When I first arrived in France, I was told that Filipinos had very limited choices when it came to work. I believed it. And for a long time, I never even asked what I could do with the education I had brought from the Philippines.
“Hanggang katulong ka lang.”
Imagine arriving in a foreign country, full of uncertainty but carrying the hopes that brought you thousands of kilometres away from home.
You have your education, your previous experiences, your abilities and perhaps a few dreams about what your new life could become.
But you don’t know how things work yet.
You don’t understand the system. You don’t know which doors are open, which qualifications are recognized, or whom to ask.
So naturally, you listen to people who have been here longer.
That’s what I did.
When I was new in France, I heard the message that domestic work was essentially the only choice available to Filipinos.
I had studied Civil Engineering in the Philippines.
But instead of asking what possibilities my education might offer in France, I accepted what I was told.
I didn’t investigate. I didn’t ask the right institutions. I didn’t research whether there were other pathways worth exploring.
Not because I had discovered that there were no opportunities.
But because I had already been led to believe there were none.
Looking back, that distinction matters.
When you’re new in France, advice from someone who has lived here for years can sound like the voice of experience.
And often, that experience is valuable.
Our fellow Filipinos help us find employment, understand everyday life, navigate difficulties and adjust to an unfamiliar environment.
But personal experience is not always the same as complete information.
Someone may tell you that your Philippine diploma is useless because they were unable to use theirs.
Another may say that changing careers is impossible because they never found a way to do it.
Someone else may discourage you from trying because they genuinely believe they’re protecting you from disappointment.
They may not intend to mislead you.
But the result can be the same.
You stop asking questions before you’ve even explored the answers.
And sometimes, the most damaging limitation isn’t a door that France has closed.
It’s a door we never attempted to open.
Before going further, something needs to be clear.
There is absolutely nothing shameful about domestic work.
Many Filipinos working in domestic services have supported families, educated children, helped relatives and built stable lives through honest employment.
Their work deserves dignity and respect.
Some have chosen that profession and are perfectly happy with it.
Others may want to explore different careers.
Both choices deserve respect.
The problem is not being a katulong.
The problem is being told that being a katulong is all you are capable of becoming.
Those are two very different things.
And when we confuse them, we risk turning a respectable occupation into an imaginary ceiling over someone’s future.
Think about the Filipino professionals who arrive in France.
Teachers. Engineers. Accountants. Nurses. Graduates from many different fields.
Some find opportunities related to their education.
Others take jobs outside their original professions, sometimes out of necessity, sometimes by choice.
There are legitimate reasons why professional transitions can be difficult.
French-language requirements, employer expectations, differences between educational systems and rules governing regulated professions can all create obstacles.
A Philippine diploma does not automatically grant access to the same profession in France.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean the diploma has no value.
France has a system through ENIC-NARIC France for assessing the comparability of foreign qualifications. Depending on the profession and purpose, other recognition or authorization procedures may also apply.
I wish I had known enough to investigate these questions when I first arrived.
Not because doing so would necessarily have changed my career.
I cannot honestly claim that.
But at least I would have been making decisions based on information rather than assumptions.
And that is the lesson I want to share.
Don’t let someone else’s experience become the final authority on your own possibilities.
Maybe you’re new to France.
Maybe you’ve been here for five, ten or twenty years.
Maybe you have a diploma from the Philippines that you’ve never tried to use.
Or perhaps you’ve always wanted to learn a new skill, change jobs, start a small business or pursue something different.
But somewhere along the way, someone told you:
“Mahirap ‘yan dito.”
“Hindi puwede ang diploma natin.”
“Hanggang diyan ka na lang.”
Perhaps some of the obstacles they described were real.
But have you verified them for yourself?
Have you asked the appropriate institution?
Have you explored what qualifications, training or experience might be required?
Have you spoken with someone who has actually followed the path you’re considering?
You might discover that the process is more difficult than you imagined.
You might find that your preferred profession requires qualifications or authorization you don’t currently have.
Or you might discover an opportunity you never knew existed.
Whatever the outcome, you will know more than you did before.
And knowledge gives you something assumptions cannot.
A basis for making your own decisions.
There is another side to this story.
After living abroad for many years, we become the experienced Filipinos whom newcomers approach for advice.
And what do we tell them?
Do we share what we know while acknowledging what we don’t?
Or do we repeat the same limiting statements we once heard?
It’s easy to confuse our personal experience with everyone else’s reality.
If we couldn’t pursue a particular career, does that mean nobody else can?
If we never investigated our qualifications, should we tell newcomers that theirs have no value?
If we chose one path, does that mean every Filipino must follow it?
Perhaps the better response is:
“Hindi ko alam kung posible, pero subukan nating alamin.”
I don’t know whether it’s possible, but let’s find out.
Those few words can make a remarkable difference.
They don’t promise success.
They simply leave room for possibility.
This is one of the reasons we started Buhay Pinoy in France.
There are many things I wish I had investigated earlier in my life here.
And I suspect I’m not the only one.
Through this publication, we want to explore the experiences, opportunities, difficulties and decisions that shape Filipino lives in France.
Not by pretending that every dream is achievable.
Not by suggesting that everyone should leave their current occupation.
And certainly not by looking down on people who have built their lives through domestic work or other essential services.
We want to ask better questions.
We want to share real experiences.
And whenever practical information matters, we want to connect readers with reliable sources rather than repeat assumptions.
Because sometimes, one piece of information can change how we look at our future.
If someone tells you that your present occupation is the only future available to you, remember this:
They may know their own experience.
They may understand some of the difficulties.
They may even be trying to help.
But they do not necessarily know every possibility available to you.
And neither do you—until you investigate.
I cannot go back and ask all the questions I failed to ask when I first arrived in France.
But I can share what that experience taught me.
Never let someone else’s limitations become your own without first finding out what is actually possible.
Ang trabaho mo ngayon ay hindi sukatan ng iyong halaga. At hindi rin ito awtomatikong hangganan ng iyong kinabukasan.
Your work today does not determine your worth. Nor does it automatically define the limits of your future.
Let’s talk.
When you first arrived in France, what were you told about the kinds of jobs Filipinos could do?
Did that advice help you—or did it stop you from exploring other possibilities?
Share your experience. Someone who has just arrived might learn something valuable from your story.
Buhay Pinoy in France — More Than Just Surviving.
