• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Go to Expat Living Hong Kong
Get our Newsletter

Lifestyle Guide To Moving To & Living in Singapore - Expat Living HomepageLifestyle Guide To Moving To & Living in Singapore - Expat Living

Moving to Singapore and not sure where to start? Expat Living is the essential lifestyle guide to living in Singapore.

Login Pelcro Shop

Menu
  • Living in Singapore
      • Living here
      • Neighbourhood Guides
      • Schools
      • Property
      • Work & Finance
      • For Guys
      • Environment
      • Readers’ Choice Awards
        • Moving house? Get your Wi-Fi connection right!
        • earth hour festival earth hour Singapore WWF SingaporeSwitch Off for Earth Hour by WWF Singapore
        • Lydia Ko plays golf tournament in singaporeWatch a women’s golf battle for the Team Series title!
        • real estate in united states owning property in USOwning Real Estate in the United States
      • View all
    Close
  • Things To Do
      • Things to do
      • EL Events
      • Calendar
      • Competitions
      • Noticeboard
        • Elke & man k9 empawer walkWhat’s on this week and beyond
        • St Patrick's Day 2023 - irish pubs and drinking spotsSt Patrick’s Day: Great bars to celebrate at
        • Lydia Ko plays golf tournament in singaporeWatch a women’s golf battle for the Team Series title!
        • 10 places for teenagers to hang out in Singapore
      • View all
    Close
  • Kids
      • Enrichment
      • Kids Things To Do
      • Mums & Babies
      • Schools
      • Tots & Toddlers
      • Tweens & Teens
        • 10 places for teenagers to hang out in Singapore
        • Mental health support for toddlers to teens
        • Fun obstacle course in Singapore for kids and adultsHomeTeamNS challenges you to the ultimate obstacle course!
        • education system in Singapore Astor international schoolAstor: Small Singapore school with big impact
      • View all
    Close
  • Homes
      • Home Decor
      • Readers’ Homes
      • Furniture
        • Beautiful interior design by Arete CultureNeed decorators, home stylists or interior designers?
        • Affordable art in SingaporeBuying affordable art in Singapore – it is possible!
        • Where to buy a really good bed and mattress in Singapore
        • co living Singapore coliwoo5 reasons to choose co-living in Singapore
      • View all
    Close
  • Travel
      • Asia
      • Australia & New Zealand
      • Rest Of World
      • News
      • Travel Offers
        • property in sydneyBuying property in Sydney
        • international health insurance for singapore expatsHealth insurance for Singapore expats
        • Travel News & Hotel Deals
        • Chloe from E&A InteriorsBuilding a holiday villa in Sri Lanka from start to finish!
      • View all
    Close
  • Wine & Dine
      • Asian Cuisine
      • Western Cuisine
      • Bars & Clubs
      • Groceries & Speciality Services
      • Recipes & Classes
        • St Patrick's Day 2023 - irish pubs and drinking spotsSt Patrick’s Day: Great bars to celebrate at
        • local desserts in singapore - Rainbow ice cream breadMust-try local desserts in Singapore
        • Best Restaurants in Singapore – Where to eat for foodies!
        • 3 Greek restaurants for your Mediterranean food fix!
      • View all
    Close
  • Style & Beauty
      • Fashion
      • Hair & Beauty
      • Beauty Offers
        • Niessing gold jewellery in SingaporeI discovered a 150-year-old jeweller in Singapore!
        • Boutique Fairs Singapore fairs in Singapore6 New brands at the Spring edition of Boutique Fairs Singapore!
        • hairdressers in singapore balayage and blonde highiightsBest salons for blonde highlights and balayage
        • ultherapy amaris bLook attractive with or without your face mask!
      • View all
    Close
  • Health & Fitness
      • Dental
      • Fitness
      • Medical
      • Wellness
        • Here’s why sleep is so important
        • core exercises in singapore7 Singapore Pilates studios for core exercises & more!
        • at-home personal training yoga in singaporeYoga classes in Singapore, and the benefits!
        • Here’s what inspires a top urologist in Singapore
      • View all
    Close
  • Shop
    • PRINT MAGAZINE
    • DIGITAL MAGAZINE
    • BOOKS
    • Close

A maid agency that doesn’t charge the helper

10th July 2022 by Expat Living 3 Min Read

https://expatliving.sg/maid-agency-singapore-that-doesnt-charge-the-domestic-helpers/

It’s standard practice for a maid agency in Singapore to charge domestic helpers a whopping fee that the employer pays upfront. Then the helper has monthly deductions taken from her salary to pay it off. It’s a hardship for her and can cost the employer a lot too. Doesn’t seem fair, does it? If you’re thinking of hiring a helper, read on.

JENNIFER YARBROUGH, an American attorney, didn’t think so either. She felt so strongly that domestic helpers here needed some TLC that she opened a maid agency, White Glove.

White Glove does things differently. For one thing, it doesn’t charge the domestic helper any fees. And it also does a little match-making! “We work hard to make sure there’s a good fit between employer and helper, rather than just giving you the person who is sitting in our office,” says Jennifer. “We only deal with transfer and ex-Singapore or overseas helpers, too, so we know they’re experienced; they know the lay of the land, how to take the MRT and so on.”

maid agency in singapore hiring a helper

For hiring a helper, Jennifer also uses her lawyerly research skills to do thorough background checks, above and beyond a typical agency. This includes a social media check, getting references from former employers, and compiling an extensive biodata to make sure she really knows the person she’s putting into your home.

10 questions to ask when hiring a helper

Jennifer also has lots of recommendations on the hiring process, including the all-important interview. This is your time to really get to know the helper – so you should leave nothing unsaid or unasked. Here are some key questions to ask (taken from the White Glove Interview Guide):

  1. Why are you transferring families?
  2. Tell me about your own family.
  3. How is your health?
  4. Have you worked with children the same age as mine?
  5. What do you really hate doing?
  6. How would you handle a baby who didn’t stop crying?
  7. If my daughter fell in the playground and hit her head, what would you do?
  8. What’s your favourite dish to cook? Tell me how you cook it.
  9. Where do you like to shop for groceries and other products?
  10. Describe what you do to care for pets.

Your guiding light for the interview process is to be honest and upfront about what you expect her to do as your helper. And that means knowing what you want first. How involved with child-rearing do you want her to be? Will she hang with your family or retire to her own space after dinner? Will you plan the meals or will she? What time do you expect home on her day off? What are her work hours? The list of things to consider is long – and important to define.

Another important point: if you meet a helper you like, offer her a job right away. Interview in the morning and then offer the job before somebody snatches her from you! Currently, the starting monthly salary for a Filipino helper is $650. For a transfer helper, you can expect to pay a minimum of $650, though the average is $750 to $900.

maid agency in singapore hiring a helper

Some tips on how to be a good employer

  • Want a good relationship with your helper? Be kind! Put yourself in your helper’s shoes.
  • Do quarterly reviews and balance the comments so you’re giving positive feedback and constructive comments.
  • Ask for feedback from her, too. Maybe she doesn’t understand what you want and is scared to ask you to clarify.
  • Build incentives into the contract.

Want to learn more? Visit White Glove here or call them on 9752 0464.


Want to take your helper on holiday with you? Check out this article. Or look at our recommendations if the kids are nearly ready for preschool or big school!

 

Get the latest events, stories and special offers sent to your inbox
Get the latest events, stories and special offers sent to your inbox

Categories: Living here Living in Singapore Mums & Babies Tags: agency Domestic Helper filipino Helper Singapore white glove

Expat Living

Expat Living has everything to help you make the most of living in Singapore! We've got information on neighbourhoods, things to do and see, dining, entertainment, schools, travel, fashion, furniture, finance, health and beauty. And more!

You May Also Like

Moving house? Get your Wi-Fi connection right!

Lydia Ko plays golf tournament in singapore

Watch a women’s golf battle for the Team Series title!

A landed property in Yio Chu Kang won this family over

Primary Sidebar

  • Competitions
  • Noticeboard
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • advertise
  • Contact
  • Privacy

© 2023 Expat Living Singapore, All Rights Reserved.