This is what she learned:
When working abroad, there are several dangers that Americans like Esther were not aware of that can take the shape of scams or illegitimate businesses. These type of businesses often take advantage of their employees and can even lead to dangerous situations that employees are unaware of.
Especially in Colombia, there have been cases where people are not paid or have had their work stolen. Some businesses are fronts (shell companies) for other illegal companies like money laundering or prostitution, so be careful and look out for the warning signs!
Some warning signs include:
1. The company pays you in cash or from a personal account
2. The company does not pay on time
3. The company hires you too quickly
4. The company's job posting uses words like "urgent", "must be able to work under pressure", "no estrellitas"
5. The company puts you on a trial period
6. The company makes you work odd hours or is in constant contact with you when you are not at work
7. The company does not provide benefits
8. The company looks like it does multiple things like selling various products/services
If you get a job offer from a company like this, you need to back away. Any shady business can get you in a lot of trouble. I have heard horror stories of people getting ripped off for jobs that they took from the USA to teach English abroad.
Also, there are especially bad issues with advertising or marketing agencies. Advertising agencies in Colombia are known for not paying freelancers for work they have done upfront or blatantly stealing other peoples ideas without pay. On the other hand, marketing agencies can be covers for event marketing companies who hire "models" to be escorts.
There are various resources to check if a company is legit that you should use, or just ask on Facebook lol!
