Suppose you had a long hectic day at work and all you want to do is have dinner and rest. But, your household chores cannot allow you to do that. You have utensils to clean, children to help with homework, cook dinner, or even clean and arrange the misplaced children’s toys.
If you have been in such a scenario, then you understand the value of a domestic maid. In Singapore, one out of five households has a helper. Some families that have children and elderly adults prefer a full-time maid. Others find a part-time maid is enough.
In case you have such a large family, a full-time house helper who is around 24/7 would be more beneficial than a part-time maid. As a requirement, you need to get maid insurance for a full-time helper, which is not the same case for a part-time maid.
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Well, hiring a part-time helper is a process that needs careful assessment to ensure you get a maid that matches your needs. Therefore, this article discusses some of the considerations you need to make before hiring a part-time domestic maid.
Aspects to Look At Before Hiring a Part-Time Maid
1. Affordability
The first thing to consider should be the cost. It would be best to compare the wages of different part-time house helpers or agencies to ascertain your ability to pay. Sometimes it is essential to compare it against the work they will be doing to ensure that you’re cost-efficient when sourcing.
2. Maid’s Eligibility
In Singapore, foreign house helpers are not to operate as part-time maids. That means a non-native household maid is only authorized to work on a full-time basis for the person listed on the work permit, and at the sponsor’s address.
Singapore government, through the Ministry of Manpower, is serious on enforcing this rule. One hundred employers are convicted every year for unauthorized employment of foreign domestic helpers.
Therefore, it is vital to assess a person’s eligibility to work as a part-time domestic help to ensure that you are on the safe side of the law.
3. Your Needs
It would be best if you considered the reason you need a part-time helper. Some people assume that the maid will help with everything, which makes the hiring process unfocused.
Well, you must make a list of all the areas that you need the maid’s help. That way, you can interview potential part-time domestic helpers considering the work they will be doing. With that, you can rest assured that you will have the right maid for the house.
In case you have an older person who needs special care, you can select a maid that has experience in taking care of older people. If you have children whom you would like the maid to help with the homework, it will be best to source for a helper who is ready and willing to teach.
Therefore, the list helps you create a perfect profile of the kind of a part-time helper you want. It also makes the hiring process less complicated.
4. Family on Board
Before hiring a part-time helper, it is good to ensure that every family member is okay with it. Some people get offended by having a stranger in the house, which may lead to fights. Therefore, this is a critical consideration.
First, call a family meeting and explain why you need help in the house. Answer every question that any member will ask. Once they are satisfied and convinced that you need a part-time maid, go ahead and explain how the helper will change things.
Also, you must set guidelines on how to address situations relating to part-time employment. For example, you can rule out how everybody should talk to the maid or raise issues relating to how the maid does things.
5. Maid’s Welfare
Similarly to the way you set rules for your family, it is also essential to set standards for the maid’s well-being. It helps to ensure the maid knows clearly what to expect and that her well-being is in consideration. It looks unnecessary as people take it as a common-sense, but it always leads to conflicts of expectations unless it is clear.
Therefore, here are some areas to look into;
- Working hours
It will be helpful to clearly state the hour your part-time maid should report to work and the time she should leave. This way, it is less complicated to guarantee that the maid is not overworked.
- Communication
Many employers want to ensure that their maids are comfortable to talk to them. It is wise to set guidelines that ease the communication between the part-time maid and you or your family members.
- Style of management
Clearly state the style of management the maid should expect. It shouldn’t be strict to avoid unhealthy working relationships.
- Place in the family
It will depend on your preference. As some of the employers see the maid as part of their family, others prefer creating boundaries. Base a decision on your choice and state it clearly when recruiting your part-time maid to ensure they understand how they are supposed to behave.
6. Source of a Part-Time Maid
Your source of maid should be legal. For that reason, you should ask your friends and family members if they know of any legitimate part-time source that you can hire.
If you are sourcing for a part-time helper online or from an agency, it is essential to go through the platform’s legal credentials and clients’ reviews.
Conclusion
It is a desire to walk into your house and find it spotlessly clean, food on the dining table, well-arranged children’s toys, decent and well-arranged wardrobe, among other things. We understand that to achieve this wish, the presence of a full time or a part-time helper is essential.
But, getting the right part-time domestic helper is challenging. Thus, the above aspects will ensure that you source for the right and legal helper. Also, it will ease your hiring process.