Direct Hire and Working Abroad

So you are a direct hire? You found a job overseas and you found it yourself. The pay is good, the airfare and work permit will be taken cared of by your new employer. You need not pay ridiculous fees because a recruitment agency was not involved in it. Your salary won't be deducted with all those fees from the agency. Well, good for you! But do you know that there are a few things that you still need to do before you leave the country? There are some who are directly hired overseas who don't know some of the SOPs in the Philippines when working abroad. I guess the only advantage that being employed via an agency is that they will take care of everything. So for the benefit of those directly hired overseas, here are some of the things that you need to do before you pack your bags.

The most common sense thing to do is to go to the nearest POEA Office in your area. They will be giving you a checklist of the requirements that you need to accomplish before leaving the country. These are passport, work visa or work permit, employment contract verified or authenticated by the Philippine embassy or Philippine consulate in the country of your destination. You are also required to undergo a medical examination by a DOH-accredited clinic or hospital and a pre-departure orientation seminar (PDOS), which is conducted by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

There are also some fees that you need to be aware of. 

POEA Processing Fee - US$100 or its peso equivalent
OWWA membership fee - US$25 or its peso equivalent
OWWA Medicare - Php900.00 

Once you have accomplished paying the fees and completed the requirements, you will be issued in return an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC).  This is very important as it will serve as your exit travel clearance at the airport and immigration desks. The OEC also exempts any OFW from paying the travel tax and airport terminal fees. Along with the OEC is a free OFW electron ID card or e-Card. This will serve as your permanent identification card to facilitate your departure and access to services as OFW.

So there. I wish you good luck in your new job abroad.

Tweet

TCP#84: Prince of Persia

Hello Couchers! I am late again... =( I am on my semestral break actually but I am still tardy in making my posts. Well, I guess ever since I went to school, it seems that I got used to not facing the computer the entire day. I know I should shrug off the habit of "not blogging" otherwise that will be the end of this meme.

Anyway, this Tuesday's theme is Enchanted and my pick this week is Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Over the weekend, I must have seen this thrice! It really is a nice movie and I enjoyed watching it. The sands of time is capable of turning back time and wouldn't it be great if you have something like it? You could change the course of history or so the legends say. This movie is reminiscent of the game that I used to play, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. This movie is actually based on this game. It is foremost an action film that uses sword and sorcery and the enchanting thing about it is when the dagger's jewel hilt is pushed and the time will turn back. The good thing about it is that only the person holding the dagger has an awareness of what has happened. Ain't it cool. I really enjoyed watching this first movie and from the looks of it, I think there will still be another Prince of Persia movie as the games itself has a Sands of Time series. Well, let's just wait and see.

What's your Enchanted movie for this week? Come and join us this Tuesday here on TCP and enter your TCP link URL in the linky below:

Thank you guys for joining us this week on Tuesday Couch Potatoes. I hope to see you all again next week for the theme: The Generation Gap. I know you have seen movies or would want to see films that tackle this issue. So I hope to see you all again next week for another helping of Tuesday Couch Potatoes. Happy TCP everyone!

Tweet

Spring Cleaning 2011

Spring is finally here and it is high time to do another general cleaning. Many call it Spring Cleaning. In German, they call it der Frühjahrsputz. Thanks to my hubby who bought me my newest toy, a vacuum cleaner, cleaning and dusting has become easier for me. Because he is allergic to dust, the house has to be vacuumed as regularly as we can. And I can do that with a breeze with my very nice vacuum cleaner. Haha! I am so boastful! :D

Cleaning has been an agony before vacuum cleaner arrived because I had to sweep the floor with a soft broom and wipe it and then sweep again. A very tasking chore that had my lower back screaming with pain I thought I would need to see a chiropractic technologist just to be sure that my spine and my back in general are still okay. I actually considered seeing one when the pains kept coming back. But my doctor did a very nice alternative treatment that it doesn't hurt so much anymore.

I am still doing my spring cleaning right now and I am on a short break thus, blogging about it. I hope all you guys are planning on doing a spring cleaning too. Keep your houses clean because "cleanliness is next to godliness".

Tweet

Remembering Lola Nanay

I was already here in Germany when I heard that my Lola passed way some two years ago. I was really sad because I never even got to take care of her when she was still alive. She was already old and weak last 2007, the year when I also flew to Japan to join my husband. The last time I saw her was May 2007. Little did I know that would be the last time. But I know she understood my situation and that she was happy that I have a beautiful family.

Yesterday was her 88th birthday. I just wish that she is now with our Creator and is re-united with my Lolo Totong in heaven. Whenever I remember my Lola, I think of the countless trips we did together with my cousins to coastal Sta. Cruz to spend the summer with our Lolo. I remember the humba that she would prepare for us all. I remember the many Cebuano dramas that we hear on radio and even got hooked to listening to them that it became an afternoon ritual.

Those were good memories that I hold deep and treasure in my heart. I know that she is watching over us right now, like an angel. And I know that things will be all right.

Photo courtesy of Roxy Ruiz via Facebook.

Tweet