How Much To Become A Nurse? What Will I Make As An Overseas Nurse?

There are a lot of questions about becoming a nurse abroad. First of all though, we'll have to start with asking the preliminary ones about becoming a nurse first. Here in Cebu, there are now so many nursing schools. Everybody thinks it's the next "get-rich, go-abroad" opportunity.

So here's the breakdown of how much it will cost you to 'become' a nurse first (from ABS-CBN News)

A nursing college education costs at least P300,000. But that’s not all. After finishing the four-year course, there are fees and other expenses for a series of qualifying exams.

Take the board exams today. Prior to taking these tests, nursing students spent around P10,000-P15,000 for review centers. Hundreds of pesos were shelled out for reviewer materials. They also paid a P900 exam fee.

Those who want to work in the United States, which is the dream destination for many nursing students, have to spend around P19,000-P25,000 to review for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), a standardized qualifying test.

But before they can take the NCLEX, they need to pass the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) and English proficiency tests, such as the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), to secure a CGFNS Certification Program Certificate.

Passing the CGFNS test is one of the requirements for an occupational visa in the US. Taking it means shelling out around $450 or around P19,000. In addition, the IELTS costs around P8,000.

Of course, there’s tuition to begin with, which ranges from P50,000 to P80,000 per semester.

That's a total of half a million pesos just to become a registered nurse eligible to work abroad.

But this is pretty good if you can get the job you want abroad. Nurses in the US with a one-year experience have a median salary of $50,000, or around P2 million. In Saudi Arabia, compensation for staff nurses ranges from $23,000 - $33,000, or around P1 million a year.

So after a year of working, you'll more or less make up for the cost of the entire nursing course. That is of course if you're prudent with the money you've earned. Because it also means foreign rate expenses when you work abroad.

Get The New Machine-readable Passport For Better Treatment At Ports

If you're looking to travel, work abroad or migrate, it would be best for you to get one of the new machine-readable passports. Filipinos who hold the new machine-readable passports are no longer segregated at airports or discriminated against globally, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

This Inquirer article details that Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo said this started after the DFA began issuing the new passports and implementing the e-passport project.

Romulo assured the integrity, validity and security of the machine-readable passports being issued to Filipinos here and abroad. More than a million Filipinos have already received the new passports.

"As a result of the DFA's machine-readable passports, our kababayans (compatriots) now have greater travel security, confidence and convenience all over the world," he said, without making any reference to the number of Filipinos who still have the old passports.

He said the new passports were produced in full accord with the Government Procurement Reform Act (R.A. 9184) and other relevant statutes and regulations, and are more secure, globally accepted and compliant with standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

It doesn't cost more too - said it will be the same price as the old green ones which were Php 500.

Good News For Wannabe Immigrants "Filipinos In Manitoba Canada - Needing About 30,000 More Foreign Workers By 2010"

Manitoba has some 50,000 Filipino inhabitants who have remarkably blended with the social and economic fabric of the province that has a land area about the size of Texas. A Filipino-Canadian living in Manitoba, Dr. Rey Pagtakhan, had been elected to the Canadian Parliament and had served as Minister of Veteran Affairs according to this Inquirer article

Because of the large number of Filipinos in his province, Premier Doer dined with Chairman Lucio Tan of Philippine Airlines to invite him to extend PAL’s San Francisco run to Winnipeg, Manitoba’s capital.

Canada needs workers. Premier Gary Doer of Manitoba, a recent visitor, explained that because of the discovery of new oil in his Canadian province, and the holding of the 2010 Winter Olympics in British Columbia, Canada has to hire 30,000 foreign workers. And because of their proven industry, adaptability and English fluency, Filipinos are preferred.

via Inquirer
image via Canada photos

Tips For Working Moms From Monster's Career Advice

Tips for working moms from Monster's Career Advice

Teach Cleanup

Do you clean up toys, hang up coats, stow shoes, pick up laundry and make beds? Then stop it right now. These are things even 3-year-olds can do. When you come home, ask politely for everyone to hang up their coats and put away their gloves. Explain to kids that dirty clothes go in the hamper and clean clothes go back in the drawers. Show them how to neaten their beds. Resist the urge to fix or fold after they are done. After all, they're learning and helping, so don't discourage them or make them feel they did an inadequate job.

Delegate Chores

Ask your kids/spouse to help you. At mealtimes, small children can set the table, older ones can serve drinks, and everyone can help bring plates to the table. Teach kids to clear the table, how to get their own cereal and how to load the dishwasher. Have children take out the trash, teach them to use the laundry machines and have them put their own clean clothes away. Grant points or make a sticker chart as rewards to show your kids how much you appreciate their help.

Plan Your Morning

Mornings will go more smoothly if you do some things the night before: Pack lunches (or have kids make their own), lay out clothes, ensure homework is done, pack backpacks and check the calendar for after-school plans. Teach kids to get themselves ready in the morning by putting up a wall chart that lists "brush teeth," "make bed," "get dressed," "eat breakfast" and whatever else they need to do.

Schedule Quiet Time

Have each family member spend five or 10 minutes alone when everyone gets home. This gives you all time to calm down and regroup before getting dinner ready and discussing the day.

Plan a Work Schedule

Don't let work pressures eat into your family time. If you often work late, talk to your boss or coworkers and figure out a way to leave at 5 p.m. on certain days. Cooperate with your spouse to make sure you're prepared if one of you must work late. This way, your family will know certain days are family dinner days or one-parent nights, and they will learn to cherish those times together.

Plan Meals Ahead

Make only one shopping trip per week to buy ingredients. Get a cookbook that contains easy-to-prepare recipes. Double a recipe and freeze half for another meal. When you're making a salad, make double and save half for the next night. Keep lasagnas or other one-dish meals in the freezer for nights when you don't feel like cooking. Designate your most hectic night as order-out night and get pizza or Chinese food. Have the kids make dinner one night a week if they are old enough.

Schedule Quality Family Time

Strive to have a family dinner as frequently as possible. Plan a family movie night once a week. Plan a group outing for the weekend. Take the whole family to a child's sporting event.

Make Time for Yourself

Moms tend to put themselves last on the list, but regenerating your own inner strength and peace will go a long way toward giving you the energy you need to be a mom. So take care of yourself: Go to the gym, visit a museum, meet a friend for coffee, join a book club or work on your hobby. Make a deal with your spouse allowing each of you one night a week to do your own thing.

Be a Couple

Get a babysitter once every two weeks, or whatever is feasible, and go out together. It doesn't have to be fancy. Even a trip to the bookstore will help the two of you remember what it's like to be adults together.

Labor Agreement With Finland In The Works - To Open Job For More Filipino Nurses

We're about to lose more Filipino nurses in the Philippines because Finland is about to open its doors to Filipino nurses. Not that we have any left... Apparently there is a shortage of nurses in Finland as well.

Philippine Ambassador to Sweden Maria Zeneida Collinson said Finnish officials accepted her proposal to send a Philippine labor mission to Finland before the yearend to discuss the possible need for a bilateral labor agreement according to Inquirer

According to the DFA, Finland is widely expected to be one of the first European countries to experience a demographic shock as an estimated 900,000 of its "baby boom" generation reach retirement age within the next 12 years.

"With insufficient birth rates to offset the country's rapidly aging population, the ensuing decline in the working-age population is predicted to lead to rising pensions and deteriorating healthcare services," it said.