Month: August 2025

“We’re the best agency for Hong Kong deployment!” Every recruitment agency from Makati to Mindanao claims this, but 40% of domestic helpers report being overcharged, lied to, or abandoned by their agencies once deployed. The difference between a good agency that charges PHP 15,000 and supports you throughout your contract versus a scam agency that

You left in 2014 promising to return in two years with enough savings to start a business. Now it’s 2024, you’re still abroad, and your bank account looks exactly like it did five years ago. Every year you tell yourself “next year I’ll save” but December comes and you’ve sent everything home again. Your high

Every month, you send home PHP 20,000 but your family only receives PHP 18,500. That missing PHP 1,500? It’s the hidden cost of remittances that adds up to PHP 18,000 yearly – enough for your child’s entire school tuition. Banks and traditional remittance centers are quietly taking 5-10% of your hard-earned money through exchange rate

“Send extra money for your cousin’s debut.” “Can you sponsor your nephew’s graduation?” “We need a new refrigerator.” “The roof is leaking again.” Every OFW knows these messages that arrive like clockwork after payday. Your family thinks you’re swimming in dollars, living the high life abroad, with unlimited money to solve every problem back home.

“Sorry, you’re 45 already? Hong Kong employers want younger.” That crushing statement from recruitment agencies destroys the dreams of thousands of experienced domestic helpers every year. But here’s what agencies won’t tell you: there’s NO legal age limit for Hong Kong domestic helpers. That 45-year-old who got rejected might deploy next month while a 28-year-old

Your Hong Kong employer screams at you daily, makes you sleep in the kitchen, or hasn’t paid your salary for two months. Or maybe they’re decent but you found another employer offering HKD 6,000 instead of minimum wage. The burning question every domestic helper asks: can you change employers without flying back to the Philippines

“Magkano ba talaga ang matitira ko?” That’s the question every aspiring domestic helper asks before flying to Hong Kong. Your agency says HKD 4,830 (PHP 35,000) monthly salary, pero hindi nila sinasabi na may mga kaltas at gastos na babawasan yan. After working as a kasambahay for two years, you might discover your actual ipon

You’ve been working in Saudi Arabia for six months when you discover your friend in the same city earns 30% more doing identical work. Or your Hong Kong employer treats you like garbage while your kabayan’s employer respects her like family. Or that factory job in Taiwan is destroying your back and you spotted a

You’re sitting in that recruitment agency office, excited about finally working abroad, when they slide the payment schedule across the table. Your heart drops. PHP 150,000 in “processing fees” before deployment? The recruiter says it’s normal, everyone pays it, and you’ll earn it back in three months overseas. But something feels wrong. This guide reveals