POEA answers top 10 questions to help ensure safe, real overseas jobs

Top 10 FAQs from POEA

PASAY CITY, Philippines, April 18 2013- To officially launch the partnership with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), the number one job site in the Philippines, JobStreet.com, hosted open forums and free pre-employment orientation seminars (PEOS) at the JobStreet.com Career Fair- Manila last April 1 and 2 at SMX Convention Center, Pasay City.

Thousands of jobseekers trying their luck overseas did not only apply to available jobs from over 70 POEA-licensed agencies but were also assisted by representatives from the said government agency.

During the two-day event, JobStreet.com gathered frequently-asked questions about POEA and overseas employment, in general. The following are the top ten questions and their answers straight from POEA's top officials:

Top 10 FAQs from the POEA to help ensure safe, real overseas jobs

1. What are the fees one has to pay when working overseas?

The processing fees of your application and POEA-mandated fees are to be settled by your employer. POEA Governing Board Resolution No. 2, series of 1998, and POEA Memorandum Circular No. 14, Series of 1999 authorize a recruitment agency to collect from its hired workers "an amount equivalent to one month salary, exclusive of documentation and processing costs".

2. What are the "documentation costs" that we need to pay?

An overseas worker is usually required to pay his/her own passport processing fee, NBI/Police Clearance, PhilHealth/Medicare Premium, trade test, and vaccination as required by the host country.

3. Is there a standard placement fee per country?

Countries like United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Canada, and the Netherlands do not allow the collection of placement fees by recruitment agencies from foreign workers because the employer is paying the cost of placement and recruitment services. This does not include documentation costs.
The prohibition is also applicable to agencies that are deploying Household Services Workers (HSWs), seafarers, and workers recruited through the POEA-GPB.

4. If I am directly hired by a company and not an overseas recruitment firm, do I still need to go through the POEA?

Yes, all direct hires need to go to the POEA for verification of the following documents before working overseas: employment contract and work visa/permit.

5. How can we be sure the companies that we are applying for are legal and safe?

You may check a company's license, job orders, placement fees, employment contract, as well as O.R. with the POEA. You can also inquire if they are in the list of licensed agencies with the POEA Assistance and Information Center, Blas F. Ople (BFO) Bldg., Ortigas Avenue cor. EDSA Mandaluyong City, or call the POEA hotlines at (02) 722-1144/ 722-1155. You may also visit the POEA website at www.poea.gov.ph.

6. If we discover the company recruiting us is illegal, can the agents connected with the illegal recruitment agency be included in my complaint?

Yes. Once you file a complaint with the POEA, you may give the agent's contact information along with the agent's recruitment firm for investigation.

7. What if the job offer given to me upon the signing of my contract is different from the actual work that I will be doing in the country? Is this legal?

If the employer gave you a job different from the one you've applied to, you can request to have the contract terminated. Afterwards, file a complaint with the POEA against the agency for recruitment violations.

8. Does a recruitment agency have the right to hold my passport even if my deployment did not push through and no contract was signed?

No. The agency does not have the right to hold an applicant's passport nor other documentations if a contract was not yet signed.

9. Am I required to attend the POEA seminars before working overseas?

Yes, the Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) is a requirement for all Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). After completing the PDOS, a certificate will be issued and shall be submitted to the POEA with the other required documents before leaving the country.

10. What is the difference between the POEA and the OWWA?

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) is in charge of promoting and developing overseas employment. The POEA oversees and regulates all employment processes that are undergone by Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). Meanwhile, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and is in charge of protecting and promoting the welfare and benefits of OFWs and their dependents.

For more information about overseas employment, you may visit the POEA Assistance and Information Center, Blas F. Ople (BFO) Bldg., Ortigas Avenue cor. EDSA Mandaluyong City, or call the POEA hotlines at (02) 722-1144/ 722-1155. You may also visit the POEA website at poea.gov.ph.

Explore and apply to 38,000* overseas jobs from POEA-Licensed Agencies by logging on to JobStreet.com.

About JobStreet.com

JobStreet.com is a leading online job board presently covering the employment markets in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. JobStreet.com currently services over 230,000 corporate hirers and over 15 million jobseekers in its database.

About SEEK Asia

JobStreet.com and jobsDB are part of SEEK Asia, which is the leading online employment market place in Asia. SEEK Asia covers 7 countries namely Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

SEEK Asia is the extension of the Australian Securities Exchange listed company called SEEK. The company's purpose is to help improve people's lives through a better career. SEEK Asia's database consist of over 500,000 corporate hirers and over 24 million candidates.

For more information about this article, or to schedule an interview with JobStreet.com Philippines, please call Mark Nichol Turija, Content Marketing Specialist, at 286-6222.