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How much money is a working man's 'nest-egg' ?

Discussion in 'Money Matters' started by Jonnyivy, Apr 10, 2013.

  1. Jonnyivy
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    Jonnyivy Member

    Can you imagine how my Filipina wife sounds when she speaks, having lived in Scotland for 8 years. The locals over there are tickled when she starts speaking to me in our local dialect, many asking 'what does that mean'?...makes a change from me continually asking my wife what the locals are saying to her.
    The two Americans in the village like me to speak Scottish to them instead of continually trying to pronounce every last word in English lol. They seem to understand,...but I'm not so sure !
    I like the idea of the 'earn out' sale of my business,..but I'm afraid it's a dying trade here in the quiet village where we live here in Scotland. Can't see me getting a whole lot of revenue from it to be honest.
    Suppose that was my first step to deciding a move over there might be an idea instead of chasing my tail here for another year and wondering when or if I will be fortunate enough to win some of the government contracts that seem to be the only way forward. I ain't got enough money spare to fill the 'brown envelope' used to secure the jobs !!!!
    Still thinking deeply though ,

    John
  2. Anon220806
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    Anon220806 Well-Known Member

    :like: Yes, we need to clean up those American English accents and vocabulary. Even now my wife talks about sidewalks and faucets and diapers and she has been here 2 years.
    Last edited: Apr 12, 2013
  3. Januarius
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    Januarius Member

    The biggest problem with many Foreigners over here starting businesses is the fact that they cannot own land... Everything has to be in the wife`s name.. This very problem stops them from considering any business where ownership of property is involved..END OF STORY!!
    Ive known my Mrs for 26 years now but to be honest,after just 2 years with her, I already knew that she would be the last person on this earth to rip me off.. Since my realization of this FACT we both decided many years ago (after my usual R.P business failures) to buy land in excellent locations in certain areas and then slowly develop them in such a way to realize slow but sure returns.
    Im about as working class as you can get.. Painter and decorator by trade..No shame in that eh! Proud in fact.
    These days though are definitely the best years of my life so far.. Been here 6 years this trip..Im happy..The Mrs is happy and most importantly the kids are happy..
    Took us the last 5 years in the UK to formulate a winning plan for our permanent move here and a lot of wall papering of my customers living rooms and bathrooms etc to realize the cash required.. We sacrificed much for those 5 years which to me personally was no sacrifice at all as I had a target to hit.. I was gonna hit that target at all costs as the alternative of living in the UK for me personally would have been(and still is) purgatory.
    At the age of 44 we did it..
    Full of nerves and Apprehension we all got on the plane to start our new lives..
    These days (6 years on)the nerves and Apprehension have dissipated and confidence for the long term has settled in as a long term idea..
    We are never complacent or over confident as we know full well that we can be brought back down to earth in a heart beat.. Been there many times in my life..
    At long last we have a business or two here that as my Mrs says..."have clicked"..
    It doesnt matter how much you plan or how wise you think you are.. If you want to start a business here in the Philippines or just about antwhere else in the worl and it doesnt "click"..
    Its back to square one..
    Back to square one does not bother me as failures are valuable IMO.. You often need failures to eventually realize success..
    This after all is life,and life is no rehearsal..
    There are only so many hours in a day so make the best of them...
    My opinion lang.
    Last edited: Apr 12, 2013
  4. Jonnyivy
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    Jonnyivy Member

    Nice one bud,.... good to read your story too. Can I ask what age are your kids ?
    How did it feel to bring them away from the UK ?
    I would like to ask you more questions regarding kids,..but maybe best for me to wait to see how old yours are before continuing. Mines are 6 and 3 years old and I have so many positives and negatives in my head at the moment regarding their schooling,..doctors, language problems, mosquitto's, safety ,...etc.

    I do share a lot of your views on life too,... and I ain't getting any younger either !
  5. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    And what's even more annoying is that you are now charged a fee for your Passport to be sent to Hong Kong and returned by courier. Added to which one must now make two trips to Manila - to deliver the application and, months later, to collect the new Passport.
  6. Januarius
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    Januarius Member

    My eldest is 23.. He came with us after finishing his UK A levels but went back to go to Uni.. He just got his degree in Chemical engineering from Sheffield University..(Must have had a clever milk delivery guy before he was born eh?)
    The second eldest boy is now 16.. He has been going to local private school for 6 years..He always wanted to do what his eldest brother did..Go to a UK uni which presented me with a problem as high school education here is not really acceptable for universities in the UK.
    I found him a UK based GCSE course (2 years) which he started when he was 14.. He does GCSE`s.. 5 subjects(UK teacher support via email and skype) as well as keeping up with his studies in a local school..
    The local teachers,knowing the situation help him a lot.. I booked his GCSE exams at the British school in Manila which he takes May 30.. If he does well I will order an A level course for him to give him the opportunity to go to a UK Uni if thats what he wants at the time..
    If he decides he wants to stay then he can go to a local Uni..Up to him.
    My youngest..(Daughter) had a hard time adjusting at school here and it took her 2 years to settle down... These days she is full of confidence in school and doing really well.. She reads her Kindle day and night so I suggested to her that she might want to study law here one day.. No complaints from her so perhaps that's what she will do.
    When we first arrived I was worried sick about the kids getting Dengue so I used to smother them with Deet products and off lotion daily!! Obviously they have never had any Mozzy borne diseases because of this.. I suggest you do the same with your kids.
    When we moved here initially the kids had got used to the idea as it was something we spoke about as a family for 5 years or so..
    All in all,it was a big adventure for them and still is!!
    They still talk to their old friends on Facebook and Im pretty sure that one day they will have their reunions with them..
    One thing Im pretty sure of though..They will come back to their home and friends here in the R.P.
    Up to them though.
    Last edited: Apr 12, 2013
  7. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    You're a bit of a masochist, aren't you! :lol:

    In all seriousness, if you can get a position teaching English to professionals - doctors or lawyers - then grab it. But I wouldn't recommend applying at one of the general language schools and certainly not one catering to Koreans. You'd certainly be offered a job, no problem there, but the hours are long and the pay - only marginally better than what equivalently-qualified Filipino would earn - is derisory. You'd certainly be able to keep yourself in beer and fags but you'd be too knackered at the end of the day to enjoy either. Been there. Done that! I could - and did - earn more an hour by knocking-off the odd article for the computer press.

    You may not realise this but all this country's laws are made in English, all Court documents must be in English and trials are conducted in the language also (similarly with the medical profession). I have seen the odd advertisement for native English speakers to work in the better universities up in Manila, so that's the avenue I'd recommend.
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 12, 2013
  8. Anon220806
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    Anon220806 Well-Known Member

    This was the other conclusion I came to.
  9. Methersgate
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    Methersgate Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

    That is what I was thinking of; I have a degree from one of our better universities in English, so I just need the TOEFL bit of paper.

    Having worked for the Manila P&I Club correspondents I have a working knowledge of the legal system. The Philippines has an odd mixture of American codified laws and old Spanish colonial laws, which is why we get bizarre crimes like "estafa" (which isn't exactly fraud) and "Prison mayor" and "Prison correctional". The land laws are even more bizarre. Oh and a ship's agent is personally liable for any debt contracted by a ship under his agency - now there's a good career not to take up! ;)
    Last edited: Apr 12, 2013
  10. Anon220806
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    Anon220806 Well-Known Member

    That explains why your writing style is so good.
  11. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    I would advise against him studying for "A" Levels and for two reasons. Firstly New Labour cheapened them with curriculum changes to encourage more students to enter university. The result of that has been that increased competition forcing the better unis to demand more subjects and at higher grades. Michael Gove - the Education Minister - is looking to change the whole "A" Level structure and his proposals horrify the influential Headmasters' Conference who have condemned his plans as setting education back by decades. Also universities are gradually moving away from the "A" Level benchmark and the alternative, International Baccalaureate (IB), is very much on the ascendant. Those who have successfully completed the programme can enter (almost) any university in the world.

    If you can, I would enrol son #2 on an IB programme which is one of continuous assessment and modular-based. You may, however, need to send him away for this but possibly no further than Bangkok and Bromsgrove School in Thailand (BiST). Although it is a private boarding school, run very much on British lines with a British curriculum, it is not as expensive as either of the two international schools in Cebu nor its big sister in Worcestershire. It is a co-educational, multi-faith, multi-cultural school and does now, I believe, offer the IB programme to 16+ year olds. Its students come from all over the world including the UK, EU, Russia, US, Thailand, the Philippines, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand. All the teaching staff are from the UK and most have also taught at the Worcestershire school. I know all this because a good friend of mine is the Headmaster of the "main" Bromsgrove School who, accompanied by two or 3 Governors, visits the Thai branch at least annually.

    Were it not for certain oppositional elements and the "negative list", Bromsgrove's Asian sister school would probably have been sited here in the Philippines. The Governors were fully prepared to invest up to 100 Million (Pounds not Pesos!) but their proposed partners baulked at providing matching funding and there was considerable opposition to it being co-educational and multi-faith (I think you can guess where that came from!). 100M may look high at first sight but it was to be a phased investment over ten years and included a substantial provision for full and half scholarships and bursaries being offered to bright Filipino children whose parents would otherwise not be able to afford its fees. Having been rebuffed, the Bromsgrove party boarded a plane in Manila, flew to Bangkok and bought the Windsor School instead.

    (In case you're wondering, Bromsgrove is an endowed school founded in the early 16th Century by local benefactor Sir Thomas Cookes who also founded Worcester College, Oxford. Under the terms of its endowment (and it is a registered Charity), its fees can only cover its day-to-day operating costs. It has considerable resources which are used to fund capital projects.)
  12. Methersgate
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    Methersgate Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

  13. Anon220806
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    Anon220806 Well-Known Member

    My son in the UK is nearly 15 and will be taking A levels in a few years (if he gets his GCSE's of course) at one of the few state funded grammar schools in the country. I asked him today what happened to his school's plans for the IB? He said they had been scrapped. He didn't know why.

    My main concern with IB would be the dilution that is likely when having to tackle 6 or 7 subjects in the same timeframe that it takes to do 3 at A Level, particularly in maths and sciences.
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2013
  14. Jonnyivy
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    Jonnyivy Member

    *** ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK ***

    Last night my 6 year old daughter was whisked away on a 999 call-out to the hospital with the ambulance service.

    2.00am we heard her coughing in her bedroom (barking actually ),... my wife went through to see if she needed some water,., and came rushing through saying that she couldn't breath.
    Okay, it was croup, its very concerning for kids and adults alike, and as her airways had tightened probably due to a spasm she was really distressed that she couldn't draw breath.

    Now, what has this got to do with moving to Phils ??,... well,.. let me tell you, if you haven't guessed already, what was going through my mind while being transported to the hospital in the ambulance.
    What the hell would that experience have been like if she had taken ill when we were living away in the provinces of Cebu ?? !! Kinda scary thinking of the situation that would have arisen... ie ;
    Direct connection to the 999 emergency team on the phone............... Cebu ????

    So gratefull that an ambulance arrived within 10 mins,........................ Cebu ????

    Dedicated paramedics knew exactly what to do with her .................. Cebu ????

    Free on the spot medicine to calm her down in bedroom ................... Cebu ????

    Free transport to hospital and free bed / free doctor assessment....... Cebu ????

    Free medicine and a drive back home all done within 3 hours ............... Cebu ????

    Best of all was the confidence I had in the 2 paramedics who were
    very intent on helping my daughter and making her comfortable .......... Cebu ????

    Wow,..just got me thinking how lucky we are having an NHS and the fear of not having something similar if we go over there.
    Thankfully,.. we think this is a one-off because of the extreme weather we are having just now, and fingers crossed it won't happen again.

    Jonny
  15. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    The only place in the Philippines that has a fully integrated emergency services that we would recognise is Davao's 911 system. But even though there are motorcyle paramedics available, they don't carry any medication so your daughter would have had to wait until she had arrived at the hospital. Even then until they had spoken with you and assured themselves that you had the means to pay, only very basic stabilisation of the patient would take place. And you'd have to pay the ambulance to transport her to the hospital.

    Living in the UK we take the NHS for granted. Live out here for a few years and you'll miss it sorely.
  16. Anon220806
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    Anon220806 Well-Known Member

    Someone recently said, in a similar kind of thread, that if emigrating to the Philippines, to choose your hospital and its locality first, before you choose proximity to your favourite beach or something similar, especially if you are older. I guess some thought needs to be given to emergency situations to.

    The flipside of this is when my wifes friend visited here she and her husband wanted to know where the nearest hospital is (they are expecting a baby and moving here very soon). Similar thinking.
    Last edited: Apr 15, 2013
  17. Januarius
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    Januarius Member

    OK thanks..I`ll do more research..
    There is no way on Gods green earth she (The Mrs) will let him study in Thailand at 16!!!
    I`d be to scared to even ask her.
  18. aposhark
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    aposhark Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

    Hi Jonny.
    I just looked at this thread and saw the similarity to an update I posted earlier concerning my daughter "The Philippines is driving me nuts."
    Sorry to hear of your daughter's mishap. I know how worried you must have been.

    For these reasons my wife will not go back to live in Phils.
    The safety of our children is paramount to us.
  19. Anon220806
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    Anon220806 Well-Known Member

    Yes and it would be for a similar reason that I would think along similar lines on my children's education. The UK still remains one of the best places in the world for education.

    I recently suggested a checklist for those thinking of emigrating to the Philippines as really its a package of advantages and disadvantages and I notice many folk just focus on one element of such a massive move.
    Last edited: Apr 15, 2013
  20. aposhark
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    aposhark Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

    I think it would be beneficial to you to chat with Al ("Teach") about this as he has taught over there.

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