5 Reasons Why I Love My Job at When in Manila

After living in various other countries most of my life, my dad retired from being an ambassador about a decade ago and that meant that our family had to move to the Philippines.

I hadn't lived here for very long before; so in my head, the plan was to live here for a few years just to see what it's like and then eventually move to the US with my kid. (I'm a US citizen, so the plan made sense to me at the time).

Little did I know that I would fall in love with something here that would no longer make me want to leave: my job at When in Manila. Job offers come and go (with one even coming from my current dream company); but to be honest, I wouldn't give up working at When in Manila for the world. Here's why.

5 Reasons Why I Love My Job at When in Manila

The Perks

Like most of our contributors, I started writing for When in Manila just for fun. I did it for the love of writing, for the chance to meet new people in a relatively new country, and for the perks.

Free food, free beauty products, free concert tickets, free all-expense-paid trips - what was not to love? As someone who was barely making enough money to make things meet at the time, getting freebies like that gave me a chance to experience things I otherwise wouldn't have been able to afford. 

The Passion

As mentioned earlier, one of the main reasons why I decided to contribute to When in Manila in the first place was my love for writing. I have always loved writing, but doing it for a living can really drain all of your love for it. When in Manila revived a fire in me that I had lost along the path of monotonous transcriptions, pointless ghostwritten articles, boring jewelry descriptions, and fake dating advice.

Through the site, I was given the chance to experience new and exciting things to rave about in writing. When we first moved here, for example, one of my main priorities was to get to know the city and the country more; When in Manila helped greatly in that regard. Because of WIM, I found myself enjoying writing all over again - and I still enjoy writing for the site every single day.

The Setup

Prior to When in Manila, I only ever applied to one place here in the Philippines. It was my dream job and during the final interview - you know, the one where you talk about your potential salary - my heart sank. The salary was so low that if I factored in my expenses for food and transportation (from Sucat to Ortigas), I would have been left with absolutely nothing. Add to that the fact that I had to battle traffic on the way there and back, and it was simply not something I wanted to do, especially since my daughter was only 1 year old at the time.

When in Manila has made things incredibly convenient for a single working mother like me, thanks to our work-from-home setup. Throughout the almost-decade that I have been working for WIM, I hardly ever felt like I was missing out on things concerning my daughter. I have been there for almost every honors' convocation, sports fest, dance performance, birthday, and holiday. Although I may have meetings and events here and there, they're fairly easy to work around. And since I don't need to go to an office for work everyday, I get to save more money for other things.

My Workmates

To say that my workmates and I have been through a lot together is an understatement. Having worked at When in Manila for almost a decade, I have seen so much growth and witnessed so much happiness.

I have watched people from our WIM family come and go to fulfill their dreams. I have cried profusely when someone left the team. WIM members have given birth to adorable WIM babies. One of our interns eventually became a full-time videographer for WIM, and now she's married.

My workmates and I have grown to become much more than just workmates. We are there for each other for work and beyond. From dirty jokes to the most random conversations outside of work, we are there for each other. I love to be able to say that WIM has truly become like a second family to me.

Our Boss

I have had several bosses in my lifetime, but none of them even come close to my current boss. Vince is honestly one of the nicest people I've ever met - and I'm not just saying that because I work with him. Notice how I said 'with' and not 'for'. See, working with Vince doesn't feel like you're working day in and day out for someone. He listens to people. He is open to feedback. And he lets us all grow together as a team. It's a very collaborative setup where no one ever feels like they're a tier below anyone else.

Vince is also incredibly understanding when it comes to personal problems or mental issues. And he gives people chances. Over and over. Even when they feel like they no longer deserve it. And he's patient. And he cares. A lot. I can't say that about a lot of other people I've worked with.

If you've watched 'Itaewon Class'... that's pretty much what our team feels like. When in Manila had very humble beginnings, but we've grown into what we are today because of the amazing team behind it and our faith in one another. There were times when I just wanted to give up and other times when I was tempted to try my hand at other opportunities, but the love I have for WIM is simply unparalleled. And I hope you all find this kind of joy at work someday.

If you want to contribute to our site (And who knows? Maybe even work with us full-time eventually?), click here.