Neil From The Philippines to Papua New Guinea
Where did Neil’s journey with us begin?
We first met Neil in 2010.
We were tasked with sourcing a large number of highly skilled Caterpillar Dealer trained technicians for a Caterpillar Dealer in Oceania.
And in March on 2010 Neil got in contact with us after one of his old workmates who we had deployed to Australia to work for a Caterpillar Dealer there, told Neil that we never charged any fees to workers and that we were an agency to be trusted.
Two people in particular from our team worked with Neil to prepare his application documents and explain the recruitment procedure. Those two people were Ms. Ermie who is still part of our team today, and is now the Far East Asia Manager for Skilled Migration Group Limited. And Ms. Melissa who is now an Australian Citizen and is very happy living and working in Perth, Western Australia.
At the time that Neil applied with us, he had been working since 2007 for Monark, the Caterpillar Dealer for the Philippines. Where he performed general bay work on Loaders, Excavators, Bulldozers, Motor Graders, Vibratory Compactors, Articulated Dump Trucks and also performed engine overhauling on Caterpillar ACERT Engines and Caterpillar 3306 and 3412 engines.
Before joining the Philippines Caterpillar Dealer Monark, Neil worked for four years at CRK Construction Corporation, Cebu as a Heavy Equipment Electrician.
And on the 7th of August 2010 in Cebu, the Philippines, Neil sat down for a chat with myself and had a great chat about large surface mining equipment and also talked about his College Degree, which is a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology.
Neil demonstrated to me an excellent level of English and had clearly worked in the field a lot, troubleshooting and repairing Caterpillar Equipment.
We were certain that Neil was someone that the Caterpillar Dealer would be interested to talk with.
A Job Offer From A Caterpillar Dealer On An Island In The Southwestern Pacific Ocean.
Neil was asked if he wanted to attend a meeting with some heavy hitters from one of the largest Caterpillar Dealers in the world.
Neil agreed and we arranged for Neil to sit down with one of the most experienced Caterpillar Engine rebuild managers in the southern hemisphere, the Country Manager of the Caterpillar Dealer in the Pacific Islands, a member of the Caterpillar Dealer’s HR department and me.
With discussion covering many areas, including ADT 730 troubleshooting and repair, fault finding on loaders and dozers and discussion on safety and Contamination Control. The team from the Caterpillar Dealer agreed with our initial assement of Neil, and they offered him a position subject to passing medicals and obtaining work permit and visa approvals.
Neil was so happy to be selected along with many others that day in Cebu, it was easy to see the relief in the workers faces and their body language. Ms. Ermie, Ms. Melissa and I were very pleased for all of the people that were selected. And we gave constructive feedback to the two people that did not get selected that day, giving them a pathway to follow so that they too would end up being hired.
In Neil’s Own Words
What Was Life Like Before Working Overseas?
Before I got the opportunity to work with The Caterpillar Dealer overseas, I was just a simple mechanic of CAT Heavy Equipment in the Philippines who earned minimum pay to provide for my family’s needs.
My wife had to work hard to help me pay the bills and we had to leave our son in the care of his nanny.
Though our joint income and other benefits were enough for our family, we still we dreamed for a better life.
Why did you want to work overseas?
As a Heavy Equipment Fitter in the Philippines, I was always busy and worked so hard in all my out-of-town assignments but I felt that my salary did not compensate for my efforts for the company and my absence in my own family. We were able to start building our dream house but it was through a company’s loan. Every month was a struggle for my wife and I to pay the loans and bills but we survived by God’s grace. We were unable buy what we liked, only what we needed, for our daily living.
How Has Your Life Changed Since You’ve Been Employed Overseas?
My life was changed a lot since I have been employed overseas.
Overseas employment has given me the chance to elevate my financial status and grow professionally. Furthermore, it gave me self-worth and confidence, especially now that I am capable of giving my family a brighter future.
It was a struggle at first to be far from all of my loved ones. But all I thought of was that it’s for my family’s welfare and improvement. I asked my wife to resign from her job because I can now solely support all our monthly expenses. We continued our building our home and paid all our loans.
Aside from that, I can now give a monthly allotment to my parents and my mother-in-law for their food and personal needs. I am able to send my son to study in a private school and provide him a comfortable home to live in. I can buy him what he likes to eat and play the toys he enjoys without forgetting discipline, of course.
Now, every time I go back home after six months of working abroad, I can treat my whole family to go out-of-town and I am able to give them each a present. I am happy to give back to God also the blessings that He gave me and now I have supported our church renovation.
Furthermore, my knowledge and skills of CAT Heavy Equipment Machines have improved. I have also learned to work well with fellow workers of different nationalities.
What Was Your Experience Like With Ms. Ermie’s Team Regarding Your Application Processing?
Ms. Ermie and Ms. Melissa, who are a part of the Team that recruited me, were very approachable and accommodating.
They helped me with my documents and answered all of my questions throughout the work permit and visa application process.
They were kind and considerate of me as a first time applicant to work abroad. They were receptive to all my inquiries and follow-ups. They gave me true and good advice in what must I do to accomplish all the documents I needed.
I highly recommend Ms. Ermie’s team to all my fellow Filipinos who want to get a job overseas. They are reliable, fast and hardworking in helping you process your documents to get your visa the soonest time possible. They are friendly, approachable and accommodating to any inquiries you may have and follows-up on their job applicants.
This was Neil from the Philippines – And his Worker’s Journey.