Teaching in Philippines — AEP is the default
In plain termsLanguage centres and schools hire through a Philippine employer. That is AEP territory. The visiting-professor exemption is narrow and paper-heavy.
Ordinary hire
Gainful employment under an employer-employee relationship needs an AEP unless exempted. Ordinary language-centre hire is AEP territory.
Visiting-professor carve-out
DO 248 exempts visiting, exchange or adjunct professors under a formal agreement between institutions or governments. The Certificate of Exemption dossier still needs a copy of that agreement.
Tourist trap
A tourist / temporary-visitor stamp is not work authority.
Filed cells this page leans on
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- An Alien Employment Permit (AEP) is required before a foreign national starts gainful employment — unless exempted or excludedDOLE Department Order No. 248, Series of 2025 — New Rules and Regulations on the Employment of Foreign Nationals in the Philippines (official PDF on dole.gov.ph) — AEP required for foreign nationals in gainful employment unless exempted or excludedyeschecked Aug 2026
- AEP coverage is keyed to an employer-employee relationship under Philippine lawDOLE Department Order No. 248, Series of 2025 — New Rules and Regulations on the Employment of Foreign Nationals in the Philippines (official PDF on dole.gov.ph) — gainful employment defined within an employer-employee relationshipyeschecked Aug 2026
- Permanent, probationary or temporary resident visa holders are exempt from securing an AEPDOLE Department Order No. 248, Series of 2025 — New Rules and Regulations on the Employment of Foreign Nationals in the Philippines (official PDF on dole.gov.ph) — Rule V Sec. 1(f): permanent, probationary or temporary resident visa holders are exempt from securing an AEPyeschecked Aug 2026
- Exempt categories still request a Certificate of Exemption before employmentDOLE Department Order No. 248, Series of 2025 — New Rules and Regulations on the Employment of Foreign Nationals in the Philippines (official PDF on dole.gov.ph) — Rule V Sec. 2: an exempt foreign national who intends to be employed must request a Certificate of Exemptionyeschecked Aug 2026
- AEP applications generally require a prior labor-market publicationDOLE Department Order No. 248, Series of 2025 — New Rules and Regulations on the Employment of Foreign Nationals in the Philippines (official PDF on dole.gov.ph) — Rule II Sec. 1: employer must publish before AEP filing (clarified by DO 248-A Series of 2025: newspaper of general circulation)yeschecked Aug 2026
- AEP filing and issuance are centralized at DOLE-BLE (2026)DOLE DO 248-B s.2026 — AEP functions centralized under the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE); Philippine Information Agency report 6 Jul 2026 / KPMG Flash Alert 2026-163yeschecked Aug 2026
- PRA lists SRRV work/student permit exemption — confirm Certificate of Exemption with DOLE for the specific hirePRA SRRV benefits — Exemption from separate work/student visa or permits (pra.gov.ph/SRRVisa); align with DO 248 resident-visa exemption + Certificate of Exemption trackyeschecked Aug 2026
- A tourist / temporary-visitor stay is not by itself authority to take local employmentDOLE Department Order No. 248, Series of 2025 — New Rules and Regulations on the Employment of Foreign Nationals in the Philippines (official PDF on dole.gov.ph) — gainful employment requires an AEP unless the foreign national falls under an exempt or excluded category (Rule V); tourist admission is not an exempt categoryyeschecked Aug 2026
- Practising a regulated profession needs a PRC Special Temporary Permit (STP), separate from the AEPDOLE DO 248 s.2025 Rule I definitions — Special Temporary Permit (STP) issued by PRC to a foreign national to engage in the practice of a regulated professionyeschecked Aug 2026
- Nationalised / partially nationalised employers also need a DOJ Authority to Employ AlienDOLE DO 248 s.2025 Rule I definitions — Authority to Employ Alien (AEA) issued by DOJ where the employer is covered by the Anti-Dummy Lawyeschecked Aug 2026
- Visiting / exchange / adjunct professors under a formal agreement are AEP-exemptDOLE DO 248 s.2025 Rule V §1(e) — visiting, exchange or adjunct professor under a formal agreement between institutions or governmentsyeschecked Aug 2026
- The visiting-professor exemption still needs the institutional agreement on the Certificate of Exemption dossierDOLE DO 248 s.2025 Rule V §2 — foreign national under §1(e) must submit a copy of the agreement between the involved academic institutions or governments with the Certificate of Exemption requestyeschecked Aug 2026
- Ordinary language-centre / school employment is AEP territory (not the visiting-professor carve-out)DOLE DO 248 s.2025 Rule I §3 — gainful employment under an employer-employee relationship needs an AEP unless exempted or excluded; ordinary language-centre hire is not on the Rule V exemption listyeschecked Aug 2026
- Filed earn-atlas clusters on this destinationProduct atlas — first filed clusters for /philippines/earn (teaching, diving, hospitality, own-business, legal, tech); long tail deferred until primary cells exist6 clusterschecked Aug 2026
Common questions
- Can I teach on a tourist visa?
- No. Tourist stay is not an AEP exemption.
- Does a TEFL certificate replace an AEP?
- No. Market credentials are not labour paper.
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