Many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) even after experiencing what it is like to work and live in a foreign country that can boast of a more stable economy and better quality of life, would still express their desire to spend their retirement years in the Philippines.

Ideally an OFW who has spent a number of years working overseas is expected to have saved enough money to live a comfortable life in his or her retirement years. Sadly there are still many returning OFWs who needs to find a new source of income upon coming back to the Philippines. There are also OFWs who doesn’t want to spend their retirement years just lying around or staying at home.

The good news is that an experienced OFW would surely have valuable skills that can be useful in many fields. Listed below are some of the options available for retired or returning OFWs:

OFWs can work as recruitment consultants. Having a good relationship with employers of different nationalities is critical factor to an overseas recruitment business. Therefore experienced OFWs who are familiar with the language and culture of a foreign principal can be a great asset to recruitment agencies. Experienced OFWs can give recruitment officers sound advice on how to deal with foreign employers. They can also refer companies or employers.

OFWs can be an effective tour guides. OFWs who have worked for years in Korea Japan, and other foreign countries would be an ideal tour guides to foreign tourists in the Philippines. It is likely that OFWs would know how to converse with them in their language and they would also be familiar with their interests. So OFWs would surely not be turned down when they send an application to travel agencies.

OFWs can be effective interpreters/translators. Filipinos are said to be linguists in nature. In a country with so many dialects, the process of learning a new language is easy for most Filipinos. As a proof, many OFWs after spending some time abroad can speak the language of a foreign country as if they were native. So experienced OFWs would always be useful in fields that require language translations.

OFWs can be effective trade skills instructors. Skilled workers who want to retire can share their knowledge to others and still be productive by working as trade skills instructor. There are many Filipinos who want to enroll in courses that would give them certificates for skilled jobs such as welding, butchering and others.

OFWs can set up their own business. For OFWs who have saved enough capital for their dream business, becoming an entrepreneur may be a good idea. It is best to start a business that they are truly interested in and to carefully weigh the pros an cons of their investment.

They can avail of government programs for them. Government agencies such as Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) would have reintegration programs for returning OFWs. You can check out their various services at www.owwa.gov.ph