I just want to share my experience before and upon arriving in Singapore as a foreign worker.
Year 2011 when I posted my resume on a Filipino website (which I think is somehow accredited by the POEA) looking for work abroad. A certain agency contacted me immediately and asked me to submit the necessary documents for assessment. I processed and submitted all the requested documents and in a week’s time I already had my IPA. I paid the agency fee and flew to Singapore.
I was fetched by another agent who was a partner of the agency in Philippines when I arrived at Changi Airport. She invited me for a snack nearby and asked for my documents and even my passport (and really I was nervous at that time) which I hesitantly gave to her. While we were having snacks, she looked on my papers and then gave me instructions not to talk and listen to other people especially at the workplace. After she scanned my papers, she explained me something about my work as a childcare teacher, my salary, amount to be spent for the house, transportation, food and other daily needs. She offered to lend me money if I did not have enough with me but with an interest. I declined since I was confident I had just enough money for my needs. She then told me about her agency fee worth 4, 000 SGD to be paid by installment for 4 months before I could take back my passport. I was so surprised by the amount since the agency in Philippines did not inform me about this. I thought that the agency fee I paid was already okay. She further told me not to divulge anything we talked for safety reasons otherwise I would be like the other foreign workers who ended up in trouble for not listening to her. I was just quiet and still could not believe of the amount I needed to give her in exchange of my passport. I was then turned over to another agent whom I didn’t know at that time that it was an agent for the house I will be staying. He drove me to my new house and paid for his fee as well.
Two days after my arrival, my agent brought me and another Filipino foreign worker to MOM to apply for our work pass. She told us not to tell anything other than personal details to anyone in the MOM office and that in case they ask us if we were with an agent or under an agency, we must say NO otherwise they would not approve our pass. This made me ask why it would be like that but she cut me in and told me not to ask questions because “It is like this in Singapore!” She was suddenly pissed off and directed us to queue up.
When we were done with our work pass application, our agent brought us to a snack shop located at a nearby mall. While eating, she showed us a paper to be signed which she verbally discussed to me when she met me at the airport except for some changes. Instead of $ 4,000 agency fee it would be $4,500 to be paid by instalment for four to five months or $2,000 cash at that moment before our passport would be given back to us. I asked her why it became $4,500 and told us she just had the paper from her secretary (who is unfortunately a fellow Filipina married to a local) and she forgot that the fee recently went up. According to her, it was a new policy by the Singapore government. She also stated it was mandatory for us to attend some seminars she would be choosing at our own expense. She consoled us that once we paid $4,500, (likely $1,000+ monthly deduction from our salary for 4-5 months) our passport and ATM cards would be returned and would be on our own already. I noticed the agreement paper has no heading or company name. This made me doubt her already but I kept my silence. We signed the papers and agreed to meet the day when we would open our ATM account.
The day we met to open the account, she fetched me near my school. She was talking on the phone while she was driving. I could say she was getting irritated because she could not find a nearby bank and was asking for direction. I told her I didn’t know. She begun to scold the person she was talking to on the phone and turned to me to scold me also for not knowing the direction. She was driving real mad so I kept quiet. Inside the bank while we were on queue, I asked her for a copy of what we signed. She suddenly flared up and asked why. I told her I just needed a copy for me to know about the conditions I was to pay. She got mad and told me I was not allowed to have a copy because even the domestic helpers do not have. She said I can only see and read. I reasoned out that I deserve to have one for reference purposes only.
Her voice rose and accused me of bringing the paper to a lawyer before she marched out from the bank. She was mumbling something while I tried to catch up and heard her saying she would send me back to Philippines. She stopped and turned to me telling she has money to go to a lawyer. I followed her to her car and told her we needed to settle that thing professionally and not walk out on it. She was really angry and told me I was wasting her time for she was a very busy person. I was quiet but my mind was arguing either to shout back at her or ignore her rants. I just kept quiet and listened to her telling me how come I did not trust her when she was the one who found me a job. We did not open an account that day. My boss asked about our transactions so I honestly told what happen even if at that time I was having doubts if I should trust her after the warnings I had from my agent. My boss decided to accompany me to open an account.
It was payday already when I met my agent to en cash my cheque. My salary at that time was just enough for a month’s expenses so she did not take her $1000 agency fee but she took my ATM card. For the succeeding months, she would withdraw all my salary and took $1000. The rest of the amount were given either in their office or outside like café’s or restaurant. At times, she would take $100 from me as a payment for a seminar which she told me to attend but I never went.
I searched for her agency’s name through internet and found out it was registered as a maid agency only. I did not find the agency’s name in the list of the accredited agency also. I heard once that the agency was raided by police and now they transferred somewhere in Eunos. She was using a space inside an office which was not registered as her office.
