One great advantage Singapore offers over other countries is quality and affordable domestic help. Some homeowners, especially couples or singles without kids, find house cleaner service twice or once a week to be enough. But for those with families, a full-time maid to assist with cleaning, shopping, cooking, childcare, and ironing can be a blessing. Most domestic workers in Singapore are from Indonesia or the Philippines and are conscientious and diligent workers who are in the job so as to support the families they left at home. Hiring a full-time or part-time maid is entirely your choice but here are some things you would want to consider before making that choice:
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The Cost
Part-time domestic workers cost between $25 and $30 an hour, and can be readily hired through a company or independently. Full-time helpers can be hired for as low as $500 per month, although sometimes ex-pats usually pay them as much as $600, depending on their experience. Employers must also pay a monthly fee of about $260 and a security bond of about $5000 to the Singaporean government. The employers are required to take care of their maids’ insurance, accommodation, medical care, and food. Additionally, the employers are required to provide for their airfares for bi-annual leave, an annual bonus, and hiring costs.
Responsibility
First-time employers are required to complete a mandatory Employers Orientation Programme by the law. This costs around $20 per person and you must attend in person. Alternatively, you can take a 3 hour online course for $30.
Holidays
Most employers usually give their maids public holidays and Sundays off and a 2-week holiday after every 2 years to go back to their home country. Additionally from 1st jan 2013, the ministry of manpower ordered that all employers give their maids 1 day off every week so as to counter situations where helpers work without rest. Alternatively, they can be compensated if they decide to work or they must work
Hiring
Hiring fees vary but from about $400 a genuine maid agency can get you a maid and most of them usually give a chance for the employer to interview several.
Looking at all these issues, it is clear that hiring a full-time maid is a bit expensive and people without families will choose to go for part time maids. Hiring part-time domestic helpers also reduces mishaps such as theft or arguments in the house to a minimum. On the other hand, there are also various benefits of hiring full-time maids, including having them around all the time. However, situations can sometimes turn the other way around as some helpers can get frustrated for being around for long hours working and may release their frustration by mistreating the elderly or kids.
Part-time helpers are hired on an hourly rate, which means most of them are more committed to their work because they work for a short time with rests and have lesser stress than their full-time counterparts. Probably the only thing you will want to consider before hiring a part time maid is when you are not around while they do the house chores. You may have to pass them the house keys so that you attend to another important issue.But if anyone does that , they would not want to return home and find their valuable stuff missing. Make sure you keep your useful stuff locked up or somewhere safe so that you avoid any issues later on.
If you do not have young kids at home or the elderly in your house, you may need somebody to wash or clean your room or house for you while you are attending to other matters outside. Getting a part maid would be a smart choice for such. Furthermore, with part time house cleaners you do not have to worry about giving them monthly or weekly off! As society becomes more self-centered and more efficient, more and more singles are staying by themselves.This means the demand for cleaning services is growing and the prices for hiring a part time maid are set to become more competitive as time goes by.
Tip for a hiring a good full/part time maid
Before hiring any helper it is important that you ask them about their strengths, appliances they can use and the type of foods they can cook. Be clear about what you want the maid to do. Give them a schedule and let them know their working hours. Show your maid how you would like things done, by doing them yourself such as setting up the dinner table.
