One of the biggest strenght among others that Filipino maids have over other nationalities is their proficiency in the English language. They are able to understand their employers carry out their instructions better.

One of the ways to hire a Filipino maid is through an employment agency.

Although it’s still possible to hire a Filipino maid without engaging an employment agency that specializes in foreign domestic workers, for someone who’s doing this for the first time it’s highly recommended that you explore the services of an employment agency.

Picking the right employment agency, however, is not easy and here are some tips to help:

• The employment agency for Filipino maids must be registered and licensed by the Singaporean Ministry of Manpower. Only licensed agencies can help you find maids without flouting the employment rules set for foreign domestic workers.
• There’s also a rating system that has been developed by the Ministry of Manpower to help distinguish high performing agencies and those that don’t do so well. The rating system penalizes agencies that break the rules. These penalties are called demerit points. As a rule of thumb, always work with employment agencies that have less demerit points.
• You may also consider the experiences of other clients who have used a specific employment agency to employ a Filipino maid in Singapore. These ratings and reviews are always available online. Don’t also forget retention rates. The retention rate refers to the number of FDWs retained in Singapore by employers for a period of more than 1 year as a percentage of the total by the same agency.
• It’s also important to consider the total number of placements that have been done by a given employment agency. Hiring a foreign domestic worker can take time but the last thing you need is an employment agency that takes far too long to find the Filipino maid that you are looking for.

The employment agency will require that you sign a service agreement before you can use their services. The service agreement will be the basis of the transactions made with the agency.

A good agreement must include the following:

• The agreement must clearly indicate its validity period
• All the costs that will be included in the process of hiring the foreign domestic worker must be clear. They must be broken down so that you understand what’s spent on what and why.
• There must be a refund policy within the service agreement. The policy must also include clear refund guidelines and criteria.
• The service agreement must have a replacement policy. This means that the circumstances and conditions that may require the replacement of the FDW must be clearly stated.

It is good to note that different employment agencies in Singapore have their own unique ways of doing business. It’s always advisable to take some time and understand how a specific employment agency works and where you fit in as a potential employer.

Hiring a Filipino maid in Singapore using employment agencies is one of the easiest options for people who are doing this for the first time. You can visit SearchMaid.com anytime and access to over 200 employment agencies at once.

Employing a Filipino maid - General fees guide

(i) New and Ex-Maid

*Fees for Transfer Filipino Maid

(ii) Transfer Maid

* Above fees and price is a general guide. Each maid agency fees and charges are different.