Relocating from Thailand to Makati, Cebu or Boracay?

Xaviar84 Active member

Member since 29 July 2013

Xaviar84Active member30 July 2013 04:33:02

Hi everyone,

Where to start.. So, I have been working in hotels for over 10 years now. I am currently working at a resort in Phuket, Thailand and have been living here for 1 and a half years. Although there are frustrations as with any country, generally speaking I feel Thailand is a great country.. I love the craziness of Bangkok to the laid back vibe of Chiang Mai however I have come to really dislike living in Phuket over these past few months... for lots of reasons which I am sure many of you may already be aware of if you have visited this rather expensive and over-commercialized destination.

Another point is that it is becoming increasingly difficult and frustrating for foreigners to find work here (especially in my field of work) as visa/work permits are becoming harder to obtain due to the strict work/visa regulations enforced by the government.

So back to my main point.. I have no intentions to return home to the UK just yet as I love SE Asia, so I am considering moving to moving to either Vietnam or the Philippines.. in particular Makati, Cebu or Boracay. In order to get an unbiased view I have posted a similar question over in the Vietnam forum

-Generally speaking is it difficult to find work (in particular hotel work) as an expat in the Philippines?

-Are work permits difficult to obtain?

-The biggest bonus of the Philippines seems to be the fact the tourist visa can be extended for 16 months at a time without having to the leave the country (unlike Thailand!)

My apologies for the long post, but I am really interested in hearing from fellow expats who may give me a better insight into work/life in the Philippines! And if it is a destination I should realistically be considering..

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

See also

Accommodation in Cebu - Guide
Relocation agencies in the Philippines - Business
Relocating to the Philippines from America - 4 Replies
Back to Cebu from 4 days in Thailand - 17 Replies
Relocating to the Philippines - 104 Replies
Protocols of arrival in CEBU from the USA - 1 Reply
Relocating to the Philippines - 1 Reply

David ViP

Member since 29 January 2013

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DavidViP30 July 2013 12:07:36

9410

Hi Xaviar84,

Welcome to expat-blog!

I suggest you to go through the Philippines forum, you might get some useful information.

Regards,

David.

tzitsme Member

Member since 19 August 2013

tzitsmeMember21 August 2013 14:52:22

Hello there,

I am glad that you are considering moving here in Philippines.
Im a Filipina, and U am a hotelier myself.

You did not specify what dept. in particular you are interested. Normally if you are a foreigner and works in hotel here, you are a: GM, or F&B Director, Executive Chef, Asst Chef, if Front Office common here are Front desk interpreters (Korean, Japanese, Russian, Chinese, ) or depends on hotel's market.

If you want more job opportunity, you go to Manila. Its the capital and there are a lot of good and branded hotels there. Bu Manila is very crowded. heavy heavy traffic. Mostly buildings..

If you are a beach person, Boracay is the place. although very limited job offer there since most resorts really prefer their locals, but then again that depends on the position. I worked in a resort there bfore for 8 months, I love it at first because of the beach and "chill" lifestyle, new friends etc.., but the island was too small for me, I got tired of my same old routine there from day to day.

I like Cebu, because I live here.hehehe
Cebu is the second city after Manila. Economy here is booming, esp hospitality. Good thing about Cebu is its not as crowded as Manila and we have a laidback lifestyle here. If you prefer resort, you need to work in Mactan area (there are a lot of foreigners there), and our amazing beaches are there too. If you want a city hotel, a lot of branded hotels are in the city now too. You can apply: Shangrila, Imperial, Crimson, Marco Polo, Waterfront and so on.. those hotels in Cebu are known to hire more foreigners..

Best tip if you cant decide yet: take a trip in that 3 locations, they are like 45 mins to 1 hours from each other..

Take care.

Xaviar84 Active member

Member since 29 July 2013

Xaviar84Active member22 August 2013 04:30:27

Thanks for the great reply Tzitsme!

I currently work as Villa Manger however I have 10+ years experience throughout the Rooms Division department.

I am currently considering the Philippines as well as Vietnam or Bangkok however I will definitely plan a trip to the Philippines soon to see what it's like.

I think that it will either be Cebu or Manila as possible destinations to move to... Boracay is probably bet as a vacation spot

tzitsme Member

Member since 19 August 2013

tzitsmeMember22 August 2013 08:29:21

Cool. You are very welcome.

shid.buldiman Active member

Member since 22 August 2013

shid.buldimanActive member22 August 2013 08:33:14

[moderated: no free ad on the forum pls.]

claudiu.cx Member

Member since 18 April 2012

claudiu.cxMember20 December 2014 17:20:26

[Moderated : One post is enough, please do not copy paste same message on different threads on the forum ]

jetsanjose Member

Member since 17 May 2015

jetsanjoseMember17 May 2015 14:20:53

Hi my company is looking for thai speaking person.We offer almost 80k for this position.We process working visa and most of all the permits..

.Anyway my name is jet edward san jose from cainta rizal Philippines, part owner of International network Xolo Solutuon,Al araimi travel and tours...

Moderated by kenjee 10 years ago
Reason : For security reasons please do not give over personal contact infos on the forum

stumpy Laos Expert

Member since 27 November 2009

stumpyLaos Expert18 May 2015 00:54:15

18026

jetsanjose wrote:
Hi my company is looking for thai speaking person.We offer almost 80k for this position.We process working visa and most of all the permits..

.Anyway my name is jet edward san jose from cainta rizal Philippines, part owner of International network Xolo Solutuon,Al araimi travel and tours...

As advertising is not permitted on this section of the forum please post a free ad in the jobs section located in the green banner at the top of this page.
Thank you.

kenjee ViP

Member since 02 June 2014

kenjeeViP19 May 2015 07:35:42

#10

19610

Hello all

@jetsanjose : Welcome to Expat.com.

Please note that members should not participate off topic on active threads.

For jobs proposals, I invite you to refer with your advert in the appropriate section : Jobs offers in Philippines.

Kenjee
Expat.com Team