Checklist for Aspiring OFWs (Self-Assessment)

There is no manual for OFWs and definitely there is none for the aspiring ones so I came up with a checklist based on my own experiences and some of my friends’ stories.

1. Do you always go to your mother when you have problems? If your answer is yes then try to become more independent because mom will not be around when you go abroad unless you will take her with you. Also “cry babies” won’t last far away from home for health reasons, they may die of dehydration (Uncontrollable Tears) or if not they may end up losing their minds.

2. Can you do multi-tasking? If yes then surely you will be one of the many that are being exploited but if not you won’t last a month on your job. So better assess your abilities and capabilities. Filipinos are well-known for doing different unrelated works so practice doing accounting jobs and doing logistic work at the same time. If you are currently unemployed try cooking while jogging, yes it’s that difficult.


3. Do you hate domestic chores like cooking, cleaning your room and washing clothes? If you don’t have any idea and really want to go abroad better start taking over mom and yaya’s job now, practice makes perfect and oh! I almost forgot cleaning the bathroom and ironing clothes.

4. Are you used to being shouted at for no reason at all? If yes then definitely you will be OK but if you’re not, you may end up in jail for assaulting your employer. “Sabungeros” have an edge on this matter; cock fighting arenas are one of the noisiest places on earth. You can even shout while someone behind you is spreading his saliva over your shoulders and screaming at the top of his lungs “Meron!”. You don’t see the relation? You will when you get here or there.

5. Are you a great spender or a frugal one? If you are the former, just stay where you are right now and enjoy your life because there is no use of going abroad and just spend the money you earn on electronic gadgets, signature clothes and everything “susyal”. If you are the latter then maybe you can become one of the few who made a fortune and became successful entrepreneur after being able to save and put up businesses back home like Agnes Marrero.

I can go on but I won’t, there are so many things to consider when deciding to work abroad, I am just trying to show some common and shallow situations, yes these are just shallow issues and I won’t go further on the deep ones. Now assess yourself base on the questions above and decide “Would you want to become an OFW?”

Disclaimer: The author is not an expert and is not claiming to be. He is just one of those OFWs who have experienced a lot of unfortunate events but he has survived and now on his sixth year as a Filipino Overseas Worker.