Unveiling the Journey of Overseas Filipino Workers: Interview Analysis for Education

Abstract

As much as the Philippines is considered a "third world country," Filipinos are more likely to work overseas rather than remain in their country. Thus, the major focus of this research is the Overseas Filipino Workers who are willing to give up their lives overseas to support their families in the Philippines. The Purposive Sampling Technique was used to gather the five (5) Overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who have spent more than a decade working abroad and residents in the province of Sultan Kudarat to serve as the participants in the study. We conducted a one-on-one interview to consolidate depth information on each participant. Further, the data analysis was based on Colaizzi's (1978) phenomenological method of analysis and with the coding process, six (6) emergent themes emerged: Poverty, More Career Opportunities, Better Salary, Culture Shock, Racial Discrimination, and Self-Reliance. Poverty is the major reason why many Overseas Filipino Workers were unable to offer a better living for their families. Due to poverty, Overseas Filipino workers are prepared to incur the risk of working in a foreign country to survive the deprivations they are facing. Overseas Filipino Workers must be self-reliant to cope with the challenges and difficulties they face while working abroad. OFWs must get more moral support from their family since working abroad is not easy.