MANILA -- Dorothy Joy Adorable was earning P2,000 to P5,000 monthly when she was still teaching at a private school in Iloilo province in the Philippines, before deciding to transfer and teach in Cambodia in 2018. 

She now earns $900 or about P50,000.

"Iba iyong satisfaction pag natuturuan mo iyong mga bata. So I don't really think about the salary," Adorable told the Philippine media delegation in Cambodia.

"Iyong experience to teach special kids. Sa Pinas kasi mahirap magturo sa special education. Dito they give a lot of opportunities for special teachers. They have like a need talaga for special teachers," she added.

Meantime, Filipina Lovee Diogenes-Campbell admitted she only got a formal training in teaching when she moved in Cambodia, as she finished a civil engineering degree back home.

Diogenes-Campbell is now the principal and owner of Liberty International School in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

"They taught us how to deal with non-English speaking kids... Animated ka rin, all the visual aids... Mabilis silang mag-learn and adjust," she said.

Emma Sarne, Consul General of the Philippine Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, said more than half of the 5,000 to 7,000 OFWs here are private and international school teachers - and the country is still open to accept more Filipino teachers.

"Ang Cambodian school, pwede siyang mag-direct hire ng up to five Filipinos. Naghahanap pa rin po sila ng teachers sa Cambodia. They do want Filipino teachers here in Cambodia, they want Filipino teachers to teach them English. But I would strongly recommend na itong teachers who are looking for jobs here in Cambodia, na pumunta sa DMW - sa Department of Migrant Workers - at meron legal na recruitment agencies, doon sila magpunta," she said in a sit-down interview.

"A lot of Cambodians have learned English from Filipinos... Marami tayong Filipino peacekeepers na pinadala sa Cambodia... The previous Philippine ambassadors would sponsor a Filipino teacher to teach English sa Cambodian Senate," she added.

The official shared private school teachers in Cambodia earn US$600 to US$2,400 monthly, equivalent to P33,700 to P134,000.

But aside from salary and benefits, Sarne believes Filipino teachers are attracted to Cambodia because of the low cost of living and of its being time efficient as heavy traffic here is rare.

CAMBODIAN EDUCATION

Aside from English, the teaching of Math and literacy is also a priority.

"They are now mandating na lahat ng mga students e kailangan nang pumasok ng primary school. I believe there was a time na hindi normal para sa kanila ang mag-aral ang mga bata. It's a young population. I was mentioning earlier what happened during the 70s, and then the 20 years civil year. So you can expect na talagang na-disrupt ang education ng mga bata... So it was only recent na widespread K to 12, tapos mayroon silang standardized tests na ginagawa," Sarne explained.

She shared history and peace studies are also essential to the curriculum here.

"Binababa nila sa level ng mga bata para ma-inculcate sa mga bata iyong sense na kung wala kang peace, walang progresong mangyayari. So all of the development, the progress that they are experiencing right now is a direct product of peace," Sarne said.

Vice President and Education Sec. Sara Duterte is set to meet her counterparts in Cambodia in March 20 to discuss integration and best practices of the two countries for the education sector.