In the Philippines, you can homeschool with two options: 

1. Going independent
2. Enrolling with a homeschool provider

What is independent homeschooling?

Going independent, or “indie,” means that you are not enrolled in any school or homeschool provider. Some advantages include: 

• You are not accountable to anyone.

This is good for those who are self-driven and know what you want to do without needing anyone looking over your shoulder. You can still do this when enrolled with a provider, but you will have to submit documents and grades on a regular basis.

• You do not need to keep records to show anyone.

Even when we were indie, I kept my son’s written narrations and other work, but that’s coz I love keeping records. Sentimental? haha.

• You do not need to pay an annual tuition fee or any school fees.

This goes a long way to buying books and other materials instead!

On the other hand, some disadvantages are: 

• You are not accountable to anyone.

Yes, this CAN be an advantage or disadvantage. If you are the type of person who tends to slack off and can benefit from someone poking you to get moving, this is a major consideration.

• You may have to be more intentional at forming relationships with other homeschoolers.

Those enrolled with a provider tend to have a ready-made network of people, especially through Zoom meetups staring with the pandemic. If you’re going indie and love being on your own, that’s fine. But if you want your child to interact with other homeschoolers, you will have to build relationships yourself. (Of course, that’s one goal of CharlotteMasonPhilippines.com, to help indie homeschoolers get in touch with one another too.)

• You will have to dig up your own booklists and source your materials yourself. 

For me, this wasn’t really a disadvantage because I already loved doing this! But if you prefer having someone make recommendations for you and even have the books on hand all ready to buy, you may benefit more from enrolling with a provider.

DepEd Accreditation

So the question is, how do independent homeschoolers get accreditation? The Department of Education conducts a test called the PepTest. You can take this test on the year that you intend to enroll in traditional school.

For example, if your child is 12 years old and you’ve been going indie since Grade 1, he will take the tests for Grade 1 through 6 to place him correctly in Grade 7 when you decide to enroll. 

We went this route with our older son, and we were supposed to take the PepTest in June 2020. But, well, covid. 🙂 So we’re still waiting for the next PepTest schedule.

Should you enroll or go indie? 

In my personal experience and opinion, I normally advise first-time homeschoolers to enroll with a provider, at least for the first year. This way, if it doesn’t work out, you won’t have to worry about putting your child(ren) back into traditional school. 

In our case, we went indie when we confirmed that we were in it for the long-run. 

But when I partnered with Living Pupil Homeschool Solutions, I enrolled my younger son and now my older son, too, mostly for the community. 🙂 I suggest you jot down your goals, your personality type (e.g. are you organized? spontaneous?) and your preferences.

I have things that I like in having a provider and in going indie. I feel that both experiences were very enriching, and I’m happy to say I’ve been able to try both routes! So feel free to drop me a message by clicking on the button below or Contact on the menu above! 🙂