I think I've asked something like this before, but I'm curious how many foreigners living in the Philippines still work on US hours.
It depends on which part of the US you work with, but that basically means working through the night here. Depending on the US time zone and daylight saving time, a normal US workday starts somewhere between roughly 9 PM and 9 AM in the Philippines.
For those of you actually doing it, how do you cope?
Does your work schedule decide where you live?
Do you deliberately pick places with 24-hour restaurants, gyms, stores and other things to do at odd hours?
Has working US hours changed the way you engage with the Philippines or your social life here?
Do you eventually adjust and build your life around those hours, or do you keep fighting the schedule?
I'm curious how much working US hours affects where foreigners end up living in the Philippines.
Here's my honest take. These are just personal opinions from living here. I'd probably skip Manila. Nothing against Manila, but unless you're in Makati, Eastwood/Libis, BGC or one of the other decent areas, it's just not for me. That said, if you stay inside your own neighborhood and mostly walk, it can work. If you're a bit older or close to retirement, I'd look at Davao City, especially around Lanang or the Ayala mall areas, plus some of the new developments going up. You still get the BPO and business infrastructure, but it feels smaller and less hectic. Cebu City is probably the middle ground. IT Park if you're young, work online and like places staying open late with people around. Business Park if you mostly stay in at night and just need a solid base for work and business. And if you don't mind the odd goat wandering around and want a mix of beaches and resorts, Lapu-Lapu is where I settled. I get to the airport in 15 to 20 minutes, I walk to almost everything I need, and the beaches and resorts are close by. For me it's probably the best work-life balance of the lot.
In the Philippines we usually work from 8 AM to 5 PM. Some places do 9 to 6.
I used to work all night because I moved here at 37. 8 PM to 5 AM. You get used to it. You have roughly 11 AM to 8 PM and the weekends to enjoy life here. Now at 45 I have flexible hours as long as I get 7.5 hours done within a 24-hour day, noon to noon. Some days I'm up until 3 AM, most days until 1 AM, and then I'm up at 6 or 7 AM.
Yes, 4 to 5 AM in the Philippines lines up with 4 to 5 PM US Eastern time (EST).
I'm really curious about this too. I might spend a month in Luzon soon (Manila, Angeles, or both) working US East Coast hours, which is roughly 9 PM to 5 AM Philippine time. I've never worked overnight. I wonder how I'd handle the hours and where I could even work from. I suppose it might be easier if I fly over and just stay on US time. I'd need fast, reliable WiFi the whole time, ideally with a comfortable desk and a big second monitor. I'll need to make calls too. I can't just sit on a bed with a laptop. I might go crazy working in a hotel room for 8+ hours and then sleeping in the same room for another 8... are there 24-hour co-working spaces? Are there people around, or are they ghost towns? The best option might be renting a one-bedroom so I have separate spaces for sleeping and working.
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