foreigners there's lots of applications that come in. All I can tell you is good luck beyond that

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[pokerspiv]

Teaching is probably the best option if her only qualification is good English skills. Many of the Thai schools here can't afford to employ Farang teachers, so employ Filipinos instead.

[Tropicalevo]

Teaching is probably the best option if her only qualification is good English skills. Many of the Thai schools here can't afford to employ Farang teachers, so employ Filipinos instead.

That is a possible, but the ministry will probably want to see a qualification. Most of the schools that I know of on the island will want to see an original of the qualification - not a copy.

The bit that I do not get is that Filipinos usually speak American. Nothing wrong with that - but American is not English. eg colour, centre, realise, yoghurt etc. If we are teaching English - please let it be English. Mr Gates has enough to answer for.

American is fine for lots of other careers (and this is not trying to 'have a go' at Filipinos or Americans) but English is English. I am not sure if there are many American teachers on Samui. Please let me know if I am wrong.

[pokerspiv]

I know of a couple of American English teachers here. Really, it's about what the parents want. Most Asian parents are far more exposed to American English than British English. Most of them probably think English was invented in America for all I know.

From what I have read, Americans are the 2nd most in demand white native English speakers after Brits. Accents are probably more important than nationality. Most schools would love an Oxford or RP accent (0.00, 0:14), but would prefer an American to a Liverpool accent, for example. Scots/Irish don't seem to get much joy in teaching English overseas either, for obvious reasons. Australians with broad accents (1:26) aren't that popular either. As far as Americans go, they'd prefer a Californian (1:39) or Midwestern American (1:45) (also spoken by a lot of Canadians) accent to New York (1:58), Boston or Louisiana for example, since that's what they see in the movies. Unless they watch a lot of NYPD police procedurals, I guess.

FWIW both the American teachers I know have Midwestern accents, which isn't really saying a lot since I think it's the most common one in America, spoken all the way from Seattle to Chicago.

For the time reference to the accents, see this video.

Edited May 31, 2014 by pokerspiv

[robsamui]

There is a big - huge - Filipino community on Samui (with their own club/bar even) and with a lot of networking going on, on Samui and abroad.

Just about every 4-star hotel has Filipino musicians - and hotels/resorts are also keen to take staff on the front desk who have good English skills.

I think your girlfriend will stand an excellent chance of landing work - and quite quickly, too.

R

[Tropicalevo]

I know of a couple of American English teachers here. Really, it's about what the parents want. Most Asian parents are far more exposed to American English than British English. Most of them probably think English was invented in America for all I know.

From what I have read, Americans are the 2nd most in demand white native English speakers after Brits. Accents are probably more important than nationality. Most schools would love an Oxford or RP accent (0.00, 0:14), but would prefer an American to a Liverpool accent, for example. Scots/Irish don't seem to get much joy in teaching English overseas either, for obvious reasons. Australians with broad accents (1:26) aren't that popular either. As far as Americans go, they'd prefer a Californian (1:39) or Midwestern American (1:45) (also spoken by a lot of Canadians) accent to New York (1:58), Boston or Louisiana for example, since that's what they see in the movies. Unless they watch a lot of NYPD police procedurals, I guess.

FWIW both the American teachers I know have Midwestern accents, which isn't really saying a lot since I think it's the most common one in America, spoken all the way from Seattle to Chicago.

For the time reference to the accents, see this video.

Spot on about the accents.

I heard a couple of comments a few years ago about young Thai children speaking English with a broad Brummie accent

[Frankingsteins]

Thanks for all the replies, we'll be heading there in a couple of weeks and are just staying put in the same resort for two weeks or more before heading on, so she'll have plenty of time to try different options.

When I've suggested that my girlfriend contact friends-of-friends living in Thailand or Singapore for help or just advice, she's resigned to the fact that they wouldn't bother, courtesy of the Filipino crab mentality. It does make me appreciate forums like this, where expats will help each other out just for the sake of helping. I used to take that attitude for granted, but not after spending time in the Philippines!

I know Thai culture has its problems too, I've spent more than a year there, but it's nowhere near as infuriating a place to live day-to-day.