In Phillipines they often mourn about the brain drain which is the outmigration of teachers. Actually it can be disheartening to see most of best and brightest Filipino educators leave the country to teach oversees or abroad, but overseas Filipino teachers seem to be happy about it.
Overseas Filipino teacgers are active contributors to global developmentand they have presented an image of Filipinos as intellectuals as well as academics on the world education stage even during the pandemic.
Why they prefer to teach overseas and migrate
1. Income: The most obvious incentive for teachers to migrate is income. However, speaking to any overseas Filipino teacher about why they migrated would reveal a plethora of non-financial motives, too.
2. Teaching Standards: They are assessed and judged by international standards.
3. Professionality: Many teachers choose to work abroad in pursuit of personal growth and professional empowerment.
4. Competition: Teaching abroad makes them globally competitive.
5. Mobility: Also mobility is another reason that Filipino teachers migrate.
Gains in the migration of filipino teachers
Firstly, teachers who work abroad are a testament to the intelligence of the Filipino. By interacting with students and colleagues of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds, Filipino teachers have been ambassadors promoting the reputation of the Philippines in their respective communities abroad. Their students are able to gain a tangible connection with Philippine culture.
Secondly, Filipino teachers breed students who are ready to participate in a globalized world. Educators working abroad tend to take jobs teaching languages such as English and Filipino and tear down communication barriers one student at a time.
Lastly, digitalization in recent years has allowed Filipino teachers to continue advancing education in the Philippines despite being abroad.
Teaching in the new normal
Despite these obvious advantages of migration, overseas Filipino teachers have faced serious struggles in working abroad. Challenges unique to the pandemic have pushed them to depend on technology.
First of all, most teachers are now familiar with teaching online, but adjusting to online learning has been especially difficult for teachers with young students.
The popular sentiment among teachers is that face-to-face classes are irreplaceable. And though most schools abroad have opened up in recent months, the emergence of new COVID-19 variants putting children at risk of infection has kept teachers on guard and ready to return to online learning at a moment’s notice.
Finally, the pandemic travel restrictions have separated overseas Filipino teachers from their families back home. Even prior to the pandemic, being away from home was a source of heartache for many migrant workers. These days, visiting home has become even more difficult because of the fluctuating cases and quarantine requirements in the Philippines.
We hope that pandemic ends as soon as possible and our world become normal like before so all teachers abroad can see their families without any restrictions or measures takes by the governments.
