Family dinners, watching movies together, going shopping with her siblings – these were the small things Dawn constantly missed when she worked as a programmer in Australia.
“I lived with my parents and siblings before I moved to Australia. We are a very close-knit family and we would go out for dinners or movies when I was in the Philippines. When I was abroad, we would visit each other multiple times a year. I also called them several times a week but it wasn’t quite the same,” Dawn shared.
Dawn had initially moved to Australia in 2017 to pursue an IT job opportunity as she felt that working abroad would boost her career.
“I had been at a local software developer company in the Philippines for three years and was looking to take the next step in my career. I decided to take up an opportunity in Australia because I knew gaining international experience would open plenty of doors for me in the future,” said Dawn.
After working more than one year in Australia, Dawn noticed that there were plenty of exciting career opportunities back in the Philippines and decided that it was time for her to move home. She had just started applying for jobs online, when Shane Garcellano, International Candidate Manager at Robert Walters Philippines, reached out to her about opportunities within the Philippines.
“Shane was very helpful right from the start. She took her time to understand me as a person, as well as my career goals. She asked about my career plans, professional motivations and salary expectations, and took the time to outline the career possibilities in the Philippines. I felt like I could trust her.”
Shane then connected Dawn with Michael Sierra, IT consultant, and within weeks, Dawn found herself with an offer for a front-end developer role at ING Group, a large multinational bank.
“I could see that Shane passed on the details of our conversation to Michael because the position matches my expectations. It is aligned to my skill sets while offering me room to grow,” shared Dawn. “I was initially worried about having to take a massive pay cut in the Philippines, but Michael was able to leverage my overseas work experience and secure me a salary package that I was satisfied with. It’s slightly lower than what I received in Australia, but given the lower cost of living here, it’s actually better overall.”
Dawn encourages overseas Filipinos who miss home to make the move. She shares, “The economy is growing and there are many opportunities in the Philippines today, particularly for those who have international work experience. Instead of working overseas and being apart from our families, we should consider coming home to build a better economy for our families and community.”
Find out how you can Balik Bayan to a better career back home. Contact Grace Sampan at grace.sampan@robertwalters.com today.
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