Growing up, I was convinced I was meant to be a teacher.
I loved teaching my youngest sister and her friends during weekends. I also kept a Class Record of their attendance, quizzes, and overall performance in class.
Even if it was just a pretend, I felt like I was a real teacher and I was very happy doing it.
However, when I graduated high school, I got confused on what I wanted to take in college. My parents, relatives, and friends had their own suggestions and opinions on what course I should take and why I should NOT take Education.
I struggled because I wasn’t sure what else I could do if I didn’t become a teacher. I ended up taking Psychology.
English Tutor for Korean Students
My first actual teaching experience was during college when I taught Korean students in school for a couple of months.
English Trainer in a Training Center
Upon graduation, I was offered a part-time teaching job at a training school for CSSD or Sterile Processing Department students.
I taught human relations and conversational English skills in preparation for their employment in hospitals abroad.
I also experienced teaching at the Meralco Foundation Institute (MFI) and was offered a permanent teaching position, but I declined due to time constraints.
Language and Tech Trainer in BPO
While I was teaching part-time at the training school, I was working full-time in a call center (BPO) as a Technical Support Professional, troubleshooting and fixing software and hardware issues of Dell computers for US clients.
Ang layo sa passion ko diba?
It was a hard job for someone who didn’t know much about computers, but I tried to adapt and learned everything I could to get better at my job.
After a year of working as a tech support, I was promoted to a Trainer position.
Yay, I’m teaching again!
First, I taught new-hires about computers and customer service. Later on, I became a Language Trainer and Operations Trainer.
I also handled orientation and leadership training for managers and supervisors, including some of our big bosses and clients from the US.
It was a nerve-wracking experience, but I thank God I slowly developed my confidence in teaching and I managed to do my job well.
Associate Professor at AMA
While I was in the BPO, I also taught as Associate Professor at AMA Computer University – Main Campus.
18-Unit Teaching Program at NTC
To achieve my dream of becoming a professional teacher, I enrolled in the 18-unit teaching program at the National Teachers College (NTC).
I Passed LET
I successfully completed my teaching units in one year and I passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) on my first take, all while I was still working full time at the BPO.
Masters Degree in UP Diliman
Since I am a Psychology grad, I thought I’d go back to school to earn a Masters Degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at UP Diliman.
But after a year of attending classes, I realized it wasn’t what I wanted to pursue after all.
Teaching from Home
After working full-time in the BPO for 7 years (with teaching jobs here and there), I decided to leave the corporate world to focus on parenting.
When I was pregnant with Macey, I tried offering my teaching services on the internet. I thought, since I was just at home, I’d spend some of my time teaching people who were willing to come to my place.
To know if there was a demand for that service, I posted a simple offer at Sulit.com (now OLX). Actually, I just wanted to see if someone would be interested.
To my surprise, I received a number of inquiries within 24 hours after I posted it.
In the next few days, I was already accepting and teaching clients from home.
Most of my clients were professionals who wanted to improve their communication skills and be more confident when meeting or offering their services to their clients.
I also had a client who was a college student from Ateneo. His dad saw my offer on Sulit and he asked me if I could help his son with his communication skills.
When I talked to his son, I discovered that what he needed to improve on was his social skills. He was very good in speaking, but he didn’t want to talk to anyone in school. He just wanted to be alone.
I believe it helped that I had a background in Psychology because through our conversation, he opened up with me some of his personal issues and I was able to give him some advise.
The student and his dad were satisfied with our first coaching session and they requested to have more sessions with me. But even if I was more than willing to help, I told them that they may need to seek the professional help of a Psychologist.
Training Call Center Agents
When I gave birth to Macey, I stopped offering my teaching services, but I continued teaching in a different way.
Aside from the new skills that I have developed while working in the BPO, my job has also allowed me to support my three siblings in college. That’s why I wanted to pay it forward by helping others get a job in the BPO.
I trained friends and relatives who were interested to work in the call center.
I taught them how to properly answer interview questions. I taught them customer service skills that would give them an edge when they apply for a call center job.
Although not all of them made it on their first application, I was so happy that all of them eventually landed a job in the call center including my sister, my sister-in-law, and our kasambahay.
From Kasambahay to Team Leader
While I was training my sisters, I invited our kasambahay (who was my age) to join us. She was hesitant at first because she said she’s not good in English. But I insisted.
After training them for days, I noticed that our kasambahay was really willing to learn and I always hear her practicing while doing her chores.
I continued to teach her and encourage her. And after several failed interviews, she finally got a call center job.
We may have lost a kasambahay, but I’m very proud of what she has achieved because of her willingness to learn and persistence to get the job.
She has been working in the BPO for over six years and she is now a Team Leader in one of the biggest BPO companies here in the Philippines.
Teaching about Blogging
I discovered blogging when I became a stay-at-home mom in 2014. I learned how to blog by watching tutorials on YouTube, then I started my first blog and YouTube Channel as Pinay Investor.
After two years of blogging, I got the opportunity to teach blogging through seminars with Manila Workshops.
I have temporarily stopped conducting seminars to focus on parenting and blogging, but I continue to teach and create tutorials about various topics on my blogs and YouTube channels.
Teacher Mommy
One of the things I’m so grateful about at this point in my life is the gift of working from home. Why?
Because it allows me to have more time to teach my daughter, Macey.
As a mom and a parent, I know that I am my child’s first teacher and I’m glad I am able to fulfill that responsibility with passion and purpose.
It’s challenging to teach your own child, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Teaching is indeed one of the most fulfilling jobs in the world. And I am happy to say that I have been happily teaching in and out of the classroom for the past 15 years and counting.
You can take a teacher out of the classroom, but you cannot take the classroom out of a teacher.
And that holds true for a teacher at heart like me.