IDC / Work ..............

[aquamarin]

ALWAYS wanted to go to the Philippines......and now BF believes he always wanted to go there too

I qualified as DM in Thailand last winter, bf is OWSI (PADI) with a couple of season's experience in Thailand (Phuket).

We're going around 1st November through end April - and as mentioned, Philippines would be our first choice. After lots and lots of time on the www, I am strongly in favour of the Cebu area........we are not too keen on party scene - like to go out for a couple of drinks and meet up with other people, but that's about it........

Is the Cebu area a good choice re diving? Living? Employment?

Does anyone have dive op recommendations for the IDC?

How is the work situation that time of year? Is it like Phuket, where freelancing is most common and work not too difficult to get? Or do you typically work on contract? Should we look for employment from back here?

How about work permits? Easy / fast to get? Expensive? I assume you need work permit?

Oeh, quite a few questions........sorry about that........BUT thank you so much in advance for any help / suggestions

Cheers
Karin

 

[Xizang]

The biggest concentration of dive operations in the Philippines is in Boracay and Puerto Galera. You will probably have a bigger chance of getting an employment if you are doing a "go-see" thing here. Cebu City itself doesn't have much dive operators but neighboring places like malapascua and bohol may have a handful of operators there. But these are not places that are near Cebu City (at least its a 1.5 hours travel). I assume that you chose Cebu because you wanted the easy lifestyle of a "beach" but also want some cosmopolitan flavor of a small city (?)

Most of the foreigners that I know who work in Puerto Galera have full-time jobs and not contracts. Work permits are not that hard to get and cost somewhere between US$ 1500 to 2000.

If I were to be asked, I would choose Puerto Galera for the IDC. There is a PADI CDC there, Asia Divers, and being a CDC they will help you find employment when you complete the IE. They are also the country's top IDC center, running IDC's 4 times a year and have networks to shops and dive operations throughout the country. Drop Warren Dixon an email (warren@idc-inparadise.com) or visit there website at www.asiadivers.com. Puerto Galera is a 2 hour bus ride and a 1 hour boat ride from Metro Manila and you could always go to manila for a bit of r&r if the beach starts to be sickening.

November through December is the time the European market come in and January to end May is the time local/expatriate market come. If you come in November or December and do your IDC, hopefully before the year ends you have your certification already, I am guessing that when January and February comes, a lot of other freelance instructors would be coming in as well for the summer.