I'm curious about this one

I wanna ask, is it okay to ask the companies I'm applying to give me at least few days to think about signing the contract regarding a job offer? The last company who offered me a job wanted me to sign the contract right away. I tried asking them to give me a few days or at least on Monday but they were giving me this "take it or leave it" signals because they keep saying it's urgent and ASAP. I didn't want to make decisions right away so what I did was I told the recruiter certain conditions that I will only sign this if there's an assurance the job will be on a day shift since there are two shifts. The recruiter then told me "so if it's a night shift then it's a no right and you wont get this job offer?" And I just agreed with him because I had a fever that day and I just wanted to finish all of this. They then asked me to go home and they will call me depending on what the manager will say. In the end, they told me it's gonna be a night schedule and they said they appreciated I applied at their company and they wish me well.

Edit: Sorry, I forgot to be more specific. Specifically, I wanted to ask is it okay to ask FUTURE companies to give me time to think about signing a contract? Because this one didn't give me enought time.

I suggest you don't apply for a job until you find out if there is shift work involved. If there is then you can avoid all of that stress of applying only to have to turn an offer down.

We already responded to this. You got a lot of good advice yesterday. Why are you asking again?

You said it wasn't safe and they were rushing you into this without necessary info. Plus, if you leave there will be a huge penalty.

Go back and reread yesterday's responses.

We already responded to this. You got a lot of good advice yesterday. Why are you asking again?

 

You said it wasn't safe and they were rushing you into this without necessary info.

Right. I thought it was all settled. This job is not for you. You have no way to pay the penalty fee if you leave before the six-month period. The Philippines has a crime problem so you don't want to be walking around at night. Yes, normally, a legitimate company would give you some time to make a decision before signing anything. You have to be suspicious if someone if trying to force you into signing something without thinking about it.

Sorry I wasn't clear. I have to add is it okay and normal to ask FUTURE companies regarding giving me time to think about contracts? Because the last company I applied didn't want to give me time.

Yes! You should be allowed some time to make a decision. Everyone's answers were clear. Please go back and read.

Also, it is not safe. Continue looking.

Right. I thought it was all settled. This job is not for you. You have no way to pay the penalty fee if you leave before the six-month period. The Philippines has a crime problem so you don't want to be walking around at night. Yes, normally, a legitimate company would give you some time to make a decision before signing anything. You have to be suspicious if someone if trying to force you into signing something without thinking about it.

Glad to know that it's already a red flag if someone is indirectly forcing me to sign.

Sorry I wasn't clear. I have to add is it okay and normal to ask FUTURE companies regarding giving me time to think about contracts? Because the last company I applied didn't want to give me time.

Then do your research about the job and the company BEFORE applying. There is no point and its just a waste of your time and the company's time to be interviewing people that don't want what they are offering.

If you live in a free company where you have a right to choose what you do for a living then you can certainly ask for time to think about signing a contract just as the company will have the right to not give you the time. If they won't give you the time to review then I'd say that there is a good reason why they don't want you to scrutinize the wording and conditions and therefore, their denying you the time is a good reason to thank them for their time, decline the offer and leave.

Yes! You should be allowed some time to make a decision. Everyone's answers were clear. Please go back and read.

 

Also, it is not safe. Continue looking.

Thank you. I really will.

Also the penalty for leaving the company early is strange. Is that common in the Philippines, or only with this company?

Op, You should have a clear picture of job responsibilities and never feel pressure to sign immediately . Both are big red flags. Something is wrong here.

Then do your research about the job and the company BEFORE applying. There is no point and its just a waste of your time and the company's time to be interviewing people that don't want what they are offering.

 

If you live in a free company where you have a right to choose what you do for a living then you can certainly ask for time to think about signing a contract just as the company will have the right to not give you the time. If they won't give you the time to review then I'd say that there is a good reason why they don't want you to scrutinize the wording and conditions and therefore, their denying you the time is a good reason to thank them for their time, decline the offer and leave.

To be fair it was urgent to them. So yes, I politely declined them through text and my next task is to look for another job position.

Also the penalty for leaving the company early is strange. Is that common in the Philippines, or only with this company?

 

Op, You should have a clear picture of job responsibilities and never feel pressure to sign immediately . Both are big red flags. Something is wrong here.

I asked my brothers regarding to the penalty and two of my brothers DON'T have that kind of rule on both of their companies. Actually I never heard that kind penalty till I encountered this one. I do heard from a friend it's legal for companies in the Philippines to do so. It's just that the amount of money was too unbelievable.

Yes, I do feel pressured at times I admit. It's because I want to have a job but I will always check on red flags first before signing.

To be fair it was urgent to them. So yes, I politely declined them through text and my next task is to look for another job position.

Good move.

I asked my brothers regarding to the penalty and two of my brothers DON'T have that kind of rule on both of their companies. Actually I never heard that kind penalty till I encountered this one. I do heard from a friend it's legal for companies in the Philippines to do so. It's just that the amount of money was too unbelievable.

 

Yes, I do feel pressured at times I admit. It's because I want to have a job but I will always check on red flags first before signing.

You have to look out for yourself.

You would only sign a contract like that if they were sending you to school or sending you for a technical training course, like teaching you computer programming or such. The US military makes you sign a contract like that for officer's training. They send you to a four-year college, you get a degree, then you have to be in the armed forces for 4-7 years. It's not a bad deal. You come out a major or a captain with veteran's benefits.

To be fair it was urgent to them. So yes, I politely declined them through text and my next task is to look for another job position.

Consider any company that attempts to pressure you into an indentured contract to be an unfit match. If they're a good company, why would they 'need' to do that? They are either unethical, or they are anxious to throw you into a situation that benefits themselves without concern for your best interests. If they're desperate enough to pressure people, there's something wrong with them. They likely can't keep their help for reasons that you do NOT want to learn firsthand.