INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
By Roger Bartholomew

Roger Bartholomew spends his life talking with students - both as a teacher and as a counselor. His position as president of International Education Specialists, Chairman of Southville Foreign University and Director/Teacher at Southville International School all involve listening to students and parents and advising them on their studies and careers. He is a frequent speaker in schools, colleges, universities, public forums and focus groups. He can be reached at rogerb@inter-ed.com.

WEAR THE “DCM” WITH PRIDE!

It occurred to me today that it might to a good idea to have a “Be kind to the Boss” month. Why! Because there is no doubt that if you have a good job with a stable company, now is the time to hang onto it!  The current economic crisis is not a good time to start upsetting the people you work for and giving them the opportunity to award you the DCM – Don’t Come Monday! These awards are being liberally handed out all over the world at the moment and for many people they bring home the horrible realization that while work may not always be the greatest joy in life, no work and no pay is much worse!

If you are in the position of having recently received this prestigious award, or maybe you have not been able to get a job to even start work, what are some of the concrete steps that you can take to get yourself back into the workforce?

The word “Upskilling” immediately comes to mind. You need to be more qualified to get into (or back into) the workplace now than you were before. This might be in the area of Communication Skills (can you obtain a 7.0 in IELTS and write effective business letters?); IT Skills (can you set up WiFi in your office or create office collateral materials?); professional knowledge (are you up to date with the latest trends in you industry and how they can be applied?); or even Project Management (can you effectiveness and economically run a short term project that may lead to long term opportunities?).

The reality of upskilling isn’t that simple though, as finding good teachers and trainers is nearly as hard as finding good jobs! After all, if the person teaching you Communication or IT skills is that good, why aren’t they working in industry? And this is the perennial problem that Philippine Colleges and Universities face. Where do you source good teachers? There is, of course, an answer. You find them where they are getting well paid and the pay is commensurate to industry standards. i.e. in the UK, Australia, NZ, Canada and the USA……

It may therefore be possible to kill three birds with one stone.

Bird 1. Enrol in an upskilling course overseas – preferable for a graduate diploma or a Masters degree

Bird 2. The UK, Canada, Australia and NZ all allow you to work (up to 20 hours/wk) while studying, so you can back into the workforce overseas (there are always plenty of jobs in the big cities) while studying  

Bird 3. Once you have completed your studies: the UK grants graduates work permits of 2 – 3 years: Australia encourages graduates to apply for Permanent residency; NZ grants work permits of 18 months and once you have a job you can apply for permanent residency; Canada is almost identical to NZ.

Stone 1. Studying to upskill yourself

Despite everything you read, there are always jobs for educated bright young people who are prepared to work hard to get their career off to a good start. Starting this overseas has the added bonus that wages tend to be pretty good and opportunities fairly plentiful. I hear at regular intervals from the students I have placed all around the world, and the one complaint I never hear is “I can’t find a job!” I hear, “I don’t know which offer to accept”, “which position do you think will have the better chance of promotion in the future?”, “how do I tell them that I don’t want to work for them after Christmas – they have been so good to me?” and many other variations on that theme. There is no doubt in my mind that Filipinos who are bright, smart and can communicate well are world-beaters and can compete successfully in any business environment.

So…… take advantage of the DCM. Use the time to upskill and to move yourself into a whole new environment that will position you for a great future. E-mail me on ccpc@inter-ed.com or text me on 0918-912-5191 and tell me which country interests you most for your future. And, of course, wear your DCM with pride!

Congratulations – you have been awarded
THE DCM