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One can search for an overseas job through the following legal ways:

Through the assistance of a POEA-licensed recruitment agency. Jobseekers will apply to a job opening posted by a licensed agency and  the agency will also be the one the working documents of the worker.

Through the POEA-Government Placement Branch  (GPB) system. The POEA process job requirements for government agencies and other special employers of foreign countries. 

Note: Getting an overseas job without the help of an agency is also possible and can be considered legal as long as certain conditions are met. Workers who are able to secure deployment overseas on their own are called Name-hired OFWs. They still need to go to POEA to register. 

• Valid Philippine Passport
• School diploma
• Transcript of Records
• Valid Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) ID (if applicable)
• Employment Certificates (for nurse applicants)
• Training/Seminar Certificates
• Valid TESDA Certificate (if applicable)
• Valid NBI Clearance (for travel abroad)

Yes, you can. This is through name-hiring or GPB-hiring.

Name-hiring- when an applicant is able to secure a job abroad because he or she directly knows the employer.

GPB-hiring- when the applicant is able to get a job from job advertisements posted by the government of other countries through Philippine government institutions (i.e. POEA, DOLE).

File your complaints at POEA Legal Assistance Division, Anti-Illegal Recruitment Branch, 4th Floor, POEA Building or the nearest POEA/DOLE regional office; NBI, PNP, police authorities in your area.

 According to the POEA, the following are the signs of an illegal recruiter:

 An illegal recruiter would ask applicants to pay for Placement Fee and other fees without giving an official receipts.

An illegal recruiter would promise applicants to be deployed as soon as possible.

An illegal recruiter would require applicants to undergo medical examination even without being hired by an employer and an existing contract.

Transactions are made in public places (restaurants, malls,) and not their main office.

There are illegal recruiters who go house to house to recruit applicants.

Some illegal recruiters offer direct-hiring jobs without going to POEA for documentation.

Offers tourist or visa to applicants instead of a working visa.

Can’t provide legitimate employment contract or working visa.

There are recruiters who claimed that they are part of a POEA accredited agencies but can’t provide identification card.

Recruiters who claimed that they are connected tith a travel agency or training center

Asking applicants to recruit relatives or friends for faster deployment.

Fixers outside POEA who promise applicants to process their application in POEA. 

An NBI Clearance is an important documentary requirement being asked to an OFW before he/she be able to work abroad.

There are NBI Clearance centers in Metro Manila where you can apply and claim your NBI Clearance. NBI regional and distrcit offices are also located at various provinces.

As prescribed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), placements fees to be paid by the applicant to the recruitment agency should only be equivalent to one month salary that the applicant will be able to receive once he is deployed to the foreign employer.

In some cases though, the applicant is not required to pay for any placement fee as the employer already shoulders it and pays it to the agency. Applicants for domestic help/household worker, seafarers and those who were able to find jobs in United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, The Netherlands, USA and some parts of Canada should not pay for any placement fees.

Most of the time, overseas jobs advertised by Philippine recruitment agencies asks for the following basic qualifications:

• 2-3 years related work experience to the job they are applying for
• either high school or college graduate

There are times that age is also a requirement, some overseas job ads prefer appplicants 25 to 35 years old only, or utmost 40-55 years old as long as they have 5 to 10 years of  work experience in the job advertised.

You may use the Philippine Overseas Employment Website (POEA) websiteto check if Philippine recruitment agencies have valid licenses to recruit Filipino workers for overseas deployment.

Also, the POEA already has a mobile application that can help you check recruitment agencies' license validity and available job orders. This mobile app is available on Google Play Store for Android phone users and Apple app store for iOS users.

No, this is not. You may refuse to give your passport to the recruitment agency. Recruitment agencies do not have the right to handle your passport unless you have already signed an employment contract and is awaiting departure to your foreign employer.

Yes. Recruitment agencies ask for the original copies of documents you submit for authentication purposes. 

Deployment bans are imposed in some countries due to political hostilities and upheaval occuring in that country. However, once these subside, and the POEA and DFA announce that crisis alert level in these countries are lowered, recruitment agencies may now continue deployment of new-hire to the country.

if it is on the recruitment agency's side that you were not able to depart for an overseas job, the recruitment agency must shoulder the repeat costs of the medical examination.

A medical exam result is valid for three months.

Because of stricter rules about foreign worker outsourcing, countries have a stricter rules in duration of processing and issuance of working visa. Now, it usually takes 3-6 months before a working visa is issued to a prospect employee.

Look for any of these following signs:

• agad naniningil ng placement fee o anumang kaukulang bayad pero hindi nagbibigay ng Official Receipt.

• nangangako ng madaliang pag-alis patungong ibang bansa.

• nagre-require agad ng medical examination o training kahit na wala pang malinaw na employer o kontrata.

• nakikipag-transaksyon sa mga aplikante sa mga pampublikong lugar at hindi sa opisina ng lisensyadong ahensya.

• nagre-recruit sa bahay-bahay at mga pampublikong lugar.

• hindi nagbibigay ng sapat na impormasyon tungkol sa inapalayang trabaho.

• nagsasabi na may kausap na direct employer sa abroad at hindi na kailangang dumaan sa POEA.

• nangangako na mabilis na mapapaalis ang aplikante ngunit gamit ay tourist visa o visit visa.

• walang maipakitang employment contract o working visa.

• nagpapakilala na taga-agency ngunit hindi siya nakatala sa POEA.

• nagpapakilala na konektado sa isang travel agency o training center at nangangako ng trabaho sa ibang bansa.

• nanghihikayat sa mga aplikante na mangalap ng iba pang aplikante upang kunwari ay mapabilis ang pagpapaalis at mapunan ang pangangailangang dami ng trabaho.

• hindi nagbibigay o umiiwas na magbigay ng sapat na impormasyon tungkol sa kanyang sarili tulad ng buong pangalan, address, kung saang agency konektado at iba pang pagkakakilanlan sa kanya.

• nangangako na ang mga dokumento ng aplikante ay ipapasok sa POEA para mai-process at maikuha ng exit clearance, pero ang dokumentong ibibigay ay mga peke.

• nakapagpaalis ng isa o mahigit pang Pinoy na gamit lamang ay tourist visa o visit visa, at sa ganitong paraan ka niya hihikayatin para mabiktima.