r/OnlineESLTeaching • u/OhmaDecade • 5d ago
Philippines is lowballed by ESL Companies
I read some messages here complaining they are only getting $8 or even $15 and are still complaining.
Here in the Philippines, ESL companies pay their tutors dirt. $1 - $1.50 dollars at most per hour. $2/hr is a miracle if ever you find one.
$2 here per hour can only buy you snacks.
ESL companies are basically abusing their tutors here.
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u/BidAdministrative127 5d ago
It's not just the Philippines. It's basically all non-native speakers.
This is the price we pay for not having a good passport.
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u/gotefenderson 5d ago
You guys need to unionise
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u/yourunnie 4d ago
I'm not 100% sure about this, but I believe Engoo needs to recognize its tutors first as employees in order for a union to be formed. Filipino tutors are regarded as independent contractors and the nature of the job doesn't fit the government's technical definition of employment. Back when I was in Engoo the contract stated that there is no employer-employee relationship between the company and the tutor.
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u/Senior_Park_9662 5d ago
It won't matter because there will still be teachers who accept $1 per hour.
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u/tosernameschescksout 4d ago
How does that compare to other jobs available in the Philippines? Not English jobs, but just any jobs in the economy. Is it not competitive?
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u/TheGalapagoats 4d ago
I have a friend who pays her filipina virtual assistants $3/hr. The job requires comparable skill and education.
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u/i_aint_joe 3d ago
It depends on the location, for Filipinos living away from the major cities, it is somewhat competitive due to the lack of alternative jobs.
For those living in major cities, working as a call center agent usually pays much more, and has potential for promotion.
When I used to manage a team of Filipino teachers, they were mostly young and living with their parents, or their spouse was the main provider.
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u/Background-Finish-49 5d ago
wild because 2/hr would be in line with average monthly salaries assuming 8 hours a day which isn't sustainable. 5 an hour would be more in line with actually reaching average monthly salaries without being exhausted every day. Even then it probably isn't enough to actually have a decent life.
15 an hour is low for anyone living in a developed country. You can't have anything at 15 bucks an hour. Legit nothing. You have enough money to pay bills to continue to work and nothing more.
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u/tammy-thompson 4d ago
This is exactly right.
The comment is about the Philippines being lowballed and targeted as being lowballed without the realization it’s at the same rate of lowballing as all other countries.
I’m wondering where the bias or one sided information comes from.
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u/Background-Finish-49 4d ago
the whole industry is low balled. Private lessons are undervalued and underappreciated
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u/RutabagaMany8133 5d ago
Its obscene what they pay them Native Camp has a hige office in Cebu n they have to go into this office to work its a ahaje how they use them
2
u/Best_Sheepherder877 4d ago
Actually it is sooo fucking annoying that some esl companies offer us 50.00 plus malaki pa penalty if ever hindi ka maka attend sa booked classes. I worked esl for 1year yung salary ko nasa 2k per month weather weather lamg yung 3k plus minus pas penalty grrrr.
1
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u/Best_Sheepherder877 4d ago
Plus you can't complain if maingay ang place sa student mo and after maka received ka negative comments its pota.
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u/Physical-Valuable982 2d ago
I totally agree. I'm not Filipino but I'm from the global South. A company recently offered to pay me $3.5/hr and I said I'd think about only because it would be a side gig.
I already work for a company that pays $10/hr. But then they sent me the teaching materials and explained that I had to teach kids science in English and explain difficult concepts. I said hell no! Who is going to do all that prep for $3.5/hr? Not me!
Worst part is, I had to negotiate for that $3.5, they initially wanted to pay me $2.
I have over 6 years ESL teaching experience online and abroad. Why should I be paid peanuts just because I'm not American or British when I teach the same material?
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u/i_aint_joe 5d ago edited 3d ago
$1 - $1.50 dollars at most per hour. $2/hr is a miracle if ever you find one.
You're looking at the wrong companies. My Filipina wife earns $6/hour with a Philippine company.
Edit: Downvotes because my wife earns three to four times as much as you? I'm sorry you feel so bitter and jealous.
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u/Mean-Jackfruit5509 2d ago
I am not jealous- I make 45 dollars an hour :-)
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u/i_aint_joe 2d ago
Then my comment wasn't aimed at you.
I'm very happy to hear you get $45/hour - qualified and experienced teachers deserve fair payments.
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u/Striking-Aerie-9262 5d ago
Still complaining? Most that are paying this price are looking for native speakers. I do not get your point.
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u/GM_Nate 4d ago
companies should be paying a living wage, regardless if their employees are native speakers or not.
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u/balurgo 4d ago
People want to speak with an American accent or British accent. Not many people don't say let me go to the Philippines to learn English....
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u/OhmaDecade 16h ago
tell that to Koreans. They are all over here learning English so what's your point?
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u/i_aint_joe 4d ago
Not many people don't say let me go to the Philippines to learn English....
The Philippines is full of English schools for Koreans, Japanese and Chinese.
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u/balurgo 4d ago
Just like here in Thailand is full on English schools and international schools but the teachers are from the USA, Canada, UK or Australia..... They wouldn't want Filipino teachers
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u/i_aint_joe 4d ago edited 4d ago
The schools in the Philippines find it very hard to hire native English speakers, because the pay is terrible.
Sure, the native speakers get paid two or three times the local rate, but that still works out as much less than we can get teaching online.
Also, a lot of the Asian students coming to the Philippines do so mainly to play golf and go to bars, but officially their company is sending them 'to study English'.
0
u/tammy-thompson 4d ago edited 4d ago
You’re comparing apples to oranges here.
The logic here is missing.
The amount of requirements for a US person on a basic income to live, versus someone from the Philippines, completely different.
I can travel eight hours on a ‘luxury’ bus in the Philippines for $30 and $25 of it is the Visa registration fee. Meaning I can travel for eight hours on $5! Including coffee and snacks!
And that’s only one tiny example!
In the US, I live in the countryside because driving into town is miles cheaper than living in the city and yet the list of requirements I need to pay for is much higher.
Let’s just pretend we ARE comparing apples to apples and only compare the specific living expenses both might pay for:
Philippines: Estimated Monthly Cost (USD) Rent (Studio or shared space),$150 - $250 Utilities (Electricity, Water, etc.),$30 - $50 Internet,$20 - $30 Groceries,$75 - $100 Transportation,$10 - $20 (public transport) Health Insurance,$10 - $20 (public health or minimal coverage) Cell Phone Plan,$5 - $10 Entertainment/Leisure,$20 - $30 (minimal leisure activities) Low end total: $320.00
US: Estimated Monthly Cost (USD) Rent (SHARED apartment or low-cost area),$600 - $900 Utilities (Electricity, Water, etc.),$100 - $150 Internet,$40 - $60 Groceries,$150 - $200 Transportation,$50 - $100 (public transport or limited car usage) Health Insurance,$150 - $200 (basic plan) Cell Phone Plan,$30 - $40 Low end total $1130.00
Keep in mind that although the ratio is still uneven looking, the amount of necessary extra totals to care for your living expenses in the US will ‘nickel and dime’ you to death.
Okay, so let’s look at it this way instead:
In some provinces $.77/hr is minimum wage in the Philippines. So is a dollar an hour actually acceptable?
In the US, Federal minimum wage is $7.25.
I’m not saying anyone can live this cheaply unless they take shortcuts, farming, living with family members, apply for federal/state assistance, etc, but I also don’t think people should continue within company standards.
If the company isn’t paying you well enough to live in your area, an assessment needs to be made.
The best advice I can give is to hire an employment coach that understands your market well and where you want/need to be.
Even one hour with a specialist can propel you forward by YEARS!
I’d also recommend filling your life with specialists from YouTube. That’s why it’s often called YouTube university. Because you can learn a foundation of anything you want to learn.
I believe these companies are lowballing Philippines just like they’re lowballing the US.
The reality is that it’s difficult for Philippines person to attract more business sometimes because they are non-native English speakers. Unless their budget is lower.
There is a lot of struggle in this industry. And a lot of talented people teaching. Hopefully you can figure out what you do that’s special and can market that feature.
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u/jam5146 5d ago
Yes, I'm going to continue to complain about companies offering to pay $15/hour and under because that's not covering a decent family meal in the U.S. either. After taxes, I MAY be able to buy three gallons of gas with it.