Ditto what Matt said. The Philippines is amazingly welcoming and friendly.
Work permits are a pain though. They are expensive. I think this is because they are aimed at getting max revenue out of the senior expat execs who come to work for big corporations here in Manila. The PI govt, just doesn't assume that anyone would come to work here for a 'local salary' job.
Most of the expats here are either corporate executives, married to a Filipino citizen or get residency by opening a company that employs (10+) locals.
As with many things, the govt here is quite clueless... especially regarding the tourism industry.
Note the failure of their latest tourism initiative.... because they created their tourism website in Tagalog language... thus useless to any tourists.... ha ha ha
There are several options for working:
1) Life Residency Permit. I've been told (don't know first hand) that there is a lifetime valid residency permit available for 200,000 pesos. Can anyone confirm that?
2) Residency via Marriage. Marry a Filipina and you can stay and work. Not sure of the cost to get the permits and ACR (Alien Certificate of Registration).
3) Full Work Permit via Sponsorship. If you have a job contract, you can apply for a full work permit. However, most companies won't hire you unless you already have a work visa. Catch 22. Welcome to the Philippines!
4) Temporary Work Permit. These last 2-3 months and are renewable. You need documents from your employer, but they are a good option for short-medium duration working stays here. You don't need to get the full ACR.
You can get whatever you want in the Philippines, but it can often cost money. If you factor in the cost of visa/permit and get that when you arrive, you can get work. I've got some contacts at the immigration department who can assist you once you were here.
