OFW Speak

The very reason why we, online workers from the Philippines work is to get paid, correct? That's a given obvious. As much as we want to earn makes our very own ego gripping us down holding us back from getting paid well.

The common mind set of Filipinos is: "I should quote a lower service fee to beat competition and enticing for the employer".

Mind you this, if you think you are that smart having that mindset or tactic in quoting and negotiating your service fee, well you are not.

Employers or outsourcers does not have a single-phased criteria in selecting their candidates for the job, and being 'dirt cheap' will help you close to nothing.

I quote my service fee based on the general average Filipino pay. Basically an entry level white collar job would normally range between 12,000Php to 15,000Php. Quote something in between.

If you think you need experience and training, you should be considerate enough to quote your fee somewhere below the spectrum.

And if you think you are that well-trained and expert enough, then quote higher than that.

Do not forget to reason things out why you have such quotation for your service fee.

I am not so thrilled with the categorical service fee rate scheme going on. I mean, for examples, entry level writers are paid 'dirt cheap' price-of-peanuts rate while programmers or coders are rated with over-the-top.

I mean seriously? What if I am a programmer and I am the worst programmer to record, should I deserve to get paid with such pay according to what's currently trending?

Say I am a writer, inexperienced online, yet have written lenthy white papers and have proven myself with perfect grammar and writing cognition, should I also deserve to get a rate of way below average pay? No way!

I think we should aside what's trending and start evaluating what the worker's worth according to his or her ability and skills.

With my almost 3 years of experience working online, I take pride in saying that not even once did I AWOL or disappear without prior notice from my job. I do have known tons of workmates who disappeared from work after few days of being hired leaving my boss and team mate not only headaches because of the courtesy of leaving us behind without prior notice, but also headaches because of the job tails that were left hanging.

I also had experienced talking to some online friends who happened to have experienced AWOLing in their jobs after few days being hired. And below are the major causes why Filipinos, in particular, disappear from their jobs.

1. Unmet salary expectations. I think this is the most common reason so far. When being interviewd, Filipinos, including me, have this habit of NOT ASKING about the compensation, and so leaving us clueless of the pay rate. Now the disappointment comes after receiving the first salary, and before you know it, their IM's are unreachable, they have unfriended you in Facebook, and no response to your emails anymore.

2. Unsettled Work Issues. I should say, Filipinos are very very tight-lipped people when it comes to conveying their grievances to their foreign bosses. When their boss reprimanded them, I included, take it hard and seriously. The end result, they better leave you and the team right away than feel bad of themselves.

3. Under Pressure. I would say some for this one, cause I personally love challenge and pressure(no boast). When employees are challenged and put under pressure, some just might duck and remain strained, the result? A conclusion of leaving the company for good, since they already have the idea of 'i can not do it' mentality at the back of their brain.

I should say, may it be a lesson to all my fellow Filipino online workers that hiring someone is not an easy job. I had been on the 'hiring-man' position before, and it is extremely difficult to choose from a pool of talented individuals and see potential in them.

The moment you are chosen and hired, it only means, people who hired you saw a potential. Do not throw it all away in just a snap. Speak up and let them know your grievances. After all communication is the key to a successful working relationship online.

Keep in touch all the time even if its a senseless matter. You see, seeing you communicate frequently online gives your foreign bosses a sense of security that you are interested enough to work. It might soud crazy but yes, since you are working online. And it's way different from working in a traditional office where chit-chatting is sometimes intolerable during work hours.

Give yourself a sense of dignity too, if you felt that you are not receiving the proper pay, then make sure your boss knows your feelings about it. Email him if you can't talk to him online. It's easier that way.

And lastly, putting you under pressure is a way of telling mediocre from solid worker. That's how things are done, even diamonds can't shine without harsh polishing. So if you think you are up for something better, then prove it. Don't just jerk when things go terribly wrong or you are put under cold waters.

How do you consider yourself working online? Are you a long-term-relationship type or the contractual-freelancing type?

Basically, any of the two works and earns online, but the thing is, as the name implies, the duration of their employment contract.

Few outsourcers highly consider short-termed freelancers to work for them. The rate is usually hourly or daily with over-the-top rate higher than their counterpart online workers. Yet the ETA or the estimated Time of Accomplishment of a project is damn shorter, for example a coding project might be done in a week or so, and that's it, end of contract.

While on the other hand, startups looking for solid team are in great lookout for talents who wants to work with them full time and long-term.

I, for example, consider myself a long-term online worker. I have been working for my current boss for a year now.

I wish to correct the notion that all online worker is equated to freelancers. I can not say that I am a freelancer since I have a premeditated list of tasks to be done. I work in an office (at home in front of my PC) with pre-eminent work hours, which is 8 hours a day 5 days a week.

Freelancers on the other hand have no boss but a contract to answer to. They have all the time they need but needs to answer for the deadline set.