Recruitment process

"Presently, the Ministry of Health and Family (MoHF) is uninvolved in the recruitment process." This is the typical statement that you will hear when you desire to apply in the Ministry.

Let me first state the facts.
a) Your employer will be the MoHF - a government organization as far as I understand
b) The MoHF recruits through agents !
c) In the likely event of you forwarding your CV/resume to the MoHF, they will forward the same to the agent, and the agent ends up contacting you!

This is the reality. I guess by now you will realize how (dis)organized this country actually is!!!

One fine day three years ago, I was called by an agent in Delhi asking me if i was interested to work in Maldives. He informed me that he saw mt CV from naukri.com . I answered in the affirmative. He then told me that I had to pay him INR 15,000 in order for him to "process" my papers. He also added that there was an urgent need for a person of my qualification and that the earliest bird would get the worm.

A week after I had paid the money, the agent called me again stating that there was an urgent need for me to relocate to Maldives. He also asked me to pack my bags and get ready for the journey. I was wondering if all this was a hoax. But my skepticism was not fully developed. The agent directed me to his website and proved to me that he was genuine. He also asked me to deposit an amount equivalent to the salary that I would draw in a month in Maldives. At that time it was INR 1,15000. He was very casual in his manner of speech as though he was buying a box of jalebis.

On inquisition, he revealed to me that he operates in collaboration with an agent in Maldives. The Maldivian chap tips him off on a vacancy and this fellow does the head hunting. A months salary is divided between the two - USD 5000 has to be paid to the agent in Maldives and the remainder has to be given to the Indian agent. The Maldivian agent in turn will give part of the money to the top brass in the Ministry and retain his fees. The Indian guy gets to pocket his share undivided.

At that point of time, I wished I had been a middle man. Money for nothing and chics for free (Dire straits!)

I transferred the money to the agents account. I must declare that at that point in time, I was desperate to go to Maldives or any foreign locale. I wanted a change of place for personal reasons. Earning money was a big part of the motive. I was tired getting a salary of INR 95,000 on paper and INR 65,000 take home. This was too much for me to bear. I thought that the best way to earn would be to go abroad.

Returning back to the topic of discussion; I made the payment and then waited for the call. The call never came for a week! I got anxious. The Indian agent then organized a conference call with his Maldivan counterpart. The Maldivian chap stated four facts
a) since we were in the month of ramazan, we could not expect much progress
b) all paper work will speed up after eid
c) MoHF people have got my papers (he too verified it since I made my payment to the Indian agent)
d) MoHF people do not work during working hours but after breaking fast (!)

I asked the Maldivian chap - if they do work after breaking the fast, then why does not something happen? Will they recruit me or not? He stated that I will be recruited since there was an URGENT need ! He was sure about the "will I", but uncertain about "when"!

An eye-opener to the truth. Urgent requirement is the usual story, but paper work is absolutely slow in the MoHF.

From what I have gathered, the present scenario is as follows; - (I collected the last piece of info on October 2010) - the agents will directly the doctor/paramedical staff and send them an email with the contents as below.
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
 Dear Candidate,
We are a recruiting agency, recruiting Doctors to the Ministry of Health in Maldives.
If you are interested, please do contact us in reservations@glowtours.com.mv , or through telephone in +960 3333825, +960 7994482
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Best Regards,
Anitta,
Glow Tours and Trade Pvt Ltd,
Male’,
Maldives.

Disclaimer:

The sender of this email is registered with naukri.com as Glow Tours and Trade Pvt Ltd (md@glowtours.com.mv, Fannuveli, 5th Floor, Mafaanu, Male' - 20350) using Naukri.com services. The responsibility of checking the authenticity of offers/correspondence lies with you.

If you consider the content of this email inappropriate or spam, you may:

1. Report abuse by forwarding this email to: abuse@naukri.com
2. You can also Block this Company from searching your resume in the database.

Advisory: Please do not pay any money to anyone who promises to find you a job. This could be in the form of a registration fee, or document processing fee or visa charges or any other pretext. The money could be asked for upfront or it could be asked after trust has been built after some correspondence has been exchanged. Also please note that in case you get a job offer or a letter of intent without having been through an interview process it is probably a scam and you should contact abuse@naukri.com for advise.

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Once you respond to them, they will as usual say that there is an urgent requirement. This is the usual story. The process is not as corrupt as it used to be when I was recruited. Currently for doctors of any cadre, the agency in India will charge INR 50,000. Not a single penny beyond that. This will cover the processing fee and incidental expenses that the agencies (Indian/Maldivan) will incur. The work permit will reach you in a week or so (don't be surprised if it is delayed).

You embark on your journey (tickets paid by the agent) and land in Male'. The Maldivian agent will collect you in the Hulhule' airport and ferry you to Male'. Once there, they will process your pre-employment medical check up and correspond with the MoHF and send your original passport and copies of your certificates to them. The next day you will be sent to your island.

AT NO POINT OF TIME WILL YOU ACTUALLY BE TAKEN TO THE MINISTRY IN PERSON!!! ALL THE WORK IS DONE BY THE AGENT. PERIOD.

Do not feel deterred that the mail you receive by the agent is a hoax. This is the modus operandi at present. Do not wonder why you will not be going to the MoHF. The truth of the matter is that this country is very (dis)organized.
Each Ministry has problems with the other. MoHF has troubles and pending payment with Ministry of Immigration; MoI has some arrears to settle with Mo Youth sports and Employment. The list is endless. Every Ministry operates under separate rules although the government has a single agenda. The government!!!! - that's another story!

End of the day - you will be recruited bythe Ministry alright but you will never know where the Ministry is unless you go to Male' and do some fact-finding.

All I can say is - welcome to Maldives, the sunny side of life!

A word of caution: If your agent asks you any more money than is already mentioned above, be wise to contact glow tours and travels (vide supra). Do not permit yourself to be cheated by an unscupulous agent.