These Filipinos paid thousands for a job in Poland. Now they feel cheated

Two-part Al Jazeera investigation reveals claims of deception by recruiters working across multiple countries.

This is the first article in a two-part series about alleged exploitation of Filipino domestic workers. 

Hong Kong, China – The sizzling of chicken adobo – a sweet and savoury Filipino dish – fills the air of a high-rise apartment in Doha.

It is Sunday, Andrea’s only day off, and she is preparing dinner before another long work week begins.

After more than five years in the Qatari capital, Andrea* has long been tired of her sales job and living conditions in the city, where she shares a flat with three fellow Filipinos.

So when a friend moved to Poland for work last year, Andrea seized the chance to apply with a recruitment agency that promotes mostly factory jobs in the European country.