Each year, thousands of workers travel to both the United States and Israel to work in elder care, cleaning, construction and more, but the price for family cohesion at home can be exorbitant
NO ONE KNEW I have a bachelor’s degree in science and earned $50 a week working for the Philippine government’s Office of Nutrition. It was barely enough to feed my husband and seven daughters. I hired two women to help Eduardo with the girls and found work caring for a family in America for $375 a week. When I called home to see if the helpers were working out I asked “Who cares for their children while they’re at our house?” but no one knew
H ELP WANTED: Minimum-wage job in Boro Park working with elderly woman.
The successful applicant must abandon his or her family for five to ten years perhaps longer and care for a stranger. Wages for the first two to three years will go toward paying off initial training travel and work permits. Satisfaction not guaranteed.
Sound appealing? For thousands of workers from the Philippines to Haiti it’s a dream job. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) personal care aide is the fastest-growing job in the American economy.
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