Robelyn is living her dream, transitioning from domestic worker to receptionist in HK |
Dreams do come true.
This is the
message that Robelyn Molina Javar wants to relay to foreign domestic workers in
Hong Kong, especially those hoping to take on other jobs that would elevate
their status, without having to leave the city.
Robelyn knows
this only too well, as she used to work in Hong Kong as a domestic helper up
until August this year, when she was granted a visa to work as a receptionist under
the new Expanded Supplementary Labor Scheme
(ESLS) of the government.
Call it luck or
perseverance, but 29-year-old Robelyn was already on the verge of calling it
quits in Hong Kong for the second time after being terminated from her job,
when she was offered the post of Filipina receptionist.
Robelyn said she
was taken aback by the offer, as it felt too good to be true. She has aunts who
have worked in Hong Kong for a long time, and they never came close to having
the opportunity to work in an office set-up, and for a much bigger pay.
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In line with Immigration requirements, she was offered a salary of $14,500 a month, with overtime pay and free accommodation. She was also guaranteed extra pay for overtime work. What was even better was she did not have to pay anything to secure the job.
“From being a domestic helper sabi ko
imposible na magkaroon ng ganito. Feeling ko noon mataas ang ang expectations
nila sa work na ibibigay ko sa kanila,” said Robelyn.
(Being a
domestic helper I thought it would be impossible for me to get that kind of an
offer. I felt that there would be high expectation of the kind or work that I
could deliver).
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Despite getting
up to third year of a hotel and restaurant management degree from Panpacific
University in Urdaneta, Pangasinan, Robelyn, who is a mother of two, also felt
unsure about her qualifications for the job.
“Wala po ako talagang masyadong college
credential kaya di po ako nag expect na ma approve noon ang visa ko para sa
ganitong trabaho.”
(I did not have
enough college credentials so I did not expect that my visa application for
this job would be approved).
To the surprise of
both Robelyn and her employer, Immigration’s approval for her ESLS application
came less than two weeks after she submitted the required documents.
“God is really
amazing,” Robelyn is wont to say.
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Labour Department figures show Robelyn is among nearly 29,000 foreign passport holders who have been
granted a temporary two-year visa under the ESLS which was formally launched
only in September last year.
According to
figures furnished to the Legislative Council by Labour Secretary Chris Sun last
Thursday, among those granted visas under the scheme as of September this year,
667 were receptionists.
The biggest
number were waiters/waitresses, cooks and junior cooks, security guards and
sales assistants, reflecting the severe manpower shortages in these fields.
But it would
appear that Filipinos accounted for only a tiny fraction of the total ESLS
approvals so far. According to Assistant Labour Attache Angelica Sunga at the
Philippines’Migrant Workers Office, only 39 Filipinos had been granted work visas
through the ESLS as of August this year.
This is what
prompts Robelyn to keep encouraging her fellow Filipinos, especially those on
foreign domestic helper visas, to aim higher, and look for jobs that will give
them better pay and work conditions.
“Maraming mga Pinoy ang deserve ang mas
magandang trabaho,” she said. “At Glory to God talaga na merong ganitong
program ang Hong Kong para sa mga hindi naman nakatapos at hindi hinihingan ng
maraming requirements,” she said.
(There are a lot
of Filipinos who deserve a better job. It’s to God’s Glory that Hong Kong has
this program for those who did not finish their studies, and are not asked for
too many requirements).
But Robelyn is quick to admit that a lot will also depend on luck. She thus advises those on
DH visas to start looking around for companies that might need workers with
their qualifications and experience, or employment agencies that can connect
them with such employers.
It is never too late to aspire for something better, according to her. And now seems to be the time to start doing something about that dream.
The ESLS was formally
unveiled by the government in September last year to enhance or expand the
coverage and operation of the previous Supplementary Labour Scheme (SLS), to include
unskilled or low-skilled posts.
This was apart
from previous efforts to address the severe manpower shortage in Hong Kong,
including the launch of sector-specified labour importation schemes for such
sectors as construction, transport, and residential care homes.
Under both
programs, foreign workers are offered two-year contracts with salaries
commensurate to those paid local employees, as well as free accommodation.
However, they do
not qualify for permanent residency which requires seven years of continuous
residency in Hong Kong.
(See related story here: https://www.sunwebhk.com/2024/10/waiters-cooks-cleaners-among-imported.html)
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