Singapore Bound: Avoiding Illegal Recruitment

In order to combat the growing number of illegal recruiters and victims who are illegally recruited in the hopes of finding a good job in Singapore, the Philippine Embassy has step-up its information dissemination.

How to avoid Illegal Recruitment or Recruiters:

Illegal recruitment shall mean any act of canvassing, enlisting, contracting, transporting, utilizing, hiring, or procuring workers and includes referring, contract services, promising or advertising for employment abroad, whether for profit or not, when undertaken by a non-license or non-holder of authority (RA8042).

Some form of illegal recruitment include:

• Leaving the country as a tourist but with the intention of working abroad
• Escort Services – tourist/workers “escorted” at the country’s airports and seaports
• By Correspondence – applicants are encouraged by the recruiter to comply with employment requirements and placements through mail
• Blind Ads – fraudulent and misleading advertisements promising facility of employment
• Au Pair – an inter-cultural program wherein a host family sponsors a person to study language and culture for a monthly allowance in exchange for a home to stay in
• Backdoor Exit – going out of the country through some airports and seaports in the southern part of the Philippines
• Camouflaged participation in foreign seminars and sports events
• Workers leave as participants in seminars or sports events but eventually finding jobs in the host country.
• Traineeship Scheme – Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM) students leaving in the guise of a traineeship program for hotels abroad but eventually landing jobs in the training establishment.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has come up with some tips on how to prevent illegal recruitment:

• Do not apply at recruitment agencies not licensed by POEA.
• Do not deal with licensed agencies without job orders.
• Do not deal with any person who is not an authorized representative of a licensed agency.
• Do not transact business outside the registered address of the agency. If recruitment is conducted in the province, check if the agency has a provincial recruitment authority.
• Do not pay more than the allowed placement fee. It should be equivalent to one-month salary, exclusive of documentation and processing costs.
• Do not pay any placement fee unless you have a valid employment contract and an official receipt.
• Do not be enticed by ads or brochures requiring you to reply to a Post Office (P.O.) Box, and to enclose payment for processing of papers.
• Do not deal with training centers and travel agencies, which promise overseas employment.
• Do not accept a tourist visa.
• Do not deal with fixers.

Source: Philippine Embassy Singapore