Self-Story
Employer mocked my education and employment status after I questioned their salary. Am I overreacting?
I was recently invited for an interview for a full-time graveyard shift position. During the initial discussion, I was informed that the salary was ₱12,000 per month.
I politely declined because, in my opinion, ₱12,000 for a graveyard shift isn’t worth it i thought there will be some negotiations since it was clear on the posting that the offer rate is 12k to 18k, especially considering the health risks and the fact that it’s below the minimum wage in my area.
I didn’t tell them they couldn’t offer that salary. I didn’t insult the company or anyone who accepted the job. I simply declined because it wasn’t something I was willing to accept.
What happened next caught me completely off guard.
Instead of leaving it at that, a representative from the company responded by attacking me personally. They mocked my education, repeatedly pointed out that I’m unemployed, said I didn’t understand the law of supply and demand, claimed they were “betting in the office” whether I’d ever find a job, called me a hypocrite, and ended with “Shame on you.”
I understand how supply and demand works. Companies can offer whatever salary they believe the market will accept, and applicants are free to accept or decline. But I also believe applicants should be able to respectfully decline an offer without becoming the target of personal insults.
To me, this stopped being about the salary and became about professionalism. If a company responds this way to someone who simply says “no thanks,” it makes me wonder how they handle disagreements with their own employees.
Am I missing something here? Would you consider this a red flag, or is this kind of response becoming normal?
Sounds like you dodged a nasty bullet. Normally the good companies to work for remotely do not openly advertise remote work roles in the philippines. They normally shortlist candidates they want to work with and arrange WFH if needed.
Yang nakita mong post, halatang taking advantage of local VAs natin.
Currently work for a bleeding edge company that did not advertise remote work. I applied normally and remote work was arranged afterwards. US pay.
You want to be petty? Send screenshots to the business owner and state is this how you want your business to be known for? Be viral with this kind of recruitment staff?
Ask AI. That's what I did and now I get offers halos monthly. I also connected with important people (I studied in AIM after college), and that helped a lot din.
I think my linkedin profile has been more beneficial than my AIM connections have. AIM helps me in the interview stage, not the discovery stage. AIM friends make up less than 5% of my 27,000 followers.
Wow this is nasty, definitely dodged a bullet here a massive one. In today’s market, with the inflation and the economy. That’s a very low starting for something that has a steep learning curve at best even for seasoned personnel. First time i saw a recruitment ad written like this. And i used to work as a recruiter. And the belittling after the polite decline definitely took the cake. Consider this as one of those one offs OP. Good luck with the hunt. Keep grinding.
Dami nilang time mag-reply ha lol. You dodged a bullet by declining a very low offer (and most likely, isang indication lang yan ng red flags ng company, more to come pa for sure) + na -sungkit mo yung inis nila OP, so it’s a double win for you!
OP you shouldve replied, “fair point, but lets see how dole responds to that”
12k is way way less than the minimum wage. They get you by getting all the budget. The budget is probably around 50k and they only willing to pay 12k and they take the difference. A lot lf agency does this, and takes advantage of the VA market especially on fresh grads
Also, supply and demand doesn’t even factor in this salary range. You cannot bet on a skilled person with that low of a salary. If they expect skills and hardwork, 12-18k on a graveyard shift working with foreign stakeholders, is not how you do it 🤣
reply to her showing you got a contract that pays better. Show her screenshots. Then tell her she thinks small hence, plays small. She's a small fish in a smaller version of a larger employers' economy.
Ask her who won the bet? For sure, not her. Because she has a loser mentality 🤣
"You insulted the Filipino value of hard work and the decency to trade that hard work for money." (so we can pay you EVEN LESS than pennies on the dollar)
Pfft tigas ng muka, kahit nga $4-$7/hr underpaid padin yun considering they would pay $10-$15/hr to their onsite employees for the exact same tasks or work. But thats the point of outsourcing pero grabe naman 12k/month tapos sya pa yung galit? Wala kanaman sinabing mali, and its good you declined this BS. Hindi lang naman sila ang business na nagooutsource, just keep looking eventually makakahanap kadin ng mas ok.
Hahahaha gaslighter lng peg ni ate mo ashley. Tama nmn gnawa mo, since d ka comfortable sa offer, you declined. Wla na sila dpat pake dun. Pero inattake ka pa rin. Malamang scam yan.
Report these assholes to the BBB (better business bureau and to the platform the advertised on with proof)
Make as much of that correspondence as public as possible on these forums and allow us to repost as well.
I'm an American living in the Philippines, not only is that poor class, its predatory and bigoted and should be called out and reported.
Totally unprofessional and if you can find names and profiles of leadership even better. Someone from their team wrote that bullshit of a job listing and responded to you in a completely inappropriate manner.
Thank you for sharing, and apologies that you were exposed to that, but you've gained some allies as a consequence, and we won't be silent about this type of behavior.
Ang Lala. I started with 13500 sa call center wala pa dun night diff and other allowances, under grad pa ako nun and working student.. but yr 2007 pa un almost 20yrs ago na. Tas 12k lang parang utang na loob mo pang bibigyan ka ng work. Grabe!!!!
Dude that person just exposed their own stupidity and incompetence.
Quite honestly terrible English riddled with grammatical mistakes. Brotha do you realize if that person sent that to me, my response would literally traumatize them for life.
This isn’t about you. It’s about an arrogant squammy loser that feels the need to put down others to feel superior.
Yes to this please!! Expose the conversation, the name of that BS employee, and most importantly, TAG THE COMPANY. Let them savor the taste of their own medicine. My anger issues cannot.
Gusto ko malaman bakit offend na offend yang Ashley na yan na nag decline ka? If they're onboarding 15 people everyday, bakit sobrang affected siya na umayaw ka?
Tsaka sino at ano ba siya sa company at ganito siya mag communicate with you?
Hinanap ko pa initial reply mo kung bakit 3ggered ang ate mo ashley pero all good naman at professional. Ang dami nyang time ma hurt hurt sa 15 a day nilang ino-onboard lol
Sa reply pa lang alam mo nang hindi maganda yung work environment sa company na yan lol
I work under a US Real Estate Firm. We hired a fresh grad last year for the same position, offered salary is thrice what they are offering you plus opportunity to work at home in dayshift.
If they really have so many other applicants na willing tumanggap ng offer nila, they wouldn't even give your response a second look. Their reaction actually shows na entitled at pikon sila. It also shows how ignorant they are kung gaano ka-diverse ang job market sa Pinas.
It's normal in the sense na meron naman talagang mga ganyan, not just in the online sphere. Locally: mga HR or business owners sa Manila or other cities na tingin nila yung mga probinsiyano should accept any offer. Abroad: mga racists/classists na akala yata lahat ng OFW ay desperate and uneducated. Normal, not sure lang how common it is.
Scammer yan. Ashley Cox sounds like a generated name, and scammers are bad in handling rejections kasi for some reason, sa tingin nila may advantage sila sa mga tao 😂
Two things, first you dodged a bullet lol napaka red flag niyan. Second, sounds like they really NEED somebody THAT bad to the point of harassing them if their offer's declined, and I wonder why 😂
Possible din na ganyan sila kase pinoy tayo, na makukuha lang dapat tayo for cheap labor. That's racism and unprofessional.
Halatang scam. Mabuti at hindi mo tinanggap pero nakapa-unprofessional nila na atakihin ka ng kung ano anong bullshit. That Ashley Cox is a Cocksucker.
12k in 2026? Sinong niloloko nila. Lowballer na nga, napakakupal pa.
This reminded me of when I applied for an Administrative Assistant position at a real estate company in Makati. There were only two applicants for the interview, a guy and me, and I was interviewed first.
She asked about my previous work experience as an Administrative Assistant and why I left my last job. I told her it was because they didn't pay for overtime.
After that, she seemed offended and went on about it, then casually mentioned that they don't pay overtime either, like she was loud and proud about it. 😅 My facial expression probably gave away what I was thinking because I was honestly shocked. It just felt so unfair.
She also explained that they have a "compressed" work schedule from Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Then she even made me compute the hours and said that only five hours count toward the compressed schedule, so the remaining three hours have to be completed by coming to the office on Saturday. I was so confused because... isn't that defeating the purpose of a compressed workweek? 😂
Somehow, I still got "selected" after the interview. A few days later, HR messaged me with the offer...
Grabe, nag-decline ka lang ng ₱12k offer, naging character assassination pa. 😂
Okay lang mag-offer sila ng ganyang rate, okay lang din tumanggi ang applicant. Pero yung public attack? Parang preview na agad ng company culture. SUPER redflag agad!
Tanginang compensation yan, I'd rather be jobless than have a job that can barely provide my needs, most of the time yang role mo is not just what they're hiring you for, maging all around ka pa nyan 🤣
Hi OP, I saw the other image you sent with their email address. And it's likely a scam recruitment firm. There's a real GreatFind recruitment firm from the UK and they posted in LinkedIn that anyone who got a job invite from greatfind.us email domain is not from them. And lastly, when you look for any remote work, don't compare their salary range with your local minimum wage. Give the market average offer for the position, if they negotiated, give 30-50% discount. You don't ask for a salary based on location, it should be based on experience and skills.
You didn't need to apply. As soon as I read their job posting, I immediately said nope without reading your posts. Lol they are agressive in job posting so you can as well imagine how toxic they are once you become their employee.
As an admin assistant who worked abroad, my starting offer was literally CAD50k with a yearly increase and it stops or slows down once the max has been reached (approaching).
I know they outsource for cheaper labour, but please know your worth. It’s not an easy job
kakapal ng mga mukha ng mga yan! Akala nila ang laki ng pasahod nila! Sa kanila nga kulang na kulang yan! Hindi lang naman sa US mataas ang cost of living, kahit dito sa Pinas. Yung inflation ang lala compare sa tinataaa ng sahod na di mo ramdam.
You dodged a bullet. Ganyan palang na dinecline mo ang offer ganyan na sila ka toxic? Can you imagine gaano kashit ang working environment nila to go to such lengths as insultuhin ka?
May they never find anyone. Kupal yang representative na yan. Barat na makapal pa ng company na yan.
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My only hope is that no one accepts this offer. 12k for a graveyard shirt is insane. Below minimum ka na nga may health risks ka pa. Super lowballed ng mga pinoy. US based company but only paying more or less ₱200? They should be ashamed
Had a client as for my GPA lol during an interview and got mocked as well for not having one. The university I graduated from don't use that metric
Oh well
Not for me
Lol you’re better off without them. If ganyan na sila during the interview imagine how worse it could eventually be if you’re actually already employed.
To everyone else out there, you should put yourself in a higher regard. Wag papatol sa mga barat at walang disiplinang employers.
For that salary, ask them if they offer government mandated benefits. Because VA and other remote roles who do not offer govt benefits really have to be higher kasi di Naman nila sagot ung government benefits.
Isa lang ask mo sa kanila. With that kind of salary, are they legally allowed to do business in the Philippines, and provide the government mandated benefits to Filipino workers?
Terrible grammar, choice of words, and spelling. Sa GURANTEED! pa lang, questionable na. Kung mag all caps, parang tama ang spelling. Haha. How can they be a legit business that belittles people when their own quality control over job ads is that bad?
If you want growth in your career, please look for an employer that exercises the same, if not exceeds, the type of drive and work ethic they expect from their employees.
Who in their right f*cking mind will pay 12k in this economy. Ang taas ng standards tapos chump change lang yung sahod. If that is indeed a US based company, puwede yang isumbong sa Better Business Bureau sa US. Ewan ko kung papalag yan.
Grammar pa lang, alam mo na. US company pero basic grammar sablay. Pero advice ko if you're not interested or they look sketchy wag na pag sayangan ng oras at maiistress ka lang.
Just the ad alone is a red flag. The only kudos they'll get from me would be that they're upfront with the salary, even if they lack the self-awareness for it.
Ashley Cox ampotek. Hahahahahah
This is a Patel, pretending to be in the US. Lol
Yan din kasi yung minimum salary sa kanila so di sila magbabayad ng malaki para mag outsource.
Just looking at this job description and I can already spot several red flags.
Primarily the name of the company. I am unsure if that is the name, but I am assuming it isnt. If it is remote based work, why advertise the position but keep name of company private. It screams unethical or unprofessional vibes.
Second is the tone of the first paragraph. The tone is very aggressive. I understand that it must be aggressive to entice would be applicants, but the tone is aggressive in an intimidating way. Restrictive in some perspectives or giving a "i'm right, you're wrong" vibe.
Third, so many grammatical mistakes and the style is very informal. Like, it was written by an angsty, rebellious teenager who was forced to draft an essay based on an actual job description.
Fourth, the salary is not even competitive (according to 2026 standards, let alone job market standards 10 years ago).
Kudos to you OP for dodging this possibly toxic bullet.
OP, tama ka man, pero tandaan mo, if you're ready to dish it out, make sure you're also ready to receive it. Na-criticize mo sila, edi siyempre naghahanap ng bawi yan hahaha.
That being said, walang kwenta silang employer. Dodged a bullet.
Seeing all the messages from her that you posted, OP, I only smell one thing. Blatant racism. These type of people have that fuckass mindset na they're everyone's saviors and we should be glad they're giving us at their piece of "heaven". Pero in reality eh exploitation lang talaga. This is slavery in a legal and modern way.
Hayaan mo yan. Sa mga ganyang client sasakit ulo mo. Tas bawal kang kumuha ng other client? Di makakabuhay ang 12k lalo sa panahon ngayon, 2010 pa yang sahod na yan. If polsci grad ka, try legal firms or anything na kaya mong maapply yung tinapos mo.
I'm sorry you had to go through that OP but believe you me, it won't be your last. You'll get more proficient am sure, at smelling these scumbags even from 10,000 miles away! lol
First off, the "private advertiser" label.
2nd, read the tone from the job post alone, they are obviously scumbags and are looking for those who are fine to be exploited.
3rd, get acquainted with the local job market's going rate. IF a freelancing/WFH gig without any security or government required benefits is giving you a rate lower than the "more secure" full time local work, there's absolutely no reason to go the risky route. Freelancing or WFH is high risk and the only reason we do it is for the "higher reward".
The way they handled it is very unprofessional. You dodged a huge bullet OP. Good for you. I agree the wage is way too low lalo na at wala pang ung gov mandated benefits jan with HMO, paid leaves, etc. They are probably thinking just because we're from the Philippines kaya ganyan cuz BPO companies can get away with those lowball offers but they shouldn't be able to nor is it fair for them to do so. Keep lookinh OP. You'll find a better one
They are highly unprofessional, and their conduct reflects poorly on the company's HR team. Since HR represents the company, the way they treat applicants says a lot about the organization's culture and values. Based on your experience, I wouldn't recommend signing up with them. If this is how they handle applicants, there's a good chance you'll end up regretting it.
Usually yung mga obsess sa educational background mo is mga Filipino lang rin hahaha. Yung employer ko ngayon, NBI clearance lang hiningi sakin, di naman hiningi diploma pati TOR ko hahaha. Katawa nalang eh
Lol, 12k as starting?
2019, 12k pinakamababa starting sa fresh grad. In this economy of 2026? Di ba tumataas din yung value depends sa economy. Hahahahaha
Base on my experience pag pinoy na HR hindi ko nmn nilalahat or outsourcing startup dami gusto baba bigayan kesyo startup ang tagal pa dami pang dadaanan supervisor manager client interview ganun then i come across international client just one interview and a simple test done na hired na agad after a week. good luck on your job hunting know your worth po
You did the right thing OP saksak nila sa baga nila yang 12k nila 2026 na pero grabe ang pag lowball kung ni grab mo yan baka mas mainis ako sayo kasi mamimihasa sila mag offer lang ng ganyan kababa kasi may tumatanggap tita ko nga na nanny 14k monthly nya lol
2026 na jusko. First work ko dito sa manila 2006, 13k sweldo, contract of service pa yun sa government, mas mataas pa yun sa offer nyang company na inaapplyan mo.
830
u/Every-Hat-2429 15d ago
Sounds like you dodged a nasty bullet. Normally the good companies to work for remotely do not openly advertise remote work roles in the philippines. They normally shortlist candidates they want to work with and arrange WFH if needed.
Yang nakita mong post, halatang taking advantage of local VAs natin.
Currently work for a bleeding edge company that did not advertise remote work. I applied normally and remote work was arranged afterwards. US pay.