Who doesn’t want to relax after coming home from a very exhausting work? No one! That’s actually what most of us look forward to in the day. Unfortunately, the first thing that embraces you as you reach your home is the mess your children have left behind. This sort of event motivates parents to employ a maid. Well, it wouldn’t be bad to have an extra hand, especially if you’re almost busy all week long. A maid does all the housework while you’re gone, so worrying about doing extra tasks when you get home is not necessary.
Before you hire a maid, you must know that each employer must take some crucial steps before he or she can do so. In some situations, a helper may turn out to be not a good fit for the family after months of evaluation and preparation. But even if that’s the case, you still have to carry out your duties as an employer. A good employer follows the Ministry of Manpower’s rules in maid hiring, which includes giving their maid fair treatment. Fair treatment includes giving your maid a proper room to stay, providing them with food, and giving their salaries on time. If you’re new to maid hiring and you’re unsure how much to pay your helper, you can read this informative post to understand it better.
How ready are you to hire a maid? Have you considered your financial status? Are you willing to trust a complete stranger to live in your home with your family? Well, here are 3 questions you should ask yourself to know if you’re ready for such a step.
Questions to Ask Yourself to Ensure Readiness of Hiring A Maid
1. Does your family approve the idea of hiring a maid?
Remember, you may be the boss of the house, but I think it’s fair to have everyone mutually agree on a certain idea that will affect everyone in the household. It is, after all, a huge thing to have a stranger living at your house and getting used to it may take time. Explain to everyone how things can change in your family at home before you start recruiting a maid. Make sure that everybody is relaxed with the idea, taking time to answer all the questions. Finish with the setting of ground rules for how everybody in such cases should act. One example is how you interact if you’re disappointed with what the helper does.
Some families who have children that grew up being rude to their helpers should learn from this step. Children can easily copy the actions of parents towards a person or a certain situation, so you should always be a good example to your kids. Show them that you don’t shout or scold your maid in a high tone because you know that everyone makes mistakes and it’s just right to forgive them especially if they didn’t do the accident on purpose.
2. Are you financially ready to hire a maid?
In Singapore, hiring a maid is no longer a luxury but a necessity. We used to call it a luxury since maid hiring can cost a lot. But of course, all of the expenses associated with it will be worth it as soon as your maid starts working for you. Here are some of the expenses associated with hiring a maid:
- Settling In Programme
- Travel expenses
- Maid agency fees (only if you decide to hire a maid through an agency)
- Bond for Protection
- Performance bond (May depend on the nationality of your maid)
- Maid levy
- Application and issuance of work permit
3. Why do you need to hire a maid?
Is your hand constantly full of tasks that you don’t have extra time to do other house chores? Well, hiring a maid might help you with that! Or, you can try doing some cleaning hacks that won’t get in the way of you being a busy homeowner.
If there are other reasons why hiring a maid came to your mind, you better think about it carefully and analyse if you really need a maid. Once you’re fully decided that you need a maid, you can move on to the next step of looking for your ideal maid.
A way to get your ideal maid is to list the main priorities and activities that your maid needs to assist with before you begin interviewing some applicants. For example, someone with a child or older care experience is a good choice for families with children and elderly parents.
Factors to Consider Before Hiring A Maid
Now that you know your answers to the questions above, it’s time for you to learn how to be a proper employer. An employer should know their duties and responsibilities for their maids. Just because your maid works for you, it doesn’t mean you don’t have any responsibilities to her. To be a responsible maid employer, one should know what the costs associated with maid hiring and how to manage a maid are. We’ve broken each factor into two categories: Cost and maid accommodation.
Cost
We’ve already mentioned the costs earlier and why you must be financially ready to hire a maid. Well, the financial aspects are one of the main factors to consider in relation to your decision on whether to hire a maid. The extra pair of hands you earn would likely incur additional costs. Some recurring costs that employers pay when hiring a helper include:
- Maid Salary
- FDW Levy
- FDW 6-monthly Medical Examination
Maid Accommodations
The next question is if you have room in your house for your maid. Your house will be the place of the maid’s work. You must provide basic services as an employer, such as:
- Privacy and safety
- Pillow, towel, mattress;
- A room with appropriate space