Leaving the corporate world to teach

Career switch to success

CEBU, Philippines — The transition process from being in the corporate world to becoming an entrepreneur can sometimes be hard and challenging.

There are things in the corporate work that are just really hard to quit -- the stable pay and the benefits, for instance.

In business, things can be unpredictable as the risk of failing is always there.

It takes so much guts to leave a stable corporate job and pursue setting up a business and becoming one's own boss.

Much like the story of Marivic Bathan, owner of Children's Paradise Montessori School (CPMS) in Mandaue City, Cebu.

Leaving the corporate life

"I made the major turn when I was 30. That was when I left The Coca-Cola Export Corporation and the corporate life," the 46-year-old Marivic shared to The FREEMAN in an interview.

She has always loved teaching. In fact, it runs in family -- both her father and mother are educators.

"I discovered my love of teaching in high school when I taught Catechism in Guadalupe Elementary School," she said. "I developed my love and concern for children as I was growing up and trained by my mom to be her right hand in looking after my three younger siblings."

Marivic, a certified public accountant (CPA) by profession, started pursuing the public practice by joining Punongbayan and Araullo immediately after taking the board exam back then.

She had started teaching Accounting subjects in her alma mater, University of San Carlos and at CIT- University on a part-time and eventually on a full-time basis that spanned for three years.

It was during her stint at USC when she was introduced to the Montessori teaching method, which prompted her to pursue a master's degree in Education.

"I started to imagine a Montessori school that I will soon establish," Marivic said.

Little did she know, that was the start of her purposeful, fulfilling and lifelong journey as an educator and entrepreneur.

"But, I wasn’t ready yet to pursue this dream while I was still in my mid-20s," she said. "I wasn’t yet equipped and I didn’t have the know-how and capital to start the school."

It was during this time when The Coca-Cola Export Corp. called and offered her a position that she later accepted.

"I was back in the corporate scene. I got promoted until I became its Market Analysis Manager," she said.

Marivic was building her career with Coca-Cola when she realized she had to pause and discern for her life’s direction at the age of 28.

She recalled it was the birth of her first niece, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, when God started to knock on her heart to consider putting up her own Montessori school.

"All I also desired was to make sure she would have quality education that caters to her developmental needs," Marivic said.

It took a year of prayers, meditation, pilgrimage and retreats after she made a major turn in her career and leave the corporate life for good to establish in her own school, the Children’s Paradise Montessori School (CPMS), in 2005.

It took her eight years to see her dream finally happening.

Starting with only just 13 pioneering students, three teachers and one admin staff, her school has now grown to about 150 students and 35 employees.

She had learned the basics in business from college and her experience as an auditor and a manager involved in strategic thinking of a multi-national firm.

Transition

TF: How was the transition from being employed for several years to eventually managing your own school organization? Did you have to learn new things about running a business?

Marivic: It was a major transition for me from being employed to running the school. Prior to leaving The Coca-Cola Export Corp, I deliberately took a year of serious discernment. I took time to gather information, weigh things, consult, pray a lot, talk to myself a lot and finally make a choice.

After resigning, I attended workshops. The first five years were the hardest. From being fixed-income earner to relying on my business’ productivity while putting others first and me last, was a test of faith. Mine was quite a leap of faith indeed.  And it took so much trust in God, humility, patience, focus, resilience, perseverance and love that sustained me through the years.

So, I was really intestinal in getting myself ready to do business. However, it is still experience that is the best teacher, I may say. It was in committing mistakes and learning from them again and again that built my confidence and business acumen.

TF: You have been in the education business for several years now. How do you survive in this business in terms of growth?

Marivic: We thrive and continue to expand and grow because of our focus on our relevance in the lives of children, their families and even the bigger community, the innovations we have initiated and by keeping the integrity of the Montessori method.

TF: How do you see the demand for education in Cebu moving forward?

Marivic: Education is a basic need for our society’s development and sustainability. Among Filipinos, parents consider education as their basic, least "pamana" or inheritance for their children. Coupled with the growing population in the country and in Metro Cebu, obviously there is a growing demand for education.

What is promising for us also is the shift of preference in the method of education that parents consider for their children. Parents are now considering non-traditional or unconventional or progressive or developmental approaches in education. (FREEMAN)