Moving to Cavite in January as a retired 34 year old.

Back in '85-ish, I met UK man getting contracts to building houses. He would do some work on the house and hire other skills to help him. Coming from the army, I am sure you have great skills you can use in building a house. Whole house builds, not repairs/remodel. You have to learn the behavior of the locals you will hire. They get paid by the days they work. Make sure you have residency permit that will allow you to do business in the Philippines. There's good money in construction.

Haha my job didn't actually require me to build anything outside programs. I was more or less cyber security for the Army.

My girlfriend had mentioned the idea of franchises and I was thinking of opening two potatoe corners in two different universities.

I also floated the idea of franchising a pharmacy, having her younger brother run it *since he has a degree in pharmacology*.

Credentials: US Citizen, US Army, Cyber Security, willing to relocate:
Looks like US Embassy in Manila is a good prospect as an employer.

Great idea Jackson4! That would be your best bet. Or possibly call center mgmt.

It's really hard to make a small business profitable in the Philippines, Arcadieus.

Jackson4 wrote:

Credentials: US Citizen, US Army, Cyber Security, willing to relocate:
Looks like US Embassy in Manila is a good prospect as an employer.

Might be a good fit but getting a job in Cyber Security at the Embassy would be difficult.  It would depend if the the position was a local hire or Foreign Service and if they actually had a position.  Also, although he probably had a security clearance in the military, it would would be a different one for the Department of State and could take up to a year to get.  I've had clearances from 5 different agencies and they all took at least 6 months in normal times.

HOWEVER I WOULD JUMP ON THIS OPENING IN MANILA

http://federalgovernmentjobs.us/jobs/It … 68300.html

That federal website is interesting. There is a job opportunity in Pasay City, but they require PhD. They are hiring "males born after 12/31/1959". Of all the locations they have a requirement for this position, only the Philippines is outside the US.
I agree with AaronAardvark, I would jump on this opportunity.

I'm actually not looking to work for the government again. I did that and all though I loved the Army, I don't want a boss again. I was looking more into owning my own business or something like that. It's more so I'm not bored to death there. My pension and compensation are plenty to live pretty comfortably from what my girlfriend has told me.

I make about 300k pesos a month as of right now, so it's not a matter of financial survival, but surviving being bored.

Remember any land or business needs to be in your gf name.  Make sure your relationship is strong and she is trustworthy.  You can own a condo but not real estate. You can be a minority partner in a company or partnership.  The Philippines has strict laws about foreigners working there. Read up BEFORE you invest. Once you are married you can get a spousal visa. Until then you can look into the SRRV visa which has a component for ex military I believe.

Ifyou are just looking for something to take up some of your time and you think you have enough money to live a fairly comfortable life there, why bother with looking for work or starting a business. Take up golf, play a bit of tennis, take language classes. I am sure you could find lots of ways to pass the time.

I live in cavite with my wife and children.  Been here over a year now. To help pass time. I have a small garden outside.  When all gets back to normal.  Nice malls here.  You can try a sari sari store out of your house. To.

A sari sari is good to pass meaning time for your family.

You mentioned pharmacy. This might be a tall order. I have a friend in Metro Manila who has 5 pharmacies between him and a family member. He owned 2 of the 5. His family are business people since I've known him (over 30 years). They had to close 4. He said DOH is always checking/inspecting/auditing. You know they will always find something. All workers need certification. I think you have to be a very active owner on a pharmacy business.

Maybe not your thing but motorcycle parts a very good business good profit, and you can hire one or two installers to change tires battery , etc they get the money to install ,you sell the parts, they will deliver to your place from warehouse daily

That's really a great idea. Simple but profitable.

Okieboy wrote:

Maybe not your thing but motorcycle parts a very good business good profit, and you can hire one or two installers to change tires battery , etc they get the money to install ,you sell the parts, they will deliver to your place from warehouse daily

Agreed a very viable business!