Avoiding Recruitment Scams

I have heard of many stories about Filipino nurses getting scammed both in the Philippines and in the US.  The latest and most controversial one is the story of 28 registered Filipino nurses who filed a complaint against Sentosa.  I think this sort of scam is rampant with recruitment agencies.  They take advantage of the eagerness of Filipino nurses to go to the US, and be able to bring their family with them on an immigrant visa.  Usually Filipino nurses have to sign a two year contract and sacrifice a large portion of their wages for the first two years in order to get a company to sponsor them to the US. This is a shame as hard working Filipinos should be able to enjoy all the money they are earning from the start.

• Every agency has different style of recruitment.  Beware of those who are asking for a placement fee.  They will say the placement fee is to pay to get an employer and to make the processing faster.  In fact, employers pay the agencies for them to search from their database of applicants. 
• Many of the employers in the US provide a sign up bonus of up to $25,000.  Every registered Filipino nurse they hire is entitled to that.
• All of the expenses incurred by the applicant that are directly related to being a nurse in the US are reimbursed to you by the employer, if not paid to you in advance. These expenses include the CGFNS and NCLEX exams fee, immigration and visa fees, airfare, and relocation housing and allowance for the first 3 months.
• The minimum hourly rate of a staff nurse in US starts at $20.  If you are hired to work in a special area, the minimum hourly rate should not be lower than $30.  So, a staff nurse receives a monthly salary of approximately $3,500, and a special area nurse receives a minimum monthly salary of around $5,600.  Overtime pay is calculated separately. That means if you work harder and you take more shifts you can earn up to double your base monthly income.
• Leveling is determined by the qualification of the nurse.  A special area nurse requires special training.
• Employers in the US provide benefits and privileges such as health insurance, paid vacation leave, and overtime pay. The benefits vary by employer and you should always consider these in addition to what your hourly rate would be.
• Both employer and the nurse are protected by a common agreement or a contract. It is important for you to read the contract very carefully before you sign it.  Be sure that you are protected during the period you are employed to them, and that all the things they have discussed to you in terms of salary, benefits and privileges are covered in the contract.

In the scams happening in different recruitment agencies, Filipino nurses are not protected in the contract that they signed.  What happens is that the bad recruitment agency will ask the nurse to pay a fee after the US employer already paid them a fee to find the nurse, then they also receives the sign in bonus rather than the nurse.  In the Sentosa story of 28 Filipino nurses,  they were not given the salary they have agreed upon and were downgraded to caregivers or LVN instead of working as a nurse.  It is true that they offer a direct hiring, because Sentosa is a facility itself and they do their own recruitment.  In this way, they save money from paying agencies at the same time they don't provide sign in bonuses.  It is because Sentosa is not a hospital.  They have their own facilities where they cater to mostly old and ill people.  Working in a real hospital setting is different from working in a facility.  And so the Filipino nurses should be informed about this during the time of application.

The common problem Filipino nurses undergo when going thru an agency is the sacrifice of two years being underpaid.  As agencies earn from taking your sign in bonuses,  agencies continue to earn for the next two years you are tied up with a contract, because they take a cut of your salary until you finish the contract.  Instead of you getting a minimum of $20 an hour as a staff nurse, you end up getting $10, or $20 an hour as a special area nurse instead of $40. If you want to get away from them you have the option to buy out your contract, but you will pay a fee that might be $10,000 or more.  Making you pay a placement fee, taking the sign in bonus from you, and taking half of your salary for two years are all ways that bad recruitment agencies will try to scam you so please be careful when signing a contract.

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[larrybailey]

RECRUITMENT AGENCIES

What do recruitment agencies do?
A recruitment agency can help you by submitting you for vacancies notified to the agency by employers.
Employers use recruitment agencies in order to
 recruit for a new type of post for which they have no expertise
 minimise publicity when recruiting in one area of work while losing staff in another
 conceal recruitment activities from competitors
 get help with the recruitment process - eg if they don't have enough staff to deal with it
Many agencies specialise in certain types of work, within certain sectors or in particular geographical areas. The employer pays the agency to assist them in filling a particular job. You should not be asked to pay the agency for finding you work - although there will normally be a charge for additional services such as personality testing or preparing a CV. On filling the post, the employer will pay the agency a fee (normally a percentage of the first year's salary). Frequently, the advert will not name the employer.
When registering with agencies remember that the employer is the agency's primary client and not you.
Online recruitment agencies
These online agencies enable you to post your application form on the site for employers to view. You need to check the security of the site, as you are supplying personal information. To find graduate recruitment agencies, use a web search engine to search for 'graduate jobs' or similar. See the DORAS Directory for a list of online agencies in the Republic of Ireland, and Jobs1for agencies in the UK and Northern Ireland.
Staffing and contract agencies
The agency compiles a pool of candidates with qualifications, skills and experience and will supply staff to an organisation for a specific contract (anything from one day to several months). You will be paid by the agency for the hours that you actually work - you are not paid for holidays or sick pay. Employers might use staffing or contract agencies in order to:
 find staff to cover sickness and holidays
 tackle specific projects such as computer system reorganisation
 avoid having unnecessary staff
What are the advantages of using agencies?
 If you're working full-time, the recruitment agency can be working on your behalf while you apply for jobs directly.
 Specialist agencies may be able to offer advice about their sector.
 You can work through staffing and contracts agencies to gain varied short-term experience with several employers.
 You may be able to set up work in advance of arrival in a new town.
General rules for using recruitment agencies
 Supply the agencies with a CV that is targeted towards a particular work sector
 Tell the agency about any important factors - Are there any constraints?
 Tell the agency if you don't want them to send your CV to particular companies such as your present employer!
 Keep chasing the agency for progress - ring or call in on a regular basis
 Don't rely on agencies as your only means of finding a job