For a better life: Teachers leaving Negros public schools for US jobs

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The exodus of educators from the Negros Island Region shows the challenges and new prospects for local education in the country

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – Joy Ann Balagosa knew exactly what she was leaving behind: her role as a principal in Silay City, the authority, the permanence, the steady monthly salary of P51,155. But the offer from the United States was too appealing.

Nearly a year into her teaching stint in Missouri under a US exchange program, she is now earning up to 13 times that amount, teaching American students. She told Rappler on Monday, June 16, that has no regrets.

Her departure, however, was just one case in what education officials in the Negros Island Region (NIR) called a challenge. 

At the opening of classes on Monday, what should have been a routine back-to-school day came with a reckoning about public school teachers being lured by the US exchange visitor program, and the J-1 visa it offers.

The non-immigrant US visa allows foreign nationals to teach in accredited primary and secondary schools as part of an exchange program. Filipino teachers, especially those trained in special education, are highly sought after for their strong communication skills, adaptability, and academic training.

There is a big difference in opportunities between the Philippines and the US, she said via Messenger. In the US, monthly salaries for teaching jobs under the J-1 visa range from the peso equivalent of P350,000 to P700,000, amounts that dwarf her P51,155-salary as a Principal II in the Philippines.

In Missouri, Balagosa teaches Career Technical Education (CTE) for Grades 7 to 12, a subject similar to Technical Livelihood Education (TLE) in the Philippines. 

She is set to mark her first work anniversary in the US in October. Her brother, Jose Francisco Balagosa, a former Special Science teacher in EB Magalona town, Negros Occidental, left for the US a year earlier under the same visa.

Based on the US Immigration and Nationality Act, foreign teachers in certain J-1 programs must return to their home country after completing their stint in the US. Subsequently, they can apply for another work visa. 

Still, many teachers, like the Balagosas, see the move as very appealing and worth the risks.

The Department of Education (DepEd) in the Negros Island Region, which oversees 13 school divisions in Negros Occidental, two in Negros Oriental, and one in Siquijor, has not consolidated teacher data across the provinces. But officials said the impact of teacher migration is already being felt.

But in Negros Occidental alone, about 45 public school teachers resigned and moved to the US under the J-1 visa program in 2024, with at least 10 more leaving so far this year, according to schools division spokesman Ian Arnold Arnaez. Himamaylan City has reported 10 resignations this year as well.

While the J-1 visa provides opportunity, it also presents a growing challenge, said Anthony Liobet, DepEd-Negros Occidental superintendent and concurrent assistant regional director of the education department. 

But on a positive note, the exodus of teachers also created opportunities for those seeking regular teaching positions in the DepEd, said Liobet, adding that the education department tends to move quickly to fill vacancies.

He said they cannot stop Negrense teachers from seeking greener pastures in the US, so DepEd must address the problem of teacher migration and turnover proactively.

Gladys Amelyn Sales, DepEd-Himamaylan City superintendent, said she tried to convince teachers to stay.

“I would tell them to reconsider their decision since our country needs them, but they seldom listen,” she said. “Still, on my end, it’s not really a loss of talent when we let them go. Instead, I see it as an opportunity for young and talented teachers who are still here, waiting to be hired.” – Rappler.com