Philippines

Manila

Greenbelt shopping mall
Intramuros - Old town
Glorietta park
Ocean park
Cebu Island - swimming with whale sharks, scuba dyving

POEC Consultancy International is company cooperating with the students and the companies in the USA. Mostly they are offering culinary and hospitality internship and traineeship programs. They are helping students to orient in the programs, prepare them for the visa interview. Company is processing the papers through the visa sponsors and also doing the insurance and booking flights for the applicants

I was meeting employees and sharing my work experience from the Czech Republic with them. After that I was adapting to the working system in the Philippine. I participated in many events where I was also speaking to attract the applicants and partners for the POEC company. Follow the rules and working habits of the different culture teached me a lot. I was responsible for creating presentations, speaking with the applicants for their feedback and attracting students and partners to join our programs. In the end of my stay I was creating the new opportunity for the POEC company how to expand and attract more applicants through the Local company project.

10 000 PHP per month. Usually they receive salary at the middle and at the end of the month. In this case I should receive 5 000 PHP every month. It was possible to get salary in advance. It was better, because I could spend the money before my departure.
Price for the local food in shops and cheap accommodation was corresponding the salary. In the better restaurants was price about 200 PHP per lunch

English - medium skill would be enough

30 000 PHP per month - Own finded hotel
It could be 2 000 PHP, but on the dormitory with 10 others people which even were not from the same company. Very small room with 10 beds without internet connection. Unacceptable conditons.

I had a contact on one person which should picked me up on the airport. It went smoothly, but in fact she was from the company of internship not from the IAESTE. Only one person here was from the IAESTE. She explainded me everything and she was very helpful.
But there wasn't any events organized by IAESTE but just by the POEC company

I met just 3 students from the IAESTE but not on the event. All of them was girls from Thailand and 2 of them was on the interniship for the same company as me - One in the Manila, and one in the Cebu. The last one was on the internship for culinary school.

Culture is different. They have more time on everything and they are not used on being or doing work on time.
Most favourite sport here is basketball but most of the Philippines are not into sport activity. Example: Usually they prefer to take a transport even for a short distance 300 m

They were were friendly in the company so they offered me many times some specialities from their cuisine.
Most of the time they are eating rice with anything and anytime (for example even in KFC or MCdonald they serving chicken with rice)
Specialities:: fried prawns, Adidas (chicken feet), dried mango, banana chips, lambanog (Alcohol - fermented sap of the coconut tree)

Internet connection at work and in the hotels

find better and cheaper accommodations,
Remember other chargers and power adapters
Avoid the raining season

credit card (nearly impossible to withdraw money by debit card)
adapter
in raining season - umbrella and slippers

Mostly I experienced Philippines culture and my coworkers there. I think that I could´t find more friendly and opened team members. I really enjoyed their company when we was working together with them. I didn't just earn the experience here in the office but also a good friendship. Also the other experience what I could not have gained from another opportunity was speaking with many Philippine students and possible partners.

They were very helpful and always asking about my feelings and needs. I had no problems to get any informations or assist when I needed it.. One for all: One day when I was feeling a bit sick they help me to get from work to my place and also they did everything for me to get well again and bought me some pills.