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@terenewolfaardt1980

hello and welcome on board !

Till members guide you, feel free to read the Living in the Philippines guide for expatsto gather as much info as you can.

You will find articles on work and visas to help ease your search.

All the best

Bhavna

          Welcome to expat.com.  Any particular reason why you are looking at the Philippines?  Most people here prefer to leave the country for better positions and better pay elsewhere.  Most foreigners are retired, but some work online.  What are your particular skills or training you have which could earn you a livable wage here?

terenewolfaard1980 said. . . . I'm based in Durban, 43 yr old single mommy, daughter is 17. I'm looking to secure work and residency in the Philippines for a better and safer quality of life as Durban has become saturated with crime that you cant even go shopping without being vigilant. There is simply no future here for both my daughter and myself and so very dangerous now. Load-shedding every single day, water shortages and shedding. Cost of living in comparison to the average wage is not livable.

I can understand where you are coming from, South Africa was once a first world nation and it is slipping away. I had a good friend escape some time ago.

Choosing the Philippines or any third well country is throwing yourself from the frying pan into the fire.

   

   

I suppose Bob it depends on why any one decides to move to any country, even third world. If retirement then easy but looking for employment becomes a very different kettle of fish with work visas etc.

Perhaps the OP should familiarize herself with the Philippines first, work opportunities. wages, cost of living.

The Philippines has adopted the Filipino first when it comes to employment and other areas. Depending on qualifications and expertise foreigners can land decent paying employment here but mostly with big corporations.

As said I think the OP should look long and hard at this destination as it can be as you said, frypan into the fire.

Example to the OP. My better half was in IT and had a very good job with treasury in Manila, well qualified and well paid but we chose to live in the province 6 hours north, closer to family and away from the rat race and pollution has never secured a job here because he is over qualified for the local market. He can go back to Manila but seems he enjoys the quiet life on the beach.

Your first post asks but plenty of research involved first as no one here will hold your hand.

Cheers, Steve.

@terenewolfaardt1980

Hi Terene,

You can choose Cebu City Philippines if you want. It's a great place and finding work here is not difficult.  Lots of choices and it's enjoyable here.

Happy good day.

Gilbert

    @terenewolfaardt1980
Hi Terene,
You can choose Cebu City Philippines if you want. It's a great place and finding work here is not difficult.  Lots of choices and it's enjoyable here.
Happy good day.

Gilbert

-@trexinfo778

What did you have in mind, Gilbert?  How much does it pay.  Specifics please.

@Enzyte Bob

Choosing the Philippines or any third well country is throwing yourself from the frying pan into the fire.

I would suggest that the OP IS already in the fire. I lived and worked in Cape Town in the 80's for a couple of years and you could walk at night in relative safety. You never got the Saturday night yobs that you still get in the UK.

As such I keep up with events in the republic and it now has one of the highest murder rates per capita in the world and essentially become a place where even tourists think twice about visiting, even given some of the best beaches in the world where unlike Phils you can lay on for longer than 10 minutes without turning into a crisp.

You think the brownouts in places like Dumaguete are bad; come to South Africa. In that sense the OP will feel home from home lol.

Does the OP have sustainable savings? Bear in mind as a South African resident you can take a maximum of US$33k out of the country and that has to cover you and your daughter until/if (a big if) you find a job in the Philippines. At your age presumably you have no pension and I dare to think what the South African state pension is worth anyway.

You might wish to consider an island nearer to your country. Its ranked highly on a number of economic and political world indicators. It's home to this website and its beautiful moderators : Mauritius

           Mauritius just was in the cruise news for making the Norwegian Dawn wait an extra two days off shore while the local health experts checked out the reported Norovirus on board.  The 2,000 people waiting to board on Sunday had to wait until Tuesday to board the ship.  Norwegian paid for their hotels, will be giving a slight price reduction on the cruise since the cruise will be two days shorter than planned.   Looks like they gonna skip Madgascar on the way to Cape town.  I hate to miss Risk territories on a planned cruise.  Cancelled a Transpacific cruise when they eliminated the stop at Kamchatka.

@mugteck

I can think of worst places to be ’stranded’ for two days Mugtech. Port Louis is a charming capital with French and British ancestry and some Indian cultural influences thrown in. The resort hotels are 2nd to none.

Had some airmiles with Air France to use so flew there in ’98 with my ex British blond bombshell GF (what a flake she was) business class with a touchdown in Reunion, another stunning island but a ’departement’ of France.

Never done a cruise. I’ve always thought of them as a recluse for the ’blue rinse’ set.

          Cruises can be very relaxing, see lots of places, never change hotel rooms, some ok food and entertainment, meet people from all over.

        Which reminds me, staying on topic, lots of people from the Philippines work on cruise ships.  It is a great way to save money, as room and board is covered, pays better than domestic helpers in Hong Kong.  Recruiting is done in Manila.  Showing a proficiency in English is very helpful.

              Cruises can be very relaxing, see lots of places, never change hotel rooms, some ok food and entertainment, meet people from all over.
   

    -@mugteck

Norovirus notwithstanding I expect there is a large Swedish contingent on the Norwegian cruise liners. You just never know who you will be seated next to when dining..

Lotus Eater said. . . .Norovirus notwithstanding I expect there is a large Swedish contingent on the Norwegian cruise liners.       "You just never know who you will be seated next to when dining.."

**

I bought insurance against the Ikea Coronavirus.

@Enzyte BoB