It could be a stressful process if you’ve never previously hired a foreign domestic helper or involved in a domestic helper hiring process. After all, you welcome a total stranger to your home’s most private places. So it is twice important to ensure that you have the inner direction of seeing what to do before committing to a house cleaner, whether she is a live-in maid or she comes to your residence a few times a month.
Hiring a maid can be done by seeking help from an agency, or if you’re saving on cost, you can hire maids directly. If you want to know how to hire a maid directly, you can read this informative blog about hiring maids in Singapore without an agency.
While hiring a maid comes with its risks and possible consequences, below are some important factors to be aware of when hiring a foreign domestic helper in Singapore.
The Fees Associated With Hiring an FDW
Maid agencies that usually cater to maids from different nationalities typically require employers to pay a list of fees. These can swing wildly to between several hundred and thousands of dollars. The highest security deposit at the hire point is generally about $5,000. You could save a lot with your agency’s option, but choose wisely with careful calculation! Take into account each agency’s turnover rates.
The Maid’s Linguistic Capabilities
Language is a key factor in your communication with your maid, but not always the most critical criteria. Misunderstandings can lead to awkward circumstances that no one wants at home. It is best if your maid speaks the same language as you and your family in order to reduce these chances of confrontation and ensure a more favorable working atmosphere. You will need a helper to take care of your needs if you live with your elderly parents. Serving the elderly is careful work, so even if your parents can not understand your maid, you must be able to interact with your helper.
The Maid’s Well-being
Employing a healthy maid could save you a little money on your medical costs and also increase your maid’s work efficiency. Unexpected situations can still occur at any time during work, regardless of the initial condition of your maid. In case of injuries or even if your contract needs to be prematurely terminated, take into account the purchase of an insurance cover for your domestic aid provider to ensure that you are able to face these unforeseen circumstances. Most maid agencies offer insurance for your maid once you hire one from them.
An additional tip, you might want to consider buying indoor plants not only to add a good ambiance at home, but these plants have some good health benefits. With that said, here’s an amazing article about the benefits of an indoor vertical garden and how to create one.
The Maid’s Priorities
These foreign domestic workers typically have responsibilities and obligations to perform in their hometown, which can sometimes interrupt their actual job as a maid. It’s crucial to consider the context of each maid candidate so that you can have a clearer understanding of their immediate goals. For example, ask them whether her parents need daily care or why she wants to work abroad. Usually, their answer is that they need to provide enough money for their family.
The Maid’s Experience level
When you start interviewing applicants, check with the maid agency how well each applicant is experienced in house chores. Candidates with experience in caring for kids and elderly parents would naturally have a benefit from your own child. Parent care if you want someone to take care of your young children and older members of the family.
Ask about their reasons for departure if they have previous jobs in domestic work. This gives you not only an idea of the relationship but may also display some warning signs. Choosing a maid with a working ethic that you agree with is one of the first steps to a harmonious relationship between employer and maid.
You can also ask what they liked and did not like in their previous employment. This can help you gain an understanding of their perceptions of their new position at home. Avoid maids that are previously hired by a lot of employers. This may indicate that she’s not a good maid or she might show conflicts in the future.
Preparations To Become a Proper Maid Employer
Before hiring a maid, you must know what and how to be a proper employer. Below are some important factors to look out for in a maid during the hiring of a foreign domestic helper process. We’ve also included some useful tips to ensure you’re going to be a great employer. Through this, you’ll be employing your ideal maid in no time.
- Interview 3 to 5 Potential Maids: The more candidates you interview, the more you know what you need. You may be tempted to sign a helper on the spot. You shouldn’t hesitate to insist on a second interview if you still want to get to know more about her.
- Day-Offs are Required: Just because your maid works for you, it doesn’t mean you can abuse her job position. You cannot make her work for the whole week. She is still a human, and she needs some rest too. The government also requires employers to give their maid’s a day-off every week. You can ask your potential maids what they usually do in their spare time. This way you’ll know their personality. Also, you can give them a chance to work on their rest day, but you have to pay them for it.
- Seek Feedbacks from Previous Employers: Talking to previous employers will give you a good insight into the capacity and performance of your assistant. But remember that every family is significant and does not just make a recommendation.
- Avoid Cheap Agencies: Be vigilant of cheap maid agencies as they can be a scam. Cheap employment agencies can save you money in the short term. But only create long-term headaches as they’ll be charging you with hidden fees. To attract you from availing of their services they won’t introduce these fees.
- Ensure That She’ll Fit In: The key to hiring a great maid is to ensure that she has a comfortable relationship with your family. She mutually agrees with her tasks. A worker who loves her job and is happy will do her work better than one who is unhappy.