How to Identify an Illegal Recruitment

Let’s face it – employment has become a very vital requirement in obtaining our basic needs. Being employed not just keeps our minds at ease that there will be a source of income to keep us up with the ever-changing economic demands. In our modern world, we need the money to buy food and clothes, and pay the bills and the house rent to keep as comfortable and, needless to say, alive. We need money to keep us healthy, and to provide us with security. So unless you are the only heir of a multi-billionaire, there will be a need for you to make a resume, dress up nicely, and look for an employer to whom you will swear you unwavering hard-work in exchange of a pay check.

But back to the harsh realities—employment is still one of the main problems of our economy. Without sufficient job openings to match the increasing number of the unemployed, the situation has gone difficult. What makes it worse is that illegal recruiters are using this dire situation to take advantage of those who are getting desperate to land a job by false promising hasty employment.

To help us protect ourselves, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration or POEA has released a list that will help us identify illegal recruiters and to avoid them. Click this link if you want to read the list in Filipino.
1. An illegal recruiter will immediately ask for a placement fee or any payment without any receipt.
2. An illegal recruiter promises an easy way to go abroad.
3. An illegal recruiter will immediately require you to undergo medical examination or training even without a clear employer or contract.
4. An illegal recruiter will always ask applicants to do transactions in public places like restaurants and malls and not in an office of licensed agency.
5. An illegal recruiter does home visit recruitment.
6. An illegal recruiter does not provide sufficient information about the job you they are offering.
7. An illegal recruiter will say that they have a direct employer and will deny the need to go through POEA or a recruitment firm in the Philippines.
8. An illegal recruiter will promise a hasty processing of papers using tourist or visit visa.
9. An illegal recruiter cannot present an employment contract or working visa.
10. An illegal recruiter will introduce himself as an employee of a licensed recruitment firm in the Philippines but cannot present any ID.
11. An illegal recruiter may introduce himself as someone with connections to a travel agency or training center.
12. An illegal recruiter will ask applicants to look for other applicants to hasten the application of their papers.
13. An illegal recruiter cannot present decent information about himself like his complete name or address.
14. An illegal recruiter promises that the all the documents will be taken to POEA for processing.

Instead of gaining something, you will end up losing more if you let an illegal recruiter fool you. This is why it is important to be able to identify licensed recruitment firms in the Philippines from the bogus. Constant vigilance and open mind will keep us safe from illegal recruiters.