ladygie24

Read this http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20100924-293995/34-in-recruitment-scheme--face-raps-for-fraud

- a college friend of mine is studying in GCU. She said they go to the university once a month. oh, the cost!! What if you've got a placement that's far from Scotland (coz that's where GCU is)? You will incur big travel expenses.

bouncing cheques?! OMG! :mad:You pay cash and they give cheque? that's so unprofessional! They should be reported. If you know a lawyer or someone in the police, you can seek advice from them. Perhaps, they can drop a call to ISA and shake things up a bit and you may get back your money sooner.

- if you've loaned it (the 160K), and you are already paying for the interest, you need to think about it carefully again. - if the 160 K is from your own pocket, then I advise you to just withdraw your application. ISA will refund it, but it will take time, and you need to hassle them about it, for them to refund your money. That's how they handle business.

@ silverdragon - sorry I didn't specify. Yup, they're currently hiring OR (operating room) nurses and NICU nurses, who have at least 1 year experience in that field.

easy for you to say.. I have been like that, hopeful and optimistic, before I went here in UK.. But once here, you'll realise that your investment is not worth it. Perhaps, its alright for those who don't have debts (I'm guessing that's your case) for they can surely go home anytime they want to, but for others who have incurred a lot of debts in the process, you will just stuck here. Like Skye said, you will NOT be allowed to transfer placements, despite ISA saying (in the Philippines) that you can choose where you want to work. There are others who are in a difficult situation, like being bullied, yet ISA delays taking action. They do so under the pretext of following "grievance" procedures and all that, and it has to be in writing, documented and all that legal stuff we aren't used to. If you won't do it their way, they will just ignore you. There are already a number of students who went home due to the ill-treatment they received from ISA, the agency who is supposedly looking after the students' best interests. They make their advisors/assessors lie to you, deliberately withholding important info till the last minute till you are left with no other choice but to succumb to their will. It is us, students, who are making them rich. Please don't be fooled. If you have experience, then use it to work as a nurse. As of now, UK is accepting nurses (work permit) who have at least 1 year experience as a nurse. Be keen and watch out for nursing opportunities and not be deceive by false promises of shady agencies who are only after one thing -- to squeeze every penny out of you.

Any ideas when the national registration will be implemented? I didn't apply for Australia last year since I still haven't got my license card (i just got it last December) and I don't want to be squeezed in the middle of the national registration, thinking it would delay my application more.

@ strwberry - im a recent grad as well (graduated March 2009, took the board exam on June 2009). I'm a registered nurse with zero post-registration experience. Although I didn't intend to be a nurse here in UK, I somewhat regretted my decision to study here, because I put my nursing career on hold. I'm currently working as a carer in a nursing home as part of my placement, and I tell you, its not an easy job to do. It's a good thing that the people where I work are nice and accommodating. My classmates don't have the same luck as me. Some of them find their workplace daunting; they're not treated well. UK is a good place to go; but not with a student visa. You will hardly get back what you invested. The only thing i'm looking forward to is getting the degree from the University of Hertfordshire, hoping that I will be able to hold on till then.

you can try out cozyguard's agency: Study Connect That's really the case with ISA, they don't pay the tuition fee in full amount. They pay it in installments, but rest assured that you won't have to pay anything to the university. That's what our module leader told us in UH. But I don't really endorse ISA, nor student visas. It's not worth it, due to the current changes/restrictions made by Home Office.

-well, ISA is not a scam. They can really deploy students and with visa processing, and find you a work placement. But most of their promises aren't really true. One thing, it's just break even (meaning, you earn just enough to pay your debts incurred just paying ISA)

ISA deployed me after about a month. But as of now, I think it'll take longer. You see, there are lots of ISA students here in UK who don't have work, and some have been deployed here since last December.

- Yup, you heard that right. 10 hour limit for below-degree level, so if you're on NVQ, then that rule applies to you. Good thing for you, you only paid 150,000. That's not much, considering that they're charging (currently) 600,000. You can ask for a refund. However, they won't be as prompt in paying as they are when asking for payments. It could take a few months, depending on how persistent you are in following it up. You might need to be forceful and they may have to be threatened. Otherwise, your request for refund will fall on deaf ears.

same here.. I was fuming mad when I found out that UH students cannot work at the NHS anymore, was considering withdrawing my application. But I didn't since I was on the process of applying for my visa. ISA really have a great tactic for catching and deceiving students. As of now, I'm currently in UK. I'm single and doesn't a family to support back home, so I'm doing fine with my finances. I am able to survive with my wage. How about you? Are you in UK already?

@ nursrinuk - have you heard about "E-care"? My agency, ISA, said that Ecare is their partner for our work placement (they will be the one who will find us a work placement)

@ nurseinuk - yup, the British Embassy speed up the process. I applied for my visa last Oct 16 and regrettably, it was denied since i only furnished a Certified True Copy of my BankBook (its a joint account so i cant leave the original at the embass). I've requested for an administrative review since the lawyer of ISA said that the CTR is as good as the original. When i went to ISA's office in Makati last Oct 14), I met a number of applicants who are still waiting for their placement providers before they can leave, although they already have their visas approved (some, last September pa).