Graduation Day

The month of March is the end of the Philippine school year, so it’s also graduation month. Graduation from high school or college marks a major milestone in most of our lives, so it should be celebrated!

Education is highly valued in the Philippines. We know that for many remithome customers, education is what brought you to the U.S., whether you studied nursing, accounting, engineering, computer science, or some other course. And we see that one of the major reasons for sending money home is to support the education of brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews in the Philippines.

In this issue of our newsletter, we provide a brief overview of education in the Philippines, which may be especially helpful for those customers not born in the Philippines.

Education in the Philippines

The Philippine educational system has a complex history, which reflects the influence of Spanish, Japanese, and American colonial periods. During the American period, starting in 1898, a public school system was established and English was instituted as the language of instruction. Then, in 1987, the new Philippine constitution prescribed that both Filipino (Tagalog) and English be official languages of instruction.

English continues to be widely used from the higher primary levels onward, and language of instruction in the early years varies from school to school and from region to region. For example, one of 170 local dialects might be used as the language of instruction in the first two years of elementary school, with English and Tagalog taught as second languages. Then from the third grade on, math and science might be taught in English with social sciences and humanities taught in Tagalog. At the college and university level, English is used, almost exclusively, as the language of instruction.

The current Philippine educational system is loosely patterned after that of the U.S., with modifications. It is divided into four levels: elementary school (6 years), high school (4 years),
college (4 to 6 years), and graduate studies (up to 6 years). Most school years begin in June
and end in March, covering a period of 40 weeks.

The Philippines has a mix of public and private schools, colleges and universities, but the percentages in private schools increase at higher educational levels. Fewer than 10% of elementary school students attend private schools, but the percentage rises to over 60% at the high school level and to approximately 85% at the college and university level. About a third of the private college and university level enrollment is in religion-affiliated schools.

Ask remithome: One-Time Transfers and Recurring Instructions

Question: When should I use a One-Time Transfer and when should I use a Recurring Instruction to send money?

Answer: When you need flexibility, use a One-Time Transfer to send money for a single time period. You can use One-Time Transfers to send different amounts of money at different times, and you can vary the message to your recipient(s) each time. Transactions can be sent to one recipient or to multiple recipients.

Use a Recurring Instruction if you need to send the same amount of money to the same
recipient(s) on a regular basis. Recurring Instructions are intended for remitters who want to save time and money by sending the same amount of money to the same recipient(s) on a regular basis. The message to your recipient(s) remains the same for each transfer. Transactions can be sent to one recipient or to multiple recipients.

For further discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of One-Time Transfers and
Recurring Instructions, click here.

Sometimes One Time Transfers and Recurring Instructions need to be used together to meet your specific needs. The table below provides examples of how and when to use One-Time Transfers and Recurring Instructions, but you can also call us at 1-800-919-0787, Monday through Friday from
9 AM to 5 PM, Pacific Time (California), or email us at customerservice@remithome.com if you need assistance.

Remittance Need	Service to Use	Explanation
Send $300 to my brother every two weeks for household expenses.	A Recurring Instruction (with No End Date)	You can use a Recurring Instruction because the same dollar amount is being sent to the same recipient on a regular basis. The message to the recipient will be the same every month. You can cancel the Recurring Instruction when it is no longer needed.
Send $500 to my parents on the first day of every month, but send $1,000 in December for Christmas.	A Recurring Instruction (with an End Date) and a One-Time Transfer	You can set up a Recurring Instruction to send $500 on the first day of every month, with an End On date of November 2. So $500 will be sent every month with the last transfer being sent on November 1. Then you can schedule a One-Time Transfer for $1,000 for December.
Send $3,000 for the down payment on a condominium in Manila and payments of $600 per month thereafter.	Two Recurring Instructions (with End Dates)	Schedule a daily Recurring Instruction to make the down payment, and a separate monthly Recurring Instruction to make the monthly mortgage payments. Set the End On date one day after the last payment date for each Recurring Instruction (see previous example).
Generally send $100 per week to my family, but occasionally send more to cover tuition, unexpected expenses, etc.	A Recurring Instruction (with No End Date) supplemented with One-Time Transfers	Schedule a weekly Recurring Instruction for $100. When you need to send more, you can cancel that week’s $100 transfer and send a One-Time Transfer for the higher amount instead. Your Recurring Instruction will remain in place and the $100 transfers will resume the next week.
Send money to my fiancée monthly, but in different amounts, depending on need.	One-Time Transfers	You need to use One-Time Transfers because you want the flexibility to send different amounts each month.

For information on setting up a Recurring Instruction, click here, call remithome Customer Service at 1-800-919-0787, Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM, Pacific Time (California), or email us at customerservice@remithome.com.