Many families in Hong Kong need to hire domestic helpers (also known as maids) to take care of the children or the elderly at home and help with household chores. Most domestic helpers are from the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Myanmar. Indian maids, Filipino maids, and Thai maids are commonly found in Hong Kong.
Why hire a domestic helper agency?
If you want to hire a professionally trained domestic helper, you may look for domestic helper agencies to hire a well-trained maid. Quality domestic helper agencies will provide end-to-end maid service, including home visits for newly-arrived domestic helpers. They act as the intermediaries to communicate with both domestic helpers and Hong Kong families. They handle matters such as extension of visa for domestic helper, contract renewal, insurance for maids and employment contract regarding statutory holiday, salary, long service payment, food allowance for domestic helpers, etc.
Which is the best agency to hire domestic helpers in Hong Kong?
You can get free quotations from domestic helper agencies on Toby. All domestic helper agencies are strictly vetted and certified by the Hong Kong government. They will provide professional maid services and recommend domestic helpers including Filipino maids, Indian maids and Thai maids.
In addition to the recommended domestic helper agencies, I also want to know the cost of hiring a domestic helper.
Post your requirements for hiring a domestic helper on Toby. Within a day, the domestic helper agencies in Hong Kong will soon contact you to provide you with the quotation. You can easily contact up to 4 employment centres for maid referral and compare them according to their quotation, introduction, reviews and ratings. Compare with east and choose the most suitable one for you to hire. Anytime and anywhere, you will get the best solution for your maid service needs on Toby.
What is a domestic helper agency (employment center)?
When Hong Kong families want to hire a professionally trained domestic helper, instead of a direct hire, they will generally look for overseas employment centers or domestic helper agencies. Generally, domestic helper agencies will ensure that all the domestic helpers have received professional training before arriving in Hong Kong, including Cantonese communication, English communication, general knowledge of elderly or child care, home appliance practice, cooking skills, etc. Some employment centers will even arrange maids to receive additional courses to help adapt to Hong Kong culture.
What services will a domestic helper agency provide?
The domestic helper agency will have different service packages according to the needs of customers. The general employment services include: providing training for domestic helpers (cooking, language and nursing courses, etc.), employment contracts, overseas medical check-ups, preparation of government documents, domestic helper visa extension, handling air tickets for foreign domestic helpers to Hong Kong, purchasing insurance, obtaining Hong Kong id card for domestic helper, etc.
The domestic helper agency will ensure that the domestic helper has received two medical check-ups before arriving in Hong Kong. It is to confirm no pregnancy or infectious disease from the domestic helper and avoid the situation that they cannot work due to health reasons.
The quality domestic helper agency will provide dedicated follow-up services and understand the situation of the two parties within a certain service period. They act as a middleman between employers and domestic helpers to communicate with each other. If needed, domestic helper agencies will need to work on the employment contract regarding the statutory holiday, salary, long service payment, food allowance for domestic helpers, etc.
What is the difference between overseas helpers and local domestic helpers in Hong Kong?
Overseas domestic helpers are from locations that include the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Myanmar. When hired, you will be required to process Hong Kong entry visas, relevant national government documents, airline tickets, etc.
Local helpers are foreign domestic helpers who are already stationed in Hong Kong and whose current contracts have completed. Immediate interviews can be arranged, and some have letters of recommendation from former employers.
What is the price of hiring a domestic helper agency?
The main charge of domestic helper agencies is the agency fee of foreign domestic helper. The minimum price of hiring a maid starts from $4,000 per time; the average price is $8,000; and the highest price can reach $12,800. The service fee of hiring domestic helpers will be adjusted according to the packages and different factors. In addition, the service fee of different nationalities will be different (for example,Filipino maid and Indian maid). When hiring a domestic helper in Hong Kong, please discuss with the domestic helper agencies about the terms and conditions first.
How to choose a domestic helper agency?
When choosing a domestic helper agency, you should first check whether the company has received a professional employment company license, including the license issued by the overseas labor department of the Philippines and the labor department of the Indonesian consulate, etc. You may also check if it is operating legally in Hong Kong.
In addition, you should also consider the employment criteria in the domestic helper agencies. The training also directly affects the quality of domestic helpers. A good agency will ensure that the domestic helpers have received professional training before arriving in Hong Kong.
The number of maids available for matching by the domestic helper agencies also reflects the strength of the employment center. It would be more reliable if they could provide you with more options. Many Hong Kong domestic helper agencies even provide replacement of domestic helpers, in case the hired maid has problems.
All the employment centers registered on Toby have been verified and strictly vetted. All the agencies will never charge extra fees and are trusted by numerous Hong Kong families.
What is the basic requirement of hiring a domestic helper?
Before employing domestic helpers, employers should understand the overseas employment regulations, including the Employment Ordinance and Immigration Ordinance, as well as the provisions of the standard employment contract, including benefits such as minimum wage, sick leave allowance, annual leave, holiday, etc. For details, please refer to the website of Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Government.
To hire a domestic helper in Hong Kong, every employer has to submit the required documents to the Immigration Department, including tax returns, bank passbooks, income records, etc., to prove that you meet certain basic income requirements and conditions. The total annual income of the applicant's family must not be less than HK$180,000, i.e. not less than HK$15,000 per month.
How much does it cost to hire a maid per month?
According to Hong Kong Government regulations, it has set a legal Minimum Allowable Wage (MAW) as HK$4,630 per month. According to the Standard Employment Contract, employers are also legally required to either provide domestic helpers with free sufficient food; or with a food allowance of no less than HK$1,121 every month.
Do employers need to buy insurance for domestic helpers?
If the domestic helper is sick or injured during the contract, the law requires employers to purchase Employee Compensation Insurance at around HK$350 - $1,000 per year.
There are many insurance plans with different coverage, including health insurance, personal accident insurance, loan protection insurance, outpatient expenses, etc. Employers can choose the right plan according to their needs to protect the interests of both parties.
Depending on the coverage, the premium for a two-year comprehensive domestic helper insurance plan can range from $300 to $1500 per month, and you will need to pay attention to details such as benefit limits, exclusions and deductibles when choosing a domestic helper insurance plan.