Philippine Books | Reviews

Posts Tagged ‘living in the philippines’

Philippine Dreams

Philippine Dreams

Perry Gamsby, 2009, Streetwise Publications, available in eBook .pdf and as a paperback through Lulu.com ISBN: 978-0-9806346-0-0 , 230 pages.

This is a very interesting book for anyone who is contemplating any involvement with the Philippines, either a vacation or even working or retiring there. It is a bit disjointed in that the first 160 or so pages are an entertaining and often hilarious expose of what life is truly like for foreigners in the Philippines. The second part is more informative with detailed advice on everything from visa’s to domestic helpers, getting work to getting ill and even dying.

The author has had a lot of first hand experience in living in the Philippines and this is obvious as you laugh your way through his attempts to shop, get a driving license or survive the absence of toilet paper in Filipino public restrooms. While there is a very funny chapter on the  local fiesta, there is a more serious side to the book as Perry tells some home truths about ‘mail order brides’, a term he detests by the way.

Overall ‘Philippine Dreams’ is a worthwhile volume to have, either on your hard drive as an ebook or on your shelf as a paperback book. It is informative, updated for 2009 and also a very enjoyable book to read. Formatting and layout is a little amateurish but this does not in any way detract from the invaluable content, which after all is what we buy the book for in the first place.

Visit Philippine Dreams for more Info about Beat Tropical Country

Making A Living In the Philippines

Making A Living In the Philippines

Perry Gamsby, 2009, Streetwise Publications, available in eBook .pdf and as a paperback through Lulu.com ISBN: 978-0-9806346-4-8, 275 pages.

For anyone dreaming of an early retirement or just looking to enjoy the adventure of starting over  in a new culture, the problem of how to keep a roof over your head and food on the table looms large. Not everyone has a water tight retirement package and recent events have shown even that is usually no guarantee of a steady income.

For those who are thinking of getting a job in the Philippines, there is a wealth of first hand information here gathered by the author from his own experiences. Perry Gamsby held several jobs while he lived in the Philippines and he explains what was good and what was bad about them, what you can expect and what to forget about. The job market in the Philippines is very different to what it is back home and the author not only tells you why but how you can turn things to your advantage.

If you are thinking of starting a small business, this book lists the traps and pitfalls as well as suggesting some proven and very viable business models. Again Gamsby draws on his own experience as well as pooled knowledge from expats both successful and misfortunate to give you the best chance at success.

There is a section on investing for those who aren’t exactly a Wall Street high flyer. Gamsby is honest with the reader in that this is not his forte but ‘here is what he does know to be fact’. Added to this there are over 100 helpful url links to provide you with the latest information on a range of income earning related topics. All in all this book is a very worthwhile investment.

Visit Making A Living In the Philippines for more Info about getting a job in the Philippines

Bob Martin has been living in the Philippines since 2000 and runs a popular social website about living in the Philippines.  He was constantly getting emails from people wanting to escape the rat race and live in the Philippines.   Most of the questions were about how to find a job which is difficult in the Philippines as it has a very high unemployment rate and relatively low wages.   In response Bob wrote 49 ways to make a living in the Philippines.

Bob has been involved in Internet publishing for a number of years with websites selling products, selling via Ebay, blogs selling information and most recently self publishing information in book and e-book formats.  Bob makes a very comfortable living using the ideas found in his book and now wants to share those ideas so that others can also realize the dream of living in the Philippines.

Many of the ideas in the book do relate to the internet and self-publishing.  Most of the ideas in the book require very little investment.  The few that do involve buying real property or investment in a proven business system with guidance and managerial assistance provide.

One thing 49 ways to make a living in the Philippines will not tell you is how to find employment.  As already stated jobs are not easy to find and the pay is generally so low that most westerns could not survive on the pay anyway.   To learn more about find employment in the Philippines check out Perry’s book How to Make a Living in the Philippines.

What you will not find in Bob’s book are get-rich-quick scams which are common in the Philippines.  The ideas he suggest deal with real-world products and services for making an honest living.

If just one of these ideas works for you then it was a very cheap investment.

If you are very serious about moving to the Philippines and making a living then you should get both Bob’s and Perry’s book.  They are very different –Read the review of Perry’s book  How to Make A Living In the Philippines