⚠ Interim Document Notice This privacy policy is an interim document intended as a placeholder until a legally verified version is prepared by a qualified legal professional. It reflects the company’s current data practices to the best of its knowledge but should not be relied upon as formal legal advice or as a complete legal instrument.
1. Data Controller
The responsible party (data controller) for this website within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is:
Advising Professionals Alexandra Ponweera Germany
Phone: +49 162 382 11 11 Email: info@advisingprofessionals.com
2. Scope of this Privacy Policy
This privacy policy explains how Advising Professionals collects, uses, and protects personal data when you visit our website or contact us through any channel, including phone, email, WhatsApp, or the contact form on our website.
3. Personal Data We Collect
3.1 Data You Provide to Us
When you contact us — whether via the website contact form, email, telephone, or WhatsApp — we may collect the following personal data:
- Full name
- Company name and industry
- Email address
- Phone number
- Description of your staffing needs or requirements
3.2 Data Collected Automatically
When you visit our website, technical data may be automatically collected, including:
- IP address (anonymised where technically possible)
- Browser type and version
- Operating system
- Date and time of your visit
- Pages viewed and duration of visit
This data is collected for the purpose of ensuring technical operation of the website and is not linked to any individual user.
4. Legal Basis for Processing
We process your personal data on the following legal bases under the GDPR:
- Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR — Consent: Where you have given us your explicit consent to process your data (e.g. by submitting the contact form).
- Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR — Pre-contractual measures: Where processing is necessary to respond to your inquiry or to prepare a contract (e.g. candidate placement).
- Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR — Legitimate interest: Where we have a legitimate business interest in processing your data, provided your interests and fundamental rights do not override this interest.
5. Purposes of Data Processing
We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:
- Responding to your inquiries and providing requested information
- Assessing your company’s staffing needs and identifying suitable candidates
- Conducting the professional placement process (candidate matching, documentation, visa and recognition support)
- Ongoing communication throughout the placement and integration process
- Improving our services and website
- Compliance with legal and regulatory obligations
6. Data Sharing and Third Parties
Advising Professionals does not sell or rent your personal data to third parties.
In the course of our services, we may share relevant information with:
- International partner organisations and language schools (including the Goethe-Institut) where necessary for candidate preparation
- Local contacts and partner networks in the candidate’s country of origin
- Relevant authorities for visa and professional recognition applications, where required and with your knowledge
- Technical service providers who assist in operating our website and communications (e.g. email hosting), under data processing agreements
All third parties with whom we share data are required to handle it in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
7. International Data Transfers
As Advising Professionals operates internationally — recruiting professionals from Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and other Asian countries — personal data may be transmitted to parties in countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA).
Where such transfers take place, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with Chapter V of the GDPR, including where applicable:
- Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission
- Adequacy decisions by the European Commission
- Explicit consent of the data subject
8. Data Retention
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy, or as required by applicable law.
- Contact and inquiry data: retained for up to 3 years from the date of last contact, unless a placement relationship is established
- Data related to an active placement: retained for the duration of the engagement plus any applicable statutory retention period (typically 6–10 years under German commercial and tax law)
After the applicable retention period, personal data is securely deleted or anonymised.
In case of a data breach, system administrators will immediately take all needed steps to ensure system integrity, will contact affected users and will attempt to reset passwords if needed.
9. Your Rights as a Data Subject
Under the GDPR, you have the following rights with respect to your personal data:
- Right of access (Art. 15 GDPR): You may request confirmation of whether we process your data and, if so, a copy of the data.
- Right to rectification (Art. 16 GDPR): You may request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Right to erasure (Art. 17 GDPR): You may request deletion of your data where there is no longer a legal basis for processing.
- Right to restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR): You may request that we limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
- Right to data portability (Art. 20 GDPR): You may request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
- Right to object (Art. 21 GDPR): You may object to processing based on legitimate interest at any time.
- Right to withdraw consent (Art. 7(3) GDPR): Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us: Email: info@advisingprofessionals.com Phone: +49 162 382 11 11
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your competent data protection supervisory authority in Germany.
10. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to ensure technical functionality and to analyse usage patterns. Where non-essential cookies are used, we will request your consent prior to placement in accordance with applicable law.
You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings at any time. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the website.
11. Communication via WhatsApp and Other Channels
Advising Professionals accepts contact via WhatsApp and telephone as preferred communication channels. Please note that WhatsApp is a service operated by Meta Platforms, Inc. (USA). When communicating via WhatsApp, your data is subject to WhatsApp’s own privacy policy. We recommend not transmitting sensitive personal data via this channel.
We will only initiate WhatsApp communication where you have provided your contact details and indicated your preferred channel.
12. Data Security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, destruction, or alteration. These measures are reviewed and updated regularly in line with current standards.
Please note that data transmission over the internet (e.g. via email) can never be guaranteed to be completely secure. We therefore recommend exercising caution when transmitting sensitive personal information electronically.
13. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to update this privacy policy at any time in order to reflect changes in our data practices, legal requirements, or website functionality. The current version will always be published on our website. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
14. Contact
If you have any questions or concerns about this privacy policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us:
Advising Professionals — Alexandra Ponweera Phone & WhatsApp: +49 162 382 11 11 Email: info@advisingprofessionals.com Location: Germany