So you’ve found greener pastures in another part of the world, good for you! Take this as an opportunity to build your career, wealth, and secure your future. But while this is an amazing news, let’s admit that flying out of the country for work will be hard to deal with emotionally.
The day you’ll leave the Philippines to work as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) is the day you’ll feel a rush of uncontrollable emotions—nerve-wracking, bittersweet, and hopeful all at once. Most of the time, you’ll feel anxious about saying goodbye to your family and everything familiar behind.
Meanwhile, there’s at least one thing you can control in this new journey, and that’s how prepared you are before departing the country to work overseas. Before you head to the airport, make sure that you have accomplished everything you need to ensure that your work is entirely legal and secure, and that your departure will be as smooth as possible.
The OFW Checklist
Since you’re moving to another country for work, you might want to leave your “bahala na si Batman” attitude at home. Make sure that you cover everything from the ground up for this job opportunity. Before heading to the airport en route to your host country, be sure that you’ve got everything settled from securing your employment contract to finalizing your living arrangements.
Below is a visual guide that enlists all the important documents and other necessary things you need to settle before you fly abroad.
This checklist will serve as your guide and reminder to prepare for your work abroad. Some examples are your valid work permit or visa, pre-employment medical examinations to prove you’re fit to work, your remittance service provider, and insurance such as family insurance to start laying the groundwork for a better and brighter future. You’d want to keep your hard-earned money safe and put it where it should be, don’t you?
OFW Checklist:
- Valid passport with a valid work permit or visa
- Pre-employment medical certification
- Insurance
- Government-mandated contributions and memberships
- Pre-departure orientation seminars
- Employment contract and OEC
- Remittance service provider