In Singapore, many people hire domestic helpers so they can have an extra pair of helping hands to attend to their families’ needs. To be an eligible employer, individuals must be 21 years old or above and mentally fit to fully understand and discharge their responsibilities. They must also be financially capable to hire and keep a maid in an acceptable accommodation.
If you are considering hiring a domestic helper, you must meet the criteria mentioned above. You also need to carefully assess if hiring a domestic helper is the best option for you and your family. To learn about the pros and cons of hiring a helper in Singapore, continue reading this quick guide.
Benefits of Hiring a Domestic Helper
There are many advantages to hiring a domestic helper. A maid can handle many household duties and manage your home when you are otherwise preoccupied. Here are just some of the ways they can help you:
Your Home Stays Clean
If you find it challenging to keep your home clean while you take care of other responsibilities, hiring a domestic helper is a good idea. A helper can maintain a regular cleaning schedule for your home, so even if you become very busy, you will still come home to a clean space.
When you hire a domestic helper through a maid agency, you can expect to hire someone who is well-vetted and competent. This means you can likely rely on them to handle any kind of cleaning job, whether it is the daily task of tidying up your home or helping with the messes that come when you have a child, an elderly individual, or a pet at home.
You No Longer Have to Stress about Chores
Aside from having a neat home, a helper can take care of many other household chores for you. Tasks like cooking, keeping the yard tidy, and doing the laundry can be strenuous to do on your own, but a helper can relieve you of these physically demanding activities. Moreover, maids are also more experienced and capable of handling these tasks, so they tend to be more productive than you can ever hope to be.
Before you hire a helper, list down the tasks you need help with and consider if these can be reasonably fulfilled in a day. If you can’t complete the same tasks you are assigning to your maid, consider reducing her daily workload.
Helpers Can Be Caregivers
While the common tasks of domestic helpers involve simple cleaning and household management, some maids can also act as nannies. They can help you take care of your kids when you are busy at work. Domestic helpers can ensure your kids are well-fed, are safe, and are comfortable while you’re away. If you have elderly parents living with you, maids can also assist in caring for them. In case you have additional caregiver requirements like childcare or basic nursing skills, be clear about it when you contact a maid agency.
You Enjoy More Free Time
The best thing about hiring a helper is you can have more time to do the things you want to do. These can be spending more time with your family or pursuing other professional endeavours. Either way, you can delegate routine household duties to your maid so you can take care of matters that are more important to you.
Disadvantages of Hiring a Domestic Helper
While hiring a domestic helper provides a lot of conveniences, you also need to be aware of the possible downsides of getting a maid:
You Are Letting a Stranger into Your Home
Since it’s the first time you are meeting the person, you don’t personally know them. By definition, you can consider them total strangers. If this is the first time you are hiring a maid, you might feel uncomfortable about someone looking after your household and your belongings, especially in the beginning.
While you will eventually learn to trust your helper (provided that she’s the right choice), make sure to hire someone who has undergone a proper vetting process. It will also help to ask for recommendations from family, friends, or colleagues about which agencies to get in contact with. This way, you won’t constantly worry about leaving the helper in your home.
The Helper May Not Do Things Exactly the Way You Want Them To
If you’ve been doing a lot of the household duties, you may have created a specific system that works for you. When you hire a helper, they may do things differently than what you have become used to. Before you get stressed out about it, observe if your helper’s way of doing things is actually more efficient. If you’re not satisfied, communicate your thoughts in a proper manner. Talk to your helper about how you want certain things done. It will help them give you the results you want.
You Need to Be Financially Prepared
Hiring a domestic helper comes with a cost. Similar to other services you outsource to another person, you need to compensate them for their time and services. In Singapore, you can expect to pay between 500 to 2,000 dollars. The fee covers services of the maid agency, the helper’s insurance, medical costs, and other government requirements. You also need to factor in other costs like the helper’s monthly salary, and the increase in your household groceries and utilities cost. Given the amount of investment you need to set aside when hiring a maid, you need to do thorough research if your family’s earnings are sufficient to cover all the costs.
Domestic helpers can offer a lot of convenience by way of helping you manage your household, especially if you are a very busy individual. However, hiring a maid can also come with a few disadvantages. Before hiring a helper, it’s best to assess the pros and cons and see if the negative aspects are acceptable for your current circumstances and if the positives actually outweigh the cons. This way, you will be sure that you’re doing the right thing and you’ll be able to prepare properly for what you are getting into.
