Filipino teacher in Japan

Published January 18, 2008 6:18pm

Maybe some people are destined to work abroad that even without looking for a job overseas, an
opportunity from other parts of the world just comes unexpectedly and this is something they hate to
refuse. Such is the story of Adelfa Amancio. Fate led her to work overseas. Adelle, as she is fondly called,
used to teach at a language school but was not very happy about it. So, she decided to resign and started
to be a freelancer while pursuing her graduate studies. As a freelancer, she was more flexible with her
students and gave them more freedom to choose where and when to study. Because of this, many
students liked her and the number of her clients grew bigger. As a result, she set up her own language
school to accommodate all students. Not only did the language school kept her busy but also made her
more motivated to work. Moreover, she could apply what she learned in her Master's studies in
Educational Management in her language school’s day-to-day operation. Adelle loved what she was
doing in Cebu and had hopes to expand its operation in the future. Part of her business marketing
strategy was online advertising. What she did one day was send e-mail to at least 10 different language
schools in Japan to promote her language school in Cebu. Since most of her clients were Japanese, her
goal was to make her school established not only in the Japanese community in the Philippines but also
in Japan. Her e-mail campaign worked and she received quite a number of replies. While others were
grateful for the information/advertisement she provided, some schools definitely wanted to keep in
touch and others didn’t reply at all. Yet, one reply caught her attention. The school was not interested in
her language school services. Instead, it offered her a teaching job in Japan! Surprised, flabbergasted and
overwhelmed, Adelle grabbed the opportunity in just a click away and left the Philippines on December
26, 2003. According to her, it is very difficult for Filipinos to teach English in Japan because of the
misconceptions and negative notion the Japanese have about the Filipinos living in Japan. As a Filipina,
she has experienced a lot of racial profiling, a devilish look and outrageous judgment. Some English
teachers questioned her ability to teach the language and most Japanese believe that only white people
can teach them English. As a result, most schools in Japan always emphasize the countries (of origin) of
the teachers they want to hire. Their advertisements would always say, “Only teachers from the USA, UK,
Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are allowed to apply. Applicants from countries not
mentioned here need not apply, PLEASE!" For this reason, she strived to maintain professionalism and
self-discipline at all times. She also has to work very hard and aim for excellent result term after term
because being the only Filipino English teacher in the organization she opines that she is subject to
criticism if not a blast. She wants to prove to the Japanese people that Filipinos can speak English well
and can teach the language much more effectively. Furthermore, she wants to prove to the whole world
that their impressions towards Filipinos are completely wrong and biased. She wants the world to know
that the Filipinos are the most committed, efficient and hardworking people anyone could expect.
Despite the harsh realities, Adelle stays strong and determined. She is happy to say that in her
workplace, she is loved, recognized, and respected for being hardworking, committed and for having
such professional work ethics. Her message to all OFWs around the world? "I hope that all OFWs will
come back to the Philippines one day and use what they have learned and experienced from their
overseas jobs. Let us not forget the land where we came from. I love the Philippines and I believe that all
Filipinos in and outside the country are all heroes. Let’s help the Philippines get back to her feet again.
Long live, Filipinos. Long live, our Motherland." - Carmela Bignotia, OFW Guide