This page summary, takeaways, and transcript were generated
by AI from the video captions.
The video itself remains the source of truth.
Expats often struggle to succeed in the Philippines because they cannot legally work, businesses are often hobbies rather than enterprises, and many expats were already successful in their home countries before moving.
The video argues that expats often fail to succeed in the Philippines primarily due to legal work restrictions. Foreigners typically cannot work unless they possess highly specialized skills that Filipinos lack, or they are sponsored by a foreign company for a visa, or hold an investor visa. Many individuals who appear successful in the Philippines had already achieved success and accumulated wealth in their home countries, such as the US or Australia, or are returning Filipinos with overseas careers. Their financial stability allows them to live comfortably, but this is not the same as succeeding by starting a new venture or career in the Philippines.
The presenter emphasizes that the Philippines is not a suitable place for everyone, drawing parallels to how the United States is also not for everyone. Success and failure are not binary outcomes, and many Filipinos working abroad as Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) do not consider themselves failures. The video also touches on the 'crabs in a bucket' phenomenon within expat communities, where some individuals resent the success of others. For many, the Philippines is best viewed as a retirement destination after achieving financial success elsewhere, allowing them to enjoy a slower pace of life without the pressures of earning income.
Personal struggles, such as difficulty finding employment, relationship problems, and homesickness, are also cited as reasons why expats may not thrive in the Philippines. The host shares his own experience of not intending to stay long-term and eventually leaving due to job search difficulties, preferring Thailand for future long-term living. He notes that many expats lack perspective from living in other Southeast Asian countries, which can lead to a limited understanding of their options and potential challenges.
Expats often struggle in the Philippines due to legal restrictions on working; most foreigners cannot legally work unless they have specialized skills or specific visas. Many who appear successful had already achieved financial stability and careers in their home countries before relocating. This prior success, rather than new ventures in the Philippines, enables their lifestyle.
Generally, expats cannot legally work in the Philippines without specific qualifications or visa types. Work is typically restricted to those with highly specialized skills that locals lack, or those sponsored by foreign companies. Many expats live off passive income, pensions, or wealth accumulated before moving.
The Philippines can be a suitable retirement destination for expats who have already secured their finances elsewhere. However, it's not ideal for everyone, and recognizing this early can prevent significant difficulties. Personal challenges like relationship issues and homesickness also impact an expat's ability to thrive there.
Common problems for expats in the Philippines include difficulty finding legal employment and the 'crabs in a bucket' mentality within some expat communities. Relationship issues and homesickness are also frequently cited reasons why the Philippines may not work out long-term.
Many expats in the Philippines achieve a comfortable lifestyle not through new ventures, but by leveraging financial success and established careers from their home countries. Legal work opportunities are limited, making prior financial security or passive income essential for many.
Moving to the Philippines as an expat requires careful consideration of the challenges, particularly regarding employment and potential cultural differences. It's often best suited for those seeking retirement after achieving financial success abroad, rather than for starting a new career.
Generally, foreigners cannot legally work in the Philippines unless they possess highly specialized skills that locals lack. Alternatively, they may work if sponsored by a foreign company for a visa or hold an investor visa. Many expats who appear successful in the Philippines had already achieved financial success in their home countries.
Starting a business in the Philippines can be challenging for expats due to legal work restrictions and market conditions. The country's market is not as open as some other Southeast Asian nations, making it more difficult for foreigners to establish and operate businesses. Success in business often requires prior wealth accumulation or specific circumstances like historical parity rights.
Yes, it is possible for expats to work online from the Philippines, often referred to as digital nomads. Many professionals in fields like finance, engineering, and customer service work remotely for international companies. While not always easy, securing remote work can provide a viable income stream for expats living there.
Expats may struggle in the Philippines due to difficulties finding employment, relationship issues, and homesickness. The legal work restrictions are a major hurdle, and some expats lack the perspective of living in other Southeast Asian countries. Additionally, a 'crabs in a bucket' mentality within some expat communities can create a negative environment.
The Philippines can be a suitable retirement destination for individuals who have already achieved financial success and security elsewhere. With a pension or savings, expats can enjoy a comfortable life and a slower pace without the pressure of earning income. For those on a fixed income, such as a $1500 social security pension, it can be more advantageous than living in the US.
Foreigners face challenges in the Philippines, including strict work visa regulations and limited opportunities for local employment. Cultural differences can also present difficulties, as seen in minor service interactions. Furthermore, expats may encounter issues with property ownership and business regulations that are more restrictive compared to other countries.
0:01 They were already successful in their home country. I never intended to live in the Philippines long term. Hey YouTube, Alex here and in today's video, I want to talk about why expats cannot succeed in the Philippines. And I think this is a controversial take because you see so many people talking about success, how they're a hot shot or they're a big baller.
0:29 And the first reason as to why this is the case, most expats cannot legally work in the Philippines. And work has a subjective definition, like how do we define work? But you're not permitted as a foreigner in most cases to work in the Philippines unless you can do something very specific that a Filipino person cannot do, and a foreign company has to sponsor your visa.
0:56 I think there is also what's called an investor visa, but the vast majority of expats are not on the investor visa. I've met two people that are on the investor visa. It's not to say they're not more out there, but for the majority, you're needing to bring your money with you. It's not a situation for most guys where, oh, I'm going to move to the Philippines and I'm going to become some kind of employee or I'm going to start a business.
1:28 For a lot of guys that come to the Philippines, they were already successful in their home country. You have, for example, returning Filipinos that had a career in healthcare or technology or something like that overseas, and they're coming back with the money they made. So they actually had their success somewhere else and they're continuing that successful life back in the Philippines.
1:59 For most expats, they made their money in the US, Australia, Canada. Non-Filipino Canadians, they're not, oh yeah, so I just, you know, I moved over to the Philippines and I got a job at a manufacturing company or something like that. It's just not really practical to think that way or even speak that way.
2:21 So when people say, 'Oh, so and so failed in the Philippines,' I would say they weren't necessarily successful before they even got there. For those who say they wanted to come to the Philippines to succeed, how is it that you expect to support a family if you can't legally work?
2:45 As far as I know, most of the visas that expats are using, I know tourist visa is the most predominant one. It allows for up to a three-year stay. How are you supporting a family if you can't legally work? I'm not so sure about the other visas, it's something I'd have to take a look at.
3:08 But I found it's often when expats do start a business in the Philippines, there are some exceptions. This is not a blanket statement, but most of the time it's like a hobby farm. It's a sorry store with their wife. It's not some rigorous enterprise where you know, they're making moves and there's already a lot of talented people in the Philippines.
3:32 A lot of talented people, and they don't need foreigners to do things that they themselves can do. I think when you look at the colonial history of the Philippines, there's a lot of Filipinos that they want to do things themselves. They're not needing outside talent. They've got a lot of homegrown talent.
3:56 And so when people talk about this, I'm going to go succeed in the Philippines, it's like for these guys that were successful before they came to the Philippines or say they expanded their business there. You see a guy like John Smulo, he was successful before he came to the Philippines.
4:15 That's not to say the Philippines didn't contribute heavily to his success. I think it's obvious that it did. He's got a lot of talented people working for him in his offices. But he didn't just come there totally oblivious. He had already been hiring there. He had already been working with Filipinos through like basically digital communication platforms.
4:40 It wasn't just this he woke up one day and showed up in the Philippines and all of a sudden he succeeded. He was building on it. He was building on his past success that he'd already had. And you also see this with guys who come to the Philippines and they live a very comfortable life. That's a comfortable life that they built prior to coming to the Philippines.
5:01 They had a long career in whatever industry they specialized in. You know, you see a lot of veterans, for example, that they had a 20, 30 year career as a veteran. They're collecting a pension and that pension funds their lifestyle and can fund their lifestyle in many countries, not just one.
5:28 You know, when you're working for the military, you don't necessarily get to choose where you live. So, you got to follow your instructions, your orders, and in return eventually, you get to collect that sweet pension. But yeah, I just people talk about failure in the Philippines. I think life's too short to think about things in this dynamic.
5:51 And this is going to be my next point. The Philippines is not for everyone. It's fairly evident there's no place for everyone. Um, some places are better for some people than others. Some people like certain places more than other places. I think it's a great option for a lot of people, but it's certainly not for everyone.
6:11 And so if somebody they decide it's not for them, I think it's better to figure that out early, then some of these guys that do crash and burn and have to go back home with far less money or with health issues that they didn't necessarily arrive in that state.
6:32 I think it's like anything. I mean, the United States is the same way. There's people that move to the United States and they can't handle the freedom. Just like in the Philippines, you have a lot of freedoms that you don't have in the US.
6:49 In the US, you have a lot of freedoms you don't have in other countries. So, that's a big one where I think it just assumes this binary. And I had a few expats tell me this, either you succeed here or you fail here.
7:07 Well, it's a lot more complicated than that because we see a lot of OFWs going abroad to send money back home. Did they fail in the Philippines? I don't think they say that. That goes back to another discussion I've had where you have a lot of expats that they have this double standard.
7:27 They're happy to critique or to criticize, you know, people for behavior based on their nationality. If one nationality does it, it's okay. If another nationality does it, it's not okay. So, there's that double standard.
7:45 But yeah, I mean, I haven't seen any of these guys tell of, 'Well, you just couldn't make it. You just couldn't handle it.' There's a lot of crabs in the bucket in expat communities. You'll notice this if you live overseas.
8:00 I think it's unfortunately more common than we'd like to see, but it is a reality. To me, the Philippines is best seen as a retirement destination. Once you've made your money and you've been successful in another country, then you go to the Philippines and you relax.
8:20 You enjoy the slower pace. I'm not saying you shouldn't go back and forth, but I think for many people the ideal is to make your money in your home country where you're permitted to work and you understand the economy, you have connections, you know people, you know the rules.
8:44 You have so many what I would call home turf advantages. And then once you've made your money, you come to the Philippines, you relax. You don't have to worry, oh, am I allowed to work? Am I allowed to open this business? Is this permitted? Is this something I'm going to get in trouble for?
9:05 These aren't concerns for you. Plus, you get to enjoy it. You know, one thing that I struggle with with YouTubing in the Philippines, there were days or times I wanted to enjoy life and I had to work on my channel. So if you've actually like made your money, you don't have to do anything.
9:23 You're just, you know, if you want to do a channel, you're just documenting. It's very different to have the economic freedom after having made it in the west than to try to do something big there when it's just a very relaxed atmosphere, laidback. You're trying to push and get things done where a lot of people are just enjoying their lives.
9:52 So, yeah, that's why I'm skeptical of this fail thing. I think, you know, one of the things that's unfortunate, I talked about crabs in a bucket, but a lot of expats hate to see each other succeed. It's not all, but there's a decent chunk that for whatever reason they get upset when other people are accomplishing what they set out to accomplish or have accomplished what they set out to accomplish when they were younger.
10:22 You definitely notice a disconnect among people who are not as successful in their early years versus those that were more successful in their early years and have a lot more to show for it. Now, when it comes to success or failure, one of the things I point out, a lot of guys that are going over there to retire are typical retirement age, I would say like late 50s to late 60s, somewhere in that 10-year band.
10:57 And you know, at this age, you begin to have more health concerns just as a matter of aging, getting older. It'll happen to me, it'll happen to you if it hasn't already. It's just part of life. And my question is, if somebody, you know, goes over there and then has a health issue, do they fail in the Philippines?
11:18 Health issues they probably accumulated back in the US if it's genetic and they're a western person. They're getting illnesses that Western people are more prone to developing. I say all this, I make this video because I had a couple people I thought were my friends saying, 'Oh, you failed in the Philippines.'
11:40 I never intended to live in the Philippines long term. In fact, I came for, I think with the expectation I'd stay a month, maybe two, and then get my job, next job back in the US and go back to work. I did not plan to stay long term at that point in time.
12:01 It was pretty obvious, too, cuz I was like the youngest guy in a lot of these social circles.
12:08 I was the youngest guy in a lot of these social circles, circles that I'd need to go back and work. I was just kind of scoping it out. I mean, and I personally think Thailand is going to be the place that I want to live long term. There's a lot of reasons for that.
12:26 It's not a knock against the Philippines. I enjoyed my time there. I see myself returning for vacation and for travel. That's my preference. I ended up staying in the Philippines about eight months because I was struggling to get a job. Eventually, I just called it because I was like, well, you know, might as well go back. Probably be easier in some ways to get access to certain jobs in person that I wouldn't be able to access remotely.
12:53 But there's a lot of guys, I mentioned it before, that they find it's not for them and they have that self-awareness to call it before they become embittered. I met a number of guys in the Philippines that were not happy there for whatever reason. I think some of it comes down to relationship problems.
13:16 I think if some of these guys get into these situations, they get themselves into these situations where they rush into a relationship with the wrong person and they maybe build a house, maybe they buy a car, or, you know, they get entangled in some way or another. And then they find, you know what, this person isn't who I thought they were. They find out, you know what, I enjoy the Philippines for vacation, but I miss my family back home more than I thought I would.
13:49 There's a lot of reasons why somebody who moves to another country may find it doesn't work for them. I mean, there's quite a few people who come to the US to spend their working years and then when they've completed those working years, they go back to where they're from because they would prefer to live where they're from, because that's what they're used to. It's not that the US is bad. It's not that the Philippines is bad.
14:14 It's that I think a lot of people out there realize, I really like what I'm used to. I like what I'm accustomed to. There's nothing specifically wrong with this place, but, you know, I miss being able to see longtime old friends. I miss, you know, maybe they have grandkids, children, that kind of thing.
14:33 So anyway, yeah, I just wanted to clarify that because I think some people have a misconception. I intended to stay in the Philippines forever. And for me, it was more about scoping it out. One of the things I want to do is really a year in each of the Southeast Asian countries or almost a year just to see, could I live here one day?
14:58 So Thailand is probably going to be it. But eventually, I'd like to do a year in Cambodia. I'd like to spend a year total in Malaysia. Vietnam, I don't think is for me. But there's a lot of options.
15:13 The Philippines is a great option for a lot of people, but by no means is it the only option. And I found that a number of the guys I met in the Philippines had never been to any other countries in Southeast Asia. So, they didn't really necessarily have that perspective that I have.
15:34 I've been to almost all the countries in Southeast Asia, all of them except for Lao, Brunei, and Myanmar. Brunei is pretty small. Lao is pretty rural and Myanmar is unsafe right now. So I have the ability to compare and contrast that.
15:55 I think a lot of them don't. And I guess they get offended when I say that, but it's the truth. I've been to Malaysia, month in Malaysia, like a month in Cambodia, year over a year and a half in Thailand, eight months in the Philippines. I spent about a week in Singapore. You know, Singapore is pretty expensive. About a month in Vietnam.
16:16 It's not as much of a mystery to me as what I prefer. But let me know what you think down in the comments. Did I fail in the Philippines? Am I a big failure in life? It's ironic to me.
16:29 There's a lot of irony to me in this situation, but give us a thumbs up if you enjoy this content. It really helps to boost us in the algorithm. And finally, subscribe to the channel down below if you want to see more content like this.
Follow the journey through expat life, travel experiences, and the realities of living abroad while exploring different places, cultures, and everyday life overseas.
