Many people don't realize this, but the Philippines was a former territory of the USA.
This is important because it explains why the Philippines is hugely Americanized compared to other Southeast Asian countries.
The best example would be to compare the Philippines to Thailand or Vietnam. All three countries are in southeast Asia, but here are the significant differences:
Thailand and Vietnam:
- Road signs and other such stuff will be in Vietnamese or Thai.
- The legal languages of their countries are Thai and Vietnamese. This means their legal documents etc., are in those languages.
- The cinema will play movies in Thai or Vietnamese.
- Many people living there will speak none or very little English.
The Philippines:
- All road signs are in English.
- English alongside Filipino is the two official languages of the Philippines.
- English is the legal language. All legal documents and even the constitution are written in English.
- The cinema plays movies in English (no subtitles).
- Because English is everywhere in the Philippines, the Philippines has one of the best English rates in the world.
Why does this make the Philippines perfect for outsourcing?
The primary goal for outsourcing to the Philippines is to hire great staff at a fraction of the cost of what a local employee would cost.
However, you need the staff to speak and communicate in good English to do this. I have a phrase that I often get quoted as saying, which is, "Successfully outsourcing to the Philippines means replacing expensive local employees with lower cost, but equally skilled staff in the Philippines. Without compromising on quality."
Hopefully, you find the video helpful, and it helps you better understand why it's a brilliant idea to build your outsourced team in the Philippines.
