For a lot of Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) teachers, returning home is not just about finding a job; it is about coming to terms with the sacrifices they made while working abroad.

Teacher I Aylene Lara knows this all too well.

"I didn’t want to work abroad for a very long time because it’s not easy. First time ko nalayo sa pamilya pero kailangan kasi sa hirap ng buhay (It’s my first time being away from my family, but I have to because life is hard)," she said, recalling the cost of leaving her family behind to teach overseas.

“My father died while I was away, and that is a hurt I will always carry with me,” she added.

Stories like Lara’s are at the heart of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) push to reintegrate OFW teachers displaced by the ongoing Middle East crisis, offering them not just employment, but a chance to rebuild their lives at home.

DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said the agency is providing immediate employment pathways and support for returning teachers and their families through the Bagong Pilipinas Bayanihan Para sa Balikbayang Manggagawa National Reintegration Network and Job Fair.

Central to the effort is the Sa Pinas, Ikaw ang Ma’am at Sir (SPIMS) program, which has helped 11,056 licensed teachers transition from overseas work into Philippine public schools since 2014.

“Under the leadership of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., we will not leave you to face these challenges alone,” Angara said.

According to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), the program has provided financial assistance to 8,047 teachers and refresher training to 521 others—making it one of the government’s most established reintegration efforts.

For Lara, who now teaches in Cebu, returning home meant finally fulfilling a long-held dream of serving Filipino learners while staying close to family.

Similarly, Teacher III Veronica Dungog, who spent four years teaching in the United Arab Emirates before losing her job during the pandemic, said the program eased her fears of starting over.

“Through SPIMS, I was assured that I could teach again. Within a year, I was deployed,” she said. She now teaches in San Juan City.

Beyond employment, DepEd said its reintegration programs also provide educational support for OFW families, including testing services for children, scholarships, and access to senior high school vouchers.

But for many returning teachers, the most meaningful change cannot be measured in programs or numbers.

It is the chance to no longer miss life’s most important moments—and to finally come home for good.