Is it possible for a poor, Filipino writer from the Philippines to establish a stable career in the West?

Bob Steinberg

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Lives in The Philippines 6y

Is it possible for a poor, Filipino writer from the Philippines to establish a stable career in the West?

I basically agree with the first part of the previous answer “If you have to ask then probably not” but that’s flippant and is not really an answer.

Of course it’s possible. Not easy, and there are factors you have not addressed that affect how difficult. Like: How much access do you have to a computer and internet, How well do you speak/write English?

But your question was posted online and in English, so that’s a good sign :)

I am not a writer or a Filipino, But I chose to live in the Philippines and work online.

I am answering this because I am often asked very similar questions by my Filipino friends here. “How can i do what you do?” or “How can I make money?”

It’s like they think there is some magic involved because i grew up in the US. Yes, I don’t deny there were opportunities and advantages, but, so what?

We live in a global economy and the internet is a great equalizer.

I am not a writer, but i do write computer code and other tech projects.

Most of my clients are American or other western countries But the thing is, they don’t know my nationality or generally even where I am located.

They assume I am American because i speak English well and because they generally are.

I am not telling you to lie or pretend you are not Filipino, you should be proud of who you no not matter where you are from, and i love it here and love the people here.

But unfortunately first impressions do matter, westerners, at least until they know you personally, only know the Philippines as a poor third world/developing economy, they will assume you are not very well educated, and even if willing to give you a chance, they will expect to pay you much less.

BTW, for our American readers, i don’t know the statistics, but there are many fine schools here, you often need a college degree even for retail jobs, and Filipinos seem to take education more seriously than many Americans

Anyway, the point is, just don’t approach it as a Filipino looking for work in the west. Let your writing and skills speak for themselves. You need to speak English well, you need reliable computer/internet access, to adjust to doing business in far different time zones, to be paid in USD, etc

If you are good at what you do, it really won’t matter where you are from and there are a lot of advantages to living here while working for and being paid in USD at American rates