Teacher wants refund from overseas job agency

When Jane* lost her father in 2021, his passing left her searching for ways to continue her studies as a teacher, as he was the primary provider for her education.

So she turned to a work and travel programme agency advertised on the compound of the teachers' college she attended, hoping to work in the US to fund her college expenses. What followed, however, was a harrowing experience that left her emotionally drained, in debt, and dampening her graduate experience.

In her second year of college, Jane signed up with the agency, and she said an embassy date, which clashed with one of her exams, was set without her knowledge. Dates had to be deferred, and after much struggle, she successfully travelled to the US in the deferred year - 2023. Last year, she sought to return to the US, and reapplied with the agency, citing that she was 'sticking with the evil she knew', and expressing concern that she may not find another agency. This time, she paid a programme fee of approximately $262,000 in two instalments--$146,000 and $116,000--along with a $33,000 embassy fee. To raise the money, she resorted to raising chickens, often carrying heavy feed bags and transporting chickens to customers on foot.

"I honestly didn't have the money," she recounted. "That's how I paid the balance."

But her dream of participating in the work and travel programme for a second time was dashed. Embassy dates again clashed with her exams, and rescheduled dates kept being postponed. By May 2024, participants received an email stating their J-1 visas were at risk, as the agency had allegedly not forwarded the required fees to the sponsor.

"It was like a slap in the face after all we'd sacrificed," she said. To make matters worse, the agency's owner sent messages to participants claiming she would refund their money within 60 days. Jane applied for her refund last June, expecting payment by August. However, she has only received $30,00, barely covering the embassy fee.

"She said the money isn't there because she had to cover expenses," she stated. "But what expenses? She owes her workers and has nothing to show for it." For her, the financial toll has been immense. As a recent graduate, she now struggles to pay off her school fees, which she had hoped to settle using her earnings from the summer programme.

"It's heartbreaking. It's not fair. I trusted them because their flyer was on my school's noticeboard," she said. "But the school later said they weren't even aware of it. We were all misled."

Despite reporting the matter to the police, Jane and dozens of others have seen little progress and fears she may never recover her money.

"I can't afford a lawyer, the whole point was to get money to pay for school. It's so stressful [and] I don't know how she [the owner] sleeps at night," she said.

The agency is no longer listed as approved on the Ministry of Labour and Social Security's website and is not registered with the Companies Office. Jane is trying to move forward, balancing her teaching job with the financial burdens she faces.

"This has dampened what should have been an exciting time in my life," she admitted. "Graduating as a teacher, you don't get your full salary until you have your degree in hand. I've had to pay out of pocket for everything. It's exhausting."

*name changed to protect identity