If you decided that the Philippines is the place you want to be and you want to settle there and you realized that a remote job is not an option then just like Thailand, you have 2 options.

Or you can open your own business or you can find a job in the Philippines.

OPENING YOUR OWN BUSINESS IN THE PHILIPPINES

If you decide to open a business in The Philippines, the cost of such operation is cheaper than in Thailand. In The Philippines the Dollar (or Euro) goes farther than Thailand.

The foreigners that live in The Philippines open the same type of businesses that their colleagues in Thailand do: Bars, small restaurants, small hotels, travel agencies, convenience stores.

To open a business you will have to open an LLC and go through the process. Obviously you will need some capital to start but with just $20000 or a little less, you can start a business in Manila or Cebu and generate income if you know what you are doing. You will immediately receive a business visa and with this you will have no problem staying in the country.

WORKING AS AN EMPLOYEE IN THE PHILIPPINES

If you opening a business in not an option for you and you prefer to just work as an employee, you will have to know certain things.

First of all, The Philippines is basically the CALL CENTER of the world. Thousands of American, British and Australian companies have their call centers in Manila or Cebu. Millions of Filipinos work around the clock providing customer service via phone and chat to consumers around the world.

The average monthly salary in the Philippines for an employee, is around 20000 to 30000 Pesos ($500 USD). Not much at all. Obviously some people make more than that, but that’s the average. I have seen some positions offered online for French or German speakers that offer 70000 to 80000 Pesos ($1500 USD) a month.

If you plan to work as an employee, keep in mind that finding employment won’t be easy at all. A foreigner needs a special sponsorship work visa to work in the Philippines. In Thailand, the sponsor working visa is given immediately just after a week, but in The Philippines it takes 3 months to process your application and get your working visa. Not every foreigner is willing to wait 3 months to get a work visa. On top of that, all Filipinos speak excellent English so the chances of you finding employment is low if your only language is English.

You will have a good chance of finding work if you speak another language that Filipinos don’t speak (Spanish, French, German, Russian, Arabic etc etc). Plenty of Filipino companies are looking for people that speak those languages and the salaries for those jobs as I mentioned, are around $1500 USD.