Ben Madilynn
He recalled that in his 11 years of teaching in the Philippine public school system, he had also experienced “power tripping.”
By the time he landed in California a few years ago and started working as a substitute teacher, he said he was already offered $409 per day (about P23,700).
“If you calculate it per month, that would be about $8,000. And if you convert that into Philippine pesos, the amount would be almost half a million pesos,” said Steven, who is now a green card holder in the US.
In the Philippines, Steven only earned a meager amount of P50,000 per month (about $855), despite his educational attainment and qualifications.
What also surprised him upon working abroad was the signing bonus of $5,000 (about P290,000) he received upon accepting the teaching job.
As a 7th and 8th grade Math teacher, with only 20 to 30 students per class, Steven, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said he prefers teaching in the US over the Philippines.
In the Philippines, teachers have to report from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and are required to do other clerical jobs aside from actual classroom teaching.
“I only have my class from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with one hour for preparation and a one-hour lunch break,” he said.
He also has a teaching aide to assist him in the classroom.
Unlike in the Philippines, Steven also earns additional income by serving as a substitute teacher for a colleague who is absent.
Asked if he remained optimistic despite the dismal state of teachers in the Philippines, Steven answered in the affirmative.
“The higher-ups need to reflect on the concerns and problems of ordinary teachers in the field and not just insist on the things they want to get done,” said Steven.
In terms of the curriculum or the subjects being taught in the classroom, Steven said the Philippine public school system is overloaded with subjects that could be integrated.
“In the US, they focus only on Reading, Math, and Science. Other subjects are not taught every day,” said Steven, adding that this strategy gives learners mastery of the lessons.
In his school alone, Steven has 10 fellow Filipino teachers and another 15 Filipino teaching aides.
For Gary Mosquito, 39, he decided to move to the US in July 2024 for his teaching job because it gave him “the opportunity to explore the rich educational diversity present in the country.”
As a classroom teacher and head teacher for 17 years in the Philippines, Mosquito said he was fortunate to be offered an H1B Visa, which is a working visa.
“I believe that by teaching in a diverse environment, I can expand my knowledge and understanding of different cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives, ultimately becoming a more effective and culturally competent educator,” Mosquito told SunStar Philippines.
“Though I believe I had proven my worth already in the Department of Education with the different awards and recognitions I received, I am still looking for something that will provide me with better and equal opportunities based on my performance as an educator,” Mosquito added.
Back in the Philippines, Mosquito, a multi-awarded educator, managed an elementary school in Palo town, Leyte province, with 16 teachers and 445 students.
Now in the US, Mosquito is teaching Math, English, and Science for six hours per day to only 20 to 30 students per classroom.
In the Philippines, some 40 to 45 students are packed into classrooms, which are often poorly ventilated.
In his home country, Mosquito earned only P39,000 per month (about $667), a meager amount compared to what he now earns abroad.
As this situation developed, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that the National Government will implement another round of salary increases for its 1.9 million state workers, including around one million teaching staff.
However, the salary increases will be done in tranches over the next four years.
At present, the entry salary for a fresh public school teacher recruit in the Philippines is P27,000 (about $462) per month.
Exodus of teachers
Most of the teachers seeking “greener pastures” abroad are younger, between the ages of 25 to 35.
“I happen to sign at least four clearances a day for teachers who want to resign from their teaching jobs because they want to go abroad, especially to the US,” a source told SunStar Philippines.
The Learning Policy Institute, a US-based independent policy body, reported that in 2018 alone, the US had an estimated shortage of 112,000 teachers due to the decline in teacher program enrollment.
An average of 1,500 Filipino teachers has left the country each year over the past three years, according to recent data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
“The number might be even higher in 2024. This is alarming because we might eventually run out of teachers in the Philippines,” said Benjo Basas, national chairperson of the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC).
“This shows how widespread the issue is across school divisions nationwide. You can even see it almost daily in social media posts packing up their uniforms, bidding farewell to co-teachers, and sharing pictures of their contracts or plane tickets. It is heartbreaking because they often say they don’t really want to do this, but they have no choice,” Basas added in a statement in August 2024.
According to Basas, some reasons why Filipino teachers are leaving for jobs abroad include extremely low salaries for public school teachers in the Philippines, heavy workloads, toxic working environments, poor physical conditions in faculty lounges, unfair treatment of employees — especially in promotions and opportunities — excessive regulations in the teaching profession, and the lack of social welfare policies.
Basas pointed out that this “alarming trend” should be given attention by both the Department of Education and lawmakers.
“In short, our government does not care enough for our teachers. The teaching profession is among the lowest paid in the government and has suffered from decades-long neglect in terms of benefits, opportunities, rights, and welfare,” Basas said.
“In the Philippines, the so-called noblest of all professions is not a priority at all. Teachers’ dignity is not a priority,” he added. (Ronald O. Reyes)
