9 Reasons Why Hire a Maid Agency
SINGAPORE - Hiring a maid is becoming a necessity for most people. Now, one in five Singapore households have a live-in Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW) to manage the household chores and even care for their family members.
But did you know 2 in 3 Maids failed to complete their standard two years contract as published in Minister of Manpower (MOM) website? This probably indicates a high frequency of mismatch between the Employer and Maid. The MOM has since progressively rolled out measures to help matching the pair.
This guide explains 9 reasons why hiring a Maid Agency may likely to benefit to you. Not only the Maid Agency takes the hassles away from you but the MOM Regulation has also imposed much GREATER OWNERSHIP to the Agency since Oct 2019.
Top 9 Reasons to Hire a Maid Agency
- Saves Time and Money
- Maid Agency Fee is Affordable
- Agent Service Fee is Refundable (at least 50%)
- Maid Agency is governed by Minister of Manpower (MOM) Regulations
- Maid Agency will be doing the Background Checks
- Maid Agency acts as the Single Point-of-Contact
- Maid Agency is the Specialist in Maid industry
- You need Post Deployment (after-sale) services for unexpected events
- Free Maid Replacement
1. Saves Time and Money
The Maid Agency ensures your time and money are well spent before and after hiring the FDW.
Before hiring, Agency goes through a list of FDWs matching your needs. Once a FDW has been chosen, the Maid Agency processes the FDW to work in Singapore. They supply the worker and an escort to save you from the inconvenience of running around to get things done.
After hiring, Agency does follow up and help resolve any conflict before a termination is considered. It's definitely better to have an extra support as you lose more money when your FDW contract ends prematurely.
2. Maid Agency Fee is Affordable
The Maid Agency fees are not just transparent but also affordable.
Under MOM regulation, all agents must list a clear breakdown fee in writing on what's been charged to Employer. This possibly prevent Employers from being shortchanged.
Since it involve a large sum of money to hire a FDW, you may like to get the agent to properly find a suitable FDW as well as for the 2-years professional support because One BAD FDW could cost you a LOT MORE especially when she wants to leave before her contract ends. In our March 2020 survey, hiring a FDW (without Agency) can cost you between $20,719 ~ $32,447 for a full 2-years contract. Based on the 18 Singapore Maid Agencies that we surveyed, many employers are willing to pay between S$1,000 ~ S$1,500 for the Agent Fee.
3. Agent Service Fee is Refundable (at least 50%)
You may like to hire the Maid Agency when their Service Fee is refundable in the event of termination. This new regulation will enter into force from October 2021 onwards. MOM made this annoucement on October 2019 to all Maid Agencies to provide an option for a refund of at least 50% of the service fee in case the FDW employment ends prematurely (e.g, within the first 6 months). This amount may be steep for the Maid Agency but it's necessary to ensure they take a greater ownership in finding suitable and better matches for Employers.
4. Maid Agency is governed by Minister of Manpower (MOM) Regulations
The MOM has ruled out many regulations and systems to ensure that all Maid Agencies take up Accountability and Ownership.
Since both Employer and Domestic Helper are the clients of the Agency so it has various legal responsibilities to Employer and Domestic Helper in terms of fees, safety, pairing / matching and agency services.
Failure to take up ownership can cost the Agency its license and credibility. Meaning, the Employer or Helper can report any infringements to MOM directly and if found guilty, the Maid Agency will face demerit points and have its licence suspended or revoked.
5. Background Checks
Under MOM regulations, the Agency must performs certain verification checks imposed on the Domestic Helper. These checks may include following up on references, conducting health screenings, educational history, preliminary interviews and skill tests. Some Agencies even go further by involving the Helper's family members as part of screening to ensure family is supportive to their loved ones before leaving her home country for Singapore.
Having said that, not all FDWs are accepted by a Maid Agency so we highly recommend prospect Employer to clarify with Agency on how their FDWs undergo the pre-screening and training procedures. These checks are important to ensure the Maid matches what she promise on the resume.
6. Single Point-of-Contact
The Agency will take away all hassles of dealing with different people including the Helper, Former and Current Employers, Foreign Embassies, Foreign Recruitment Agencies, Insurance company and MOM. In general, they take care of the timeline, facilitation and negotation between various stakeholders until the Domestic Helper is safely arrives at your doorstep..
7. Specialist Knowledge
You tap into a specialist knowledge in this industry. A Maid Agency will know all the relevant requirements, legalities, maid news and insights. The Agency can definitely save you from dealing with all sort of legal and administrative requirements as different maid nationalities require different set of paperwork and procedures.
The Agency can also inform you should there is any important news, annoucement or changes coming from MOM and around Singapore.
8. Post Deployment (after-sale) Services
You may like to hire a Maid Agency when you want a continous professional support after hiring the FDW. The Agency usually stay in touch with its client even after the final handover as expectations may not always meet reality. When it's time to repatriate the FDW, the Maid Agency can safely escort the FDW from your apartment to the Airport or to her new Employer.
Many agencies offer a range of specialist services at a discounted price if you hired the FDW through them. The services that you may require after hiring the FDW can include Maid Replacement, Maid Repatriation, Home Leaves application, Temporary Lodging, etc..
9. Free Maid Replacement
You may also like to hire the Maid Agency when they promise a free finding of maid replacement. Generally, most Maid Agencies in Singapore provide a replacement for free or at a fee in case the FDW is not suitable. This is particularly important considering the high number of employment contracts that have been terminated prematurely in recent years. You'll definitely want to include this in your contract.
READ ALSO : Maid Agency Fees Singapore 2020