Liza Abad had no plans of leaving the Philippines.
It was 2014. Liza had a stable job as an English, Grammar and Literature high school teacher and, was even given a promotion at work. Life was "okay"; but "okay" eventually evolved to "lacking" when she thought about what she wanted for herself and future family.
When her sister and , both migration agents residing in Australia, told her that an opportunity had arisen for teachers to migrate to the country, Liza nodded to the nudge and decided to look into the necessary steps for the big move.
Liza Abad as a secondary school teacher in the Philippines. Source: Liza Abad
"They told me that there was an opportunity to migrate to Australia. They said that the lifestyle here was better, so I considered it - especially since Lloyd [my now-husband] and I were planning to get married and start a family," she shares.
Liza had no issues when it came to being a qualified teacher. She was already working for six years as a secondary teacher when she decided to do a skills assessment. She also had no problems when it came to the 45 days of supervised training as she was already a practitioner.
What this English, Grammar and Literature teacher did struggle with was her scores in the International English Language Testing System () test, the English exam required for the visa.
"I had a problem with the writing and speaking parts of the exam. Actually, even after taking the test four times, I still wasn't able to reach the required scores. I spent a lot of money - P10,000 [approximately $270] per test," she shares.
Liza's sister suggested that she have her scores reassessed by IDP Australia, the international educational organisation giving the test in the Philippines. After reassessment, Liza got an extra 0.5 so she was able to meet the required band score for her occupation.
It took her two years and two months to migrate to Australia on a skilled visa - two months waiting for her documents to be assessed and for her visa to be processed, and two years to achieve the required IELTS score.
Fresh off of saying their vows in 2016, newlyweds Liza and Lloyd packed their bags and headed to Melbourne.
It took two years and two months for Liza to migrate to Australia. Source: Liza Abad
"Leaving my family - that was the hard bit. We left the Philippines a week after the visa was released, just in case anything changed in the country," she shares.
What did change though was Liza's career path.
As a new arrival in Melbourne, Liza first worked in her cousin's migration agency as an office assistant. At the same time, she was fixing her registration with the Victorian Institute for Teaching (VIT).
Applying to secondary schools in Victoria proved to be difficult for Liza. She was only given a provisional registration by the VIT and, she felt unsure about her ability to teach English to native speakers.
"The culture here is different. The students here are more straightforward. The accent is different," she shares, adding, "The language became a hindrance for me. Maybe if English wasn't the subject I was teaching, I'd be more confident teaching in secondary school."
This feeling of uncertainty prompted her to re-evaluate her path. Liza decided to enroll in Certificate IV in TESOL, sharing, "I realised that I am better off teaching English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS). After I finished my course, I applied to RTOs offering ELICOS."
She shares that while she had a hard time looking for work in secondary schools due to her lack of Australian experience, she had an easier time landing a job in the ELICOS industry.
Liza with her students. Source: Liza Abad
Liza acknowledges though that there are times that she still feels "small" in a country of native English speakers.
"It's been a big adjustment. In the Philippines, I was comfortable with the language and the culture. When I came here, I felt so small - not just in height - but maybe because of colonial mentality or thinking that other cultures are better than mine," she admits.
Although she constantly battles with this insecurity, Liza shares that the discomfort may all be in her mind, saying, "Here in Australia, that's generally not how people think [of others]. Things have changed for me - both personally and professionally. I'm happy about that."
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Liza with her husband Lloyd and daughter Ashley: "Things have changed for me - both personally and professionally. I'm happy about that." Source: Liza Abad
