What questions to ask about any agency..

[great_jaspah]

Hi! For those of you who have been oriented to or is planning to get oriented in an agency, what do you ask them? I will enlist here some of the common things my friends would ask. Maybe you can add more. Together let's use this list. Thank you.

1. Do we have to sign a contract with your agency? (some agencies advertise that the approved applicant will have to sign a contract directly with the employers and not with the agency anymore, unlike the 'traditional agencies'. i wonder if that's true. )

2. What are the personal testimonials of the nurses your agency already helped to get abroad? How are they right now? What are the common problems they had? (yeah right, as if they are going to share this.)

3. If we have to sign a contract with your agency, how much do we have to pay you and how long would we work to do this?

4.

5.

6....

What else?

I know there are several issues with agencies but sometimes it is really hard if you do not have the 'resources' to process your own papers. I will consider this as my last resort. And if this will be my only way to get to work to the US, I will have to make sure that the agency will treat me as a professional and not "sell me as a slave to the highest bidder."

[Aquarian]

Hi! For those of you who have been oriented to or is planning to get oriented in an agency, what do you ask them? I will enlist here some of the common things my friends would ask. Maybe you can add more. Together let's use this list. Thank you.

1. Do we have to sign a contract with your agency? (some agencies advertise that the approved applicant will have to sign a contract directly with the employers and not with the agency anymore, unlike the 'traditional agencies'. i wonder if that's true. )

2. What are the personal testimonials of the nurses your agency already helped to get abroad? How are they right now? What are the common problems they had? (yeah right, as if they are going to share this.)

3. If we have to sign a contract with your agency, how much do we have to pay you and how long would we work to do this?

4.

5.

6....

What else?

I know there are several issues with agencies but sometimes it is really hard if you do not have the 'resources' to process your own papers. I will consider this as my last resort. And if this will be my only way to get to work to the US, I will have to make sure that the agency will treat me as a professional and not "sell me as a slave to the highest bidder."

4. Where is my copy of the contract? Some agencies won't even let you bring it home.

[suzanne4, RN]

if the agency is not having you sign a contract with them, red flag. that definitely means that you are being sold and that not one thing will be done until they find an employer to start your paperwork.

any recruiter, or agency, will have you sign something that you will be looking for a job thru them. they do not want you signing with several different agencies to find you something. why would someone wish to spend time looking for something for you, if you were just shopping to the highest bidder. trying to find a facility for a nurse involves quite a bit of work for someone to do.

any agency that has offices there and in the us will be taking money from your check to pay for the offices. another red flag.

[suzanne4, RN]

Most of the agencies that are operating out of there, have never had their employees in the US, and therefore, they do not do a good job at orienting someone.

How can someone be telling you about working in the US as a nurse when they have never been to the US, let alone seen a US hospital?

These are a few of the things that bother me. And if they tell you that you must have a CGFNS Certificate, and that you have to take that exam to work in the US. Just means that they have not updated their information in ten years.