| If you do,
you need to do the following:
-
Prepare around 100,000.00 pesos.
This amount will cover the agency fee paid to the Philippine based
agency that is going to help you find an employer in Hong Kong and
the necessary documents and certificates, and other expenses you'll
have while waiting. Usually these agencies are (1) satellite offices
of Hong Kong agencies, or (2) agencies that have contract relations
with a Hong Kong agency.
The Philippine agency will process all documents and requirements
incidental to working in Hong Kong. They will require and help you
to gather documents that includes (1) Barangay clearance (2) Police
Clearance (3) NBI clearance for working abroad (clearance for
working in the Philippines is different) (4) Medical Certificate
from an approved clinic (4) Passport (5) POEA authentication of
contract (6) Round Trip Plane ticket. Once you have the first four
documents and have paid some percentage of the agency fee, your
application (that includes your biodata, pictures, and sometimes
video) is forwarded to the Hong Kong agency.
Wait.
The Hong Kong agency will now show your information along with
hundreds of other applicants to prospective employers. The employers
will choose from among you whom they want (like a turo-turo
restaurant) and inform the agency staff. If you're chosen, the
agency will prepare the necessary documents the employers have to
sign. At least a standard domestic helper contract, and application
for Hong Kong visa. These documents will be sent back to the
Philippine agency that will ask you to sign them (usually full
payment is asked at this point).
-
Wait some more.
The contract will be processed with the POEA. It must be
authenticated. Afterwards, these documents will be sent back to Hong
Kong where the Hong Kong agency will take care of it. An application
with the Hong Kong immigration will be done. The Hong Kong
government will check out the employer if he is capable of employing
you (the agency should have made sure of this beforehand) and
process the application for visa. This process takes about 6 weeks.
Once the visa is approved, the Hong Kong agency will be notified.
They in turn will notify the Manila agency, in turn they will notify
you. And you're ready to go!
As you can see the worst that can happen is, no
employer will choose you. That's very tough because usually the Manila
agency asks for a deposit (so that you will not apply in another
agency). If nobody picked you, it means that a long time has passed
and you can just imagine what "waiting" can do to you. When this
happens, your alternative is to withdraw your application from the
agency (it takes a long time for them to refund your deposit, less
"processing fee").
If you're picked, what is in store for you in Hong Kong? A monthly
salary of 3,260 Hong Kong dollars (Hkd). Today's conversion is 6.7
pesos per Hkd, that is equivalent to 21,900 pesos. Is that amount good
enough for you? For many Filipinas, it is. Even public school teachers
want to come to Hong Kong and become a DH for that amount. Aside from
that, you receive free board and lodging to be provided by your
employer. Many DH-OFWs here would put aside 500hkd monthly as
allowance for their own needs, the rest you can send home to your
loved ones.
You will also be able to see and experience firsthand how Hong Kong
people live. Hong Kong is an international city. Your employer might
be a local Hong Kong Chinese family, or American, British, French, or
Indian. Depending on the culture of your employer, your stay here can
either be smooth or a bumpy one.
What are the bumps? There's so many. But you can take a peek at some
stories of what's going on with our DH-OFWs in Hong Kong at the
The Sun at this link. Or a write-up from the
Saint John's Cathedral at this link.
A new scam going on in Hong Kong victimizing new domestic helpers is
this. After being in Hong Kong for two weeks, your "employer" will
terminate your contract. What they will do is send you direct to the
airport with your things and one way ticket. If you don't know anybody
here, you will panic of course. And many has flown home like that. But
actually, the employer should pay you at least your 15 days, plus an
equivalent salary for one month as a one month notice of termination.
In addition, you need not fly home immediately. You actually have two
weeks to stay in Hong Kong and look for a new employer (with
considerably lower expense compared to starting from scratch in
Manila).
This is a terrible thing to do as they're playing with your life, but
they actually earn some money by doing it. But if you know what to do,
you can lessen your losses, and put the agencies (Manila and HK) in a
blacklist. This will force them to refund the agency fee you
paid (again, less the service fee)
It's not all sorrow, and not all joy too. It's
something you need to think about seriously. Maybe one of my old
write-ups can help,
link here. If you need more information, I’ll try to help (no
promises). Email me at jonmariano at gmail dot com. |
