Hiring a maid for the first time can be nerve-wracking as you are not only bringing someone new to your home, but making them responsible for your family’s well-being.
Despite the initial reservations one might have, the demand for foreign maids is on the rise in Singapore and more households are looking for maids to help ease the workload at home.
To make it easier for you to choose the right maid, we have written a guide of the qualifications maids should have before you hire them, and how a maid agency in Singapore can help.
How to identify the ideal qualities of a helper
With many foreign domestic workers to choose from, you should narrow your search to a few criteria to help make choosing the right maid easier.
The first step you can take is to understand the industry’s demographics and wages. You should also identify your main purpose of hiring a helper to find a helper specialised in that area.
Maid demographics in Singapore
More than half of the foreign domestic workers in Singapore are from Indonesia (52%) followed by the Philippines (30%), then Myanmar (15%) and the rest are from other countries including India and Sri Lanka.
If you are hiring them directly, you should be aware of the current and future legislations from abroad.
For example, for Indonesia and Malaysia, there is a limit to the number of new maids entering the market. This makes the hiring process more competitive as there is a lesser supply of maids to choose from.
This is why it is better to hire from a maid agency in Singapore such as Homekeeper, as the staff are more experienced and knowledgeable about the rules and legislations for each country and will be capable of hiring them legally and ensuring that the hiring process will proceed smoothly.
Qualifications and Salary
Generally, more experienced maids will command higher salaries. For Filipino or Indonesian maids, there is a minimum wage of S$580 and S$550 respectively.
Certain maids have gone through accredited training in elderly or child care, are university educated or have extensive working experience in Singapore.
You will have to pay them a higher salary, but maids with these credentials can be easier to work with and be worth the higher wage.
For those who don’t wish to deal with a language barrier, Filipino maids are usually the best choice as English is a commonly spoken language in the Philippines.
Alternatively, if religion or culture is important to you, then you should choose a maid which closely resembles your own background.
If your main purpose of hiring a maid is to help with childcare, it will be advisable to choose a maid with children back home or has extensive childcare experience.
Similarly, if you need a maid to take care of an elderly relative or special needs child, it will be advisable to find a maid with specialised training on how to care for them properly.
Hire a maid through an established maid agency in Singapore
We have briefly covered the top few considerations you should keep in mind when hiring a maid but ultimately, if it is your first time, it is better to seek the help of professionals to ensure that your first maid hiring process is a smooth and successful one.
While you can begin your search online or hire maids through word of mouth, the options are limited and it is difficult for you to assess the maid’s personality through a screen.
You can talk through your needs and worries with a maid agency in Singapore and they can kindly bring you through the expectations and usual steps involved in hiring a maid.
A maid agency will also be able to give you advice on the questions you should ask the maid during an interview or propose the most suitable maids to you based on your needs, narrowing the criteria for you drastically, so that you can find a good maid quickly and efficiently.
Homekeeper ensures that every helper will be trained based on your home care needs before deployment. The training courses include Infant & Maternal Care, Elderly & Disability Care, and General Housekeeping.
This is so the helper will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to care for these groups for you to have a peace of mind when they are left alone with them.
Each prospect will also be interviewed and assessed with strict guidelines before they are shortlisted and included in Homekeeper’s database.
Employers will only have to select a candidate of their choice and be assured that they have already passed the first screening by the maid agency.
After which, Homekeeper will process all the necessary documents for you such as maid employment paperwork, medical and maid insurance.
Homekeeper will also ensure that she is properly trained to meet your home care needs so that she is well prepared to be of service once deployed. Once she is ready, your helper will be able to start work in your home.
If you are looking for a maid agency in Singapore that can help you find your ideal helper – contact us today!
About the Author
Linda Seh has over 20 years of experience in the Employment industry. She takes the time to thoroughly interview each family and helper to understand their requirements, personalities, and preferences. Her intuition and insight has helped her make placements that result in lasting, harmonious working relationships. Linda now leverages this expertise and experience to simplify your search and ensure you find the ideal and qualified helper to become a valued member of your family.