My DH of 3 mths told me last night that her loan for her agent fee is up & she has to pay in full. when she arrived, i asked her not to borrow money from outside & if she has financial problems she should come to me first. she told me she borrowed from a bank about HKD20,000 to come here - the agency fee plus travelling, visa, etc. and it was to be paid in 6 mths. now 6 mths is up. i wonder with their salary in HK, no one would be able to pay up that kind of debt in 6 mths. do all the DH borrow money to come here? does anyone know how much they need to pay before they can come to HK? do your DH asked you to borrow money? my previous DH also borrowed HKD8,000 from me 6 mths after she arrived. she told me her son was sick, and it was paid back to me in 10 payments.
DH asking to borrow money
- Thread starter joannek
- Start date
carang
Registered User
my helper asked once to borrow $5000 so they could do something to the house they are building. i told her that there was no way that we could afford to lend her the $. i also warned her against going to a "friend" of hers who most likely would charge outrageous interest. i told her some of the stories that i'd heard here and on another website. as far as i know she and her hubby figured out another way to pay without borrowing the $.
If your DH is not hired direct, she would have probably paid the agent anything between $8,000 to $15,000 depends on her experience and the agent. The agent would work out a payment schedule where the DH would repay by installments (usually 6). I'm surprised that your DH's agent / bank would allow her to repay only AFTER 6 months!
Though it may appear that the DH is working for nothing for 6 months, you need to understand that $3400 x 18 months is A LOT of money for Philippines standard especially for someone who comes from a province (not manila) where you can built a house with few years' salary, which is why DH are willing to pay a huge agent fee in order to work in HK.
All DHs know what they are getting into and though the fee is high, they should be able to repay the agent / bank (otherwise, which bank or agent would lend them the money?).
I'm sure there are some who deserves help but be careful not to be used.
Though it may appear that the DH is working for nothing for 6 months, you need to understand that $3400 x 18 months is A LOT of money for Philippines standard especially for someone who comes from a province (not manila) where you can built a house with few years' salary, which is why DH are willing to pay a huge agent fee in order to work in HK.
All DHs know what they are getting into and though the fee is high, they should be able to repay the agent / bank (otherwise, which bank or agent would lend them the money?).
I'm sure there are some who deserves help but be careful not to be used.
she told me that 1/2 her salary goes home to her kids & 1/2 goes to repay the debt. that's like HKD1700 to repay HKD20,000!! so she said she's only been paying the interest! the thing i don't understand is how did she ever think she could repay 20K in 6 mths, when 3 of these mths was before she came!?
From what I understand, pretty much all Indonesian helpers need to pay something like HK$20,000 to initially get a job here. (This is something to bear in mind if you are an employer who fires helpers on a whim (burnt the dinner, cheeky to grandma, that sort of thing) - you may be sending your helper back home, with a debt that they can never even hope to repay by working in Indonesia, children to support, loan sharks knocking at the door...). The Indonesian govt is a part of this - the consulate people apparently are in with the agencies to make sure that their nationals, who they should be protecting, are ripped off as much as possible.
I would arrange a repayment schedule for the helper and pay the loan for her - it's not worth it to have loan sharks calling you at night, or to have your helper forced into part time illegal work to pay off the loan. But tell her it's the only time EVER.
I would arrange a repayment schedule for the helper and pay the loan for her - it's not worth it to have loan sharks calling you at night, or to have your helper forced into part time illegal work to pay off the loan. But tell her it's the only time EVER.
I know a lobby of mums will attack me for saying this -- but keep her passport in a safe place, to prevent her from going and signing up for another loan -- chances are very high that she will, if she has pressure from her family (who often regard overseas relatives as a bottomless ATM card).
Arrange the repayment directly with the agent / finance company - after you have verified that there is a loan in question, do not give the money to the helper.
Arrange the repayment directly with the agent / finance company - after you have verified that there is a loan in question, do not give the money to the helper.
rani
Administrator
I was slammed previously for supporting employers who kept the passports of their helpers. I just wish I had done it myself.
I gave our helper a number of lectures on trusting people when she arrived 3 years ago. We did a direct hire so she didn't have any placement fees to worry about. She knew she could always come to us if she needed anything, and I gave her a few small loans when her family needed some extra $.
A cousin and another friend in HK who were already in debt asked her to guarantee a couple of loans, which they had no intention of paying. Their employers had already bailed them out of previous loans and their salaries are being deducted. She's now stuck paying these loans. Her passport is being held by another friend, who gave her some money to pay the loans, cos she honestly expected her cousin to pay and had already sent her salary home. What a mess!
So I'm all for keeping your helper's passport. Better you than someone else!
I gave our helper a number of lectures on trusting people when she arrived 3 years ago. We did a direct hire so she didn't have any placement fees to worry about. She knew she could always come to us if she needed anything, and I gave her a few small loans when her family needed some extra $.
A cousin and another friend in HK who were already in debt asked her to guarantee a couple of loans, which they had no intention of paying. Their employers had already bailed them out of previous loans and their salaries are being deducted. She's now stuck paying these loans. Her passport is being held by another friend, who gave her some money to pay the loans, cos she honestly expected her cousin to pay and had already sent her salary home. What a mess!
So I'm all for keeping your helper's passport. Better you than someone else!
These days, they don't just use their passports to borrow money, they apply for a job in Canada. Heard so many stories about how helpers suddenly give their employers three months notice to work in Canada. They can apply without your knowledge! Don't need your proof of employment nor any references are needed.
I have been thinking about keeping my helper's passport too. But is too embarrased to ask. Afterall, it's not my right to do so...
How did you ask your DH?
I have been thinking about keeping my helper's passport too. But is too embarrased to ask. Afterall, it's not my right to do so...
How did you ask your DH?
I don't see how you can ask for the passport really! It's not like we own the DH's life. I mean, imagine your boss ask to keep your passport, even if it is with all the good intentions!
Believe me, if your DH has the intention of using you as a stepping stone for another job in Canada, you are not going to be able to stop her even if you held her passport.
As to being a guarantor, my gut feeling tells me that many so called guarantors were in this together with the borrower. The DHs are not stupid. Their agents and friends told them stories and warned them about these type of situations. Even my DH who is first time in HK heard million stories about people running away with the borrowed money. Don't mean to be judgmental but most DHs are not that 'innocent'. And don't under-estimate people's creativity when they are determined to scam you.
If you look at outcome of these cases, very often the employer ended up lending the money to the DH interest-free -- so who's the real victim?
Believe me, if your DH has the intention of using you as a stepping stone for another job in Canada, you are not going to be able to stop her even if you held her passport.
As to being a guarantor, my gut feeling tells me that many so called guarantors were in this together with the borrower. The DHs are not stupid. Their agents and friends told them stories and warned them about these type of situations. Even my DH who is first time in HK heard million stories about people running away with the borrowed money. Don't mean to be judgmental but most DHs are not that 'innocent'. And don't under-estimate people's creativity when they are determined to scam you.
If you look at outcome of these cases, very often the employer ended up lending the money to the DH interest-free -- so who's the real victim?