Most job scams ask for one of three things: your money, your papers or your hurry. The questions below check all three. On jobs abroad, the law is on your side: Proclamation 923/2016 makes the employer cover the visa, the round trip, the work permit, the residence permit and insurance. If someone asks you to pay these up front, that's the warning. Your answers stay on your device, and a yes doesn't prove a scam. It's a reason to stop and check.
How do I check a job in Ethiopia?
- Open the employer's own website yourself, and don't use a link from the message
- Look for the post on its own vacancy page. Our official portals list has the ones we've checked
- Call the office on the number from its own page, and ask if the post is real
- Go in person when you can. A real employer has a real office
- Search the phone number and the sender's name for other people's warnings
Who pays what on a job abroad?
Proclamation 923/2016, Article 10, splits it. The employer covers the entry visa, round trip transport, work permit, residence permit, insurance, and visa and document authentication. You cover your passport, contract authentication and crime clearance, medical exam, vaccination, birth certificate and occupational competence certificate. If you aren't sent for reasons that aren't your fault, the agency or employer refunds what you paid.
There's one narrow exception. Proclamation 1246/2021 lets an agency take up to one month's salary from a skilled worker, not a domestic worker, over four payments, under conditions in Directive 1126/2018. It's capped at one month's salary and spread over four payments, so a big sum up front to a stranger isn't covered by it.
I've already paid or given my papers. What now?
- Stop paying, even if they say one more fee will finish it
- Keep every message, number and payment receipt
- Call your bank or mobile money provider at once and ask if the payment can be held
- Report it to the police, with the evidence
- If they have your ID or certificates, tell the office that issued them
Questions people ask
Is it normal to pay for training before a job starts?
No. An employer can make you train, but it shouldn't make you pay it to get the job. Treat a required paid course as a warning sign, and check with the employer directly.
Is every agency a scam?
No. Licensed agencies exist, and the law sets rules for them. We couldn't open the Ministry of Labour and Skills list on 2 November 2026, so ask at your nearest one stop centre or labour office whether an agency is licensed.
Can I report a post on this site?
Yes. Use the contact page and tell us which advert it is and what happened.
What does this tool do with my answers?
Nothing. They're on your device only and go away when you close the page.
Sources
Checked 2 November 2026.