First-Time Employer Checklist: Hiring a Helper in Singapore

If this is your first time hiring a foreign domestic worker, the process can feel like a pile of unrelated forms. It is easier when you see it as a sequence: get yourself ready, choose the right helper, sort out the paperwork and money, then prepare your home for her arrival. This checklist follows that order.

1. Get yourself ready

• Check you are eligible. MOM sets requirements for employers, including a minimum age and a household that can properly provide for a helper. Check the current rules on the MOM website before you start.
• Complete the Employer Orientation Programme. First-time employers of a foreign domestic worker are required to attend it. It covers your responsibilities as an employer, and it is worth taking seriously.
• Be clear on what you need. Write down the tasks, such as childcare, elderly care or general housework, and whether you want an experienced helper or are open to a first-timer. A vague brief leads to a poor match.

2. Choose the right helper

• Shortlist helpers whose experience matches the work, then interview them. Our guide to essential interview questions will help.
• If you are hiring for an elderly parent or a baby, ask specific questions about that kind of care. See questions for elderly care and questions for childcare.
• Consider whether a transfer maid, who is already in Singapore, would get you a helper faster than one arriving from overseas.

3. Sort out the paperwork and the money

• Security bond. A $5,000 security bond is required for each helper, with exceptions such as helpers from Malaysia. See our guide to the bond and insurance.
• Insurance. You must buy medical and personal accident insurance, each with at least $60,000 sum insured per year.
• Monthly levy. A foreign domestic worker levy is payable every month. Some households qualify for a lower concessionary rate. Read who qualifies for the $60 rate.
• Budget realistically. Salary is only part of the cost. Our cost breakdown shows what to set aside.

A good agency handles most of the paperwork for you. The part no agency can do for you is deciding what your household actually needs, so spend your time there.

4. Prepare your home and routine

• Accommodation. Your helper needs suitable, safe sleeping arrangements. See accommodation standards.
• Rest days and routine. Agree her duties, working hours and weekly rest day in writing before she starts. See setting a fair household routine and the rest days guide.
• Settling in. The first few weeks set the tone. Read how to help your helper settle in quickly.

Common first-timer mistakes

• Choosing on salary or availability alone, rather than on fit for the work
• Leaving insurance and bond until the last minute
• Not agreeing duties and rest days up front
• Expecting a new helper to run the household unsupervised in week one

The bottom line

Hiring a helper is far less stressful when you know the sequence and have someone guiding you through it. Rules and fees change from time to time, so always confirm the latest requirements with MOM before you commit.