Allen Said:

Does anyone work with SMART PR AGENCY?

We Answered:

I would be very wary. That "physical" office could be nothing more than a Mailboxes Etc shop or someone's home. You dont get PR Assistant jobs over the internet, you always have to interview. PR is one of the most highly coveted careers and thousands of people apply for every assistant or even unpaid intern position. So if you didnt go to their office, I wouldnt trust it. Have they either asked you for any money, or sent you money to deposit then re-send via Western Union or Fedex
How could you get an employment contract if they don't have all of your personal data for taxes? Every company has to make you show proof you are legal to work in the country before they can give you an offer, and need all of your details for tax purposes. And no phone communications?
That company website is only a month old http://whois.domaintools.com/smartpragen… so I wouldn't trust it if you only communicate by email. Anyone can set up a website,that doesnt make them legit. Their phone nr is a mobile phone, not business line. Do you know anyone in NY who can go to the office to see if they even exist? Have you checked with whoever registers companies in NY to see if they are even a legal company? I would just google New York business registrar then contact the agency that comes up to see if this is a registered legal company.
But I would never accept employment from anyone I had never met, visited their offices, and know exactly what the job is. Something sounds really fishy

You aren't the first to ask about this agency http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?…
Another on Twitter reports them as a fraud http://twitter.com/Jglide25

Colleen Said:

Why are there so many people that believe "getting an agent" is the answer to their dreams?

We Answered:

I completely knwo what yu mean. Everyne thinks that just because they get "a agent" will make them famous.
UM CORRECTION- they will get yu AUDITIONS. you have to GET THE JOB. besides.... no ne will hire you if you arent good.

People think that agents are replacements for talent nw but as you said, I am a teen and I've been singing, acting, and dancing since I was 3. I am applying for NYU and I've never had a agent befre.
I run on talent, not laziness.

Eduardo Said:

Tax return question: how do I deal with the employee business expense deduction?

We Answered:

Yes, you can claim the per diem, however, you said that you received $100 in cash per week from the foreign firm. So if you are going to claim the full per diem for meals, then you need to claim the $100 in cash per week you received as income as well. The alternative is to reduce the per diem deduction claimed by the amount of cash you received. Also, you need to use just the meals and incidentals portion of the daily per diem. You cannot claim the housing portion of the daily per diem as your housing was paid by the US agency. The per diem rate is the amount that the IRS allows you to claim that you do not need to show receipts for. If your actual expenses exceeded that, then you can claim actual expenses, but you have to be able to support it with receipts if the IRS questions it. Also, note that the meals and incidentals per diem does not include travel expenses that you incurred, such as taxis. So you would be able to claim that as well.

Juanita Said:

Did the Obama administration and the Attorneys General of NY and CT engage in criminal extortion against AIG?

We Answered:

Didn't AIG receive a shite-load of Federal money to save their company after years of reckless management? When that happens, I believe the guv'ment can condition that money on whatever terms they please.

Nina Said:

Do most employers in NY obey this law when hiring people with criminal convictions?

We Answered:

They do, but with hundreds of applicants per job opening, if not thousands, a simple "we hired someone more qualified" will suffice. There is no need to force your employees to associate with criminals.

Gregory Said:

Employment Termination question..pls help?

We Answered:

I would be very careful with this. I understand where the agancy is coming from, regarding your contract terms. They want to recoup their expenses. You would be better off trying to locate a company that is hiring electrical engineers, then getting here and not have a job. The US job market isn't very good right now.