After reading the Captain's blog, you've probably noticed that there are certain problems with finding employment (the Captain is laughing evilly). The Captain and his loyal companion spent a month in an honest job search, which yielded no results. So, we decided on a desperate and very risky step – we went to an agency. Not just any agency, a Russian one. No, we were told we were idiots, which we didn't deny. Just understand this – when you have 10 green rubles left in your pocket and a $300 apartment deposit, the chances of finding a job through newspapers are also zero, think about it yourself. You don't need to look for them, they will find you themselves xD. In Russian ads, half the vacancies offered are agencies, so one way or another, you will run into them.
Without thinking long, we turned to the first one we found – DELTA SERVICES – REMEMBER THIS NAME. I've heard many stories about how agencies scam kids or just find them jobs that even Mexicans (yes, the Captain is very politically correct) wouldn't work. But until you step on that rake yourself, you won't believe it.
We arrived at the agency, and were met by a girl named Anya, who with her eloquence first tried to send us to work in other states (allegedly everyone goes there to relax). The most we agreed on was working as housekeepers at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Englewood, New Jersey, because we had been there and seen with our own eyes that our hotel existed, with the condition that we would live there. So, we were happy, bought tickets to New Jersey with our last $11 (thank God it was round trip), arrived, hoping that the local reception was waiting for our appearance with impatience. In short, it turned out that nobody knew us and there were no housekeeper positions available. We talked to a woman from HR, she felt sorry for us (we looked very sad). The Captain, in a rage, started calling the agency, a certain Sam picked up (when we were at the agency, some other guy was hanging around) and said something like 'Anya left today to sign a contract in Poconos, she'll be back tomorrow.' The Captain, not losing his cool, started trolling him about calling any manager to somehow resolve this issue. In the end, we begged for a woman from HR to come out and talk to us. The point is, nobody was waiting for us.
The terms of this 'agency' are as follows: you pay 100 dead presidents, they find you vacancies according to your requirements, if one of them suits you and you get hired, you pay another $250 from your second paycheck. If no vacancy suits you, they look for a job for you until you get hired. This is the official version.
How it actually is. The next day I called the remaining hotels, I couldn't get through to one, in another they said they weren't hiring anyone right now. Okay. I call the agency, Sam is on the line again. He says 'Anya disappeared somewhere, she doesn't answer my calls.' Fine, screw Anya, look for a job for us yourself. The next day the Captain was surprised. Some Natasha picked up the phone and said she had no idea who Sam and Anya were. That's when the Captain realized this was a total clusterf*ck. Just for the sake of sports interest, I told her to look for the same job for me. And what do you think? 2 days later I call and Martha picks up! Who has no clue who all the above-mentioned people are xDDD. Respect for the idea, they are kind of working, but the staff 'changes' so often that no one 'manages' to find anything. On one hand, it's a pity to lose so much money, on the other hand, since the Captain has taken it upon himself to pave the way for J-1 Jedi, now you know exactly where NOT to go!
SUMMARIZING THE ABOVE: DELTA SERVICES, address (one of many): 1723 East 12 Street, on the corner of Kings Highway, second floor; phone (one of many): 718 975 04 17. They also 'provide services' in finding housing (we were already told this by victims).
CAREFUL! INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING THIS DATA: when you are looking for a job/housing in Russian ads (and you will, I swear), and you accidentally run into some agency, ask what it's called. If it's something else, just send them away, if it's that one, don't forget to say the phrase 'Aaaa! That same agency! Yes-yes-yes, we've heard about you. You were warned that no more students would ever come to you again.' Make the Captain happy)))). You can even just call and say it. I don't mind the $100, the main thing is that you don't end up in the same situation.
MESSAGE TO J-1 JEDI!
And now for the good news. The Captain's neighbor, Captain Ravshan, who arrived on a green card, went to an immigrant assistance center – Camba. It is a government institution where you can come and say 'I arrived, I have no job, I have no place to stay.' They will train you, send you to work, and find you a place to stay. Ravshan himself completed security courses and is now working at a firm (referred by the same Camba) that provides security guards for various facilities. Everything is decent, noble, on a check.
The Captain doubted for a long time whether he could go there with his status. Calling, I was shocked – they don't even know what a J-1 is, they know either F1 or H2B (either a student visa or a purely work one). People usually come there either without any documents at all or with green cards. The Captain showed up there, and everyone was stunned – 'Who are you, where did you come from, what should we do with you?'
Now to the point. After looking at all my documents (DS-2019 form, passport with I-94 card, social security card), they told me that everything seems fine, BUT! They need an equivalent of a High School Diploma – this is our school graduation certificate, which is issued after finishing the 11th grade. What's the point. It must be translated into English and notarized here in America. Without this, they cannot take you into the employment program.
The Captain, as always, is paving the way for J-1 Jedi so that life is easier for all of us. However, the Captain hasn't figured out this scheme with translations and notarizations yet. THEREFORE THE CAPTAIN RECOMMENDS: if you have the opportunity to take the original of your certificate with you – take it! THE CAPTAIN DOESN'T PROMISE ANYTHING YET, as he is just figuring out this scheme himself, and I don't have the opportunity to provide the original for translation myself, only a notarized (in Russia) copy (so they don't say I drew it myself). Captain Ravshan has already gone through this and says that everything he translated in Tashkent is useless here (but he had the original). He says that in Brighton you can do it for 10-15 dollars.
YES! Forgot to mention that the courses you need to take before employment are FREE! Of course, in case you have a Social Security Card. They train for security for 5 days, 8 hours a day. In addition to all documents, you (allegedly) must have work experience (any, anywhere, anyone) of at least 6 months. No one will check the papers from work, just in case, make sure that someone (in your home country) can confirm that you worked somewhere/as someone/sometime.
BOTTOM LINE: If you believe in the Captain and his prophecies, then bring your certificate from the university, or make copies everywhere, notarize one of them (just in case). For a bottle of vodka, call your former boss and tell him that you worked for him for at least six months. Follow the Captain's blog in anticipation of further prophecies.
If anyone is interested, here is the organization's website – www.camba.org
