I wouldn't say I'm enslaved, would be unfair.
That being said, I live in a room rented to me by the company that hires me, I work for a customer service center, so it's not a construction situation. The reason the company rents us rooms is because we're not paid enough to afford normal rent.
All this means that if there's ever a ramp down, I'd be immediately jobless and homeless, which does not feel good at all...
If you added on top being in a foreign country and needing your employer for your visa, I think you'd basically have the same situation as the article?
So that's a little precarious. I hope you have some savings built up.
I'm putting all of my money into Quanloop (something like a P2P lending thingy) in hopes of growing the interest income to at least 1000€ per month.
Theoretically I should be able to reach that point in about 7 years, with the APY of ~15.6%, my goal is 80,000€.
How quickly things change... Today as I was riding to work, I got hit by a car and then to add icing on the cake, the company told me that they're not going to extend my contract...
I've got about three weeks to find an apartment or at least a room and a whole new job...
[dead]
A situation like you describe is ripe for abuse. H1Bs here deal with similar precariousness, though not on the level of what it sounds like you're dealing with. I hope your situation improves and you gain some security.
> The reason the company rents us rooms is because we're not paid enough to afford normal rent.
So they're paying you in the form of subsidized housing that is tied to work, instead of paying more. Yeah this should be illegal.
And if there's a fire? Jobless, homeless, and without papers. You should give your passport and all other important papers to your employer for safekeeping.