DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – She was a domestic helper in the Philippines who could only finish the 6th grade.
Forty-four-year-old Marion Beringuel went to Dubai where she also worked as a domestic worker. But he wanted to change his ways.
“I realized that I should look for another job,” the eldest of eight children said. (I decided to find another job.)
But due to his educational background, there was no better job.
So, he enrolled in a Philippine-run, UAE-accredited technical school where he was able to complete the course, attending classes every day off.
Beringuel, the daughter of a Higaonon couple in the highlands of Agusan del Sur, is now an assistant nurse.
“It’s very difficult to be a housekeeper and a nanny,” said Merilyn Sernitchez, 31, showing the shock she experienced when she slipped near her employer’s swimming pool while saving a child from jumping into the water.
A high school graduate, she is now about to finish taking a health assistant course at another Philippine-run technical school, accredited by the UAE, and will soon have a different job.
Cleaning the toilet
“Kuskos inidoro,” or cleaning toilet bowls, is a common term among domestic helpers, and “that’s what we usually do,” Said 40-year-old Joyce Padilla. (It’s a normal thing we do.)
“We are not ashamed of it. I can finish my children while I clean the toilet,” he added. (We’re not ashamed to do that. I’ll make my kids finish school scrubbing toilet bowls.)
Also a high school graduate, Padilla joined a technical school “It’s like you don’t spend your whole life scrubbing toilets (So I won’t have to clean the toilet bowl for the rest of my life.)
11 year old babysitter
Filipino overseas workers (OFWs), mostly high school graduates who work as domestic helpers, are now improving their skills to find better jobs.
Others like Wena Samblan started working in the Philippines as a nanny at the age of 11. Like Beringuel, she was only able to finish grade school “because financial problems forced me to put aside my education.”
While growing up in the province, where farming was the sole source of income for his parents, he vowed to one day have “rice on the family table three times a day.”
She took a course to become a nursing assistant, and in her graduation speech she said: “My journey is proof that poverty is not the end of dreams. Sometimes we settle, but we don’t give up. There is a right time for everything.”
Another is 27-year-old Begilyn Julie Padilla, a high school graduate from Pangasinan, now undergoing an apprenticeship as an assistant pastry chef after taking a baking course.
The list goes on.
Japanese supported
But what’s also interesting is a Japanese restaurateur who owns nine restaurants across Dubai and has sent more than 100 workers, mostly Filipinos, to school at the company’s expense for the past two years because he wants them to grow.
“I strongly believe that education should not only serve the needs of the company but also help the individual. Strong companies are built by strong people. I believe companies should help create the future, not just provide salaries,” said 33-year-old Takahiro Mogi.
One of those students, Michel Alcarion, 27, was a college graduate who took a management accounting course to “improve my skills, become more knowledgeable in accounting and finance, and prepare myself for better opportunities in the future.”
“As someone who experienced financial hardship and dedication, I appreciate this opportunity very much because I know not everyone is given a second chance to continue their studies while working,” Alcarion said.
Another employee, Hope De Vera Oliveros, 33 years old, said she “realized the importance of continuing to learn and improve myself so that I can keep up with the rapidly changing work environment and industry standards.”
“Enrolling helped me gain more skills, improve my confidence, and prepare myself for better opportunities. I believe that studying and improving my skills is an investment in a better future,” Oliveros said.
Cherry Lyn Armedilla, 31 years old, who is a teenage mother, said she started the learning program to “improve my skills and grow within the company.”
“I believe that this program is not only for the company, but for personal development – to be better and more prepared for the future,” he said.
Great and inspiring
Kristine F. Ruelos, CEO of one of the vocational schools, Brilliant Learning Institute, which is accredited by the Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), said seeing the students finish their studies and “move on to the next chapter of life is overwhelming”.
Ruelos is a UAE-licensed nurse and has gone through the process of becoming a medical worker.
Gerryl Gaid, an actor and leading financial analyst, is the CEO and co-founder of Ace Gen Advanced Training. He said it makes him “proud and humbled at the same time” to run the school.
“Many of our students are OFW students such as caregivers and domestic workers who dream of having better opportunities and a better future for their families. Through education, they gradually realize that they are not the only ones who can achieve it. It is encouraging to see how they continue to learn despite long periods of work and dedication abroad,” he said. Said Gaid.
(Many of our students are OFWs … who dream of better opportunities and a better future for their families. Through education, they gradually realize that their journey in life is endless. It is encouraging to see how they are progressing….)
The school is accredited by the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA).
Both technical schools offer study-now, pay-later programs. – Rappler.com
