Don’t be overwhelmed with the prospect of hiring help with this simple guide.
One of the benefits of expatriate living for many is the affordability of domestic help. Whether that is a maid to keep your home in tip-top order, a nanny to assist looking after your children or a driver to navigate the streets for you. Having a helper is indispensable for some people. Especially if makes the transition of living in a foreign country smoother.
But how do you exactly go around hiring help? More the tricky if the concept of domestic staff is alien in your country of origin. There are a few things you need to consider when embarking on hiring help especially as you will be welcoming this person into your home so trust is of paramount concern.
1. Word of mouth.
As with many services one of the best forms of referrals is word of mouth. Have you any friends who are leaving the country and want to assist their helper finding new employment? Do your friend’s helper’s have any friends looking for work? Check with colleagues at work or even other parents at school. Get the word out that you are looking and the help will come to you.
2. Through an agency.
There are some agencies that are dedicated to finding help for your home. If you have any friends or colleagues that have used an agency ask their opinion on the service they received and the quality of the applicants. Check social media for reviews too. Some agencies will want a one-off fee to source your help so be sure to check their terms and conditions carefully before committing.
3. Social media and apps.
The likes of Facebook have become a powerful tool and the number of apps are growing at an exponential rate. There are some social media sites dedicated entirely to expats to assist each other in everyday living. Use these to source information and request for help. Whilst the concept of an app for sourcing help in Vietnam is relatively new, the odd one has emerged onto the scene and is an alternative way to help with your search.
What next?
Once you have secured a shortlist of people you will need to meet them in person to conduct an interview. Use this as an opportunity to advise what their duties will be in order to manage expectations. Do you require cooking (if so, what kinds of cuisine?), childcare, grocery shopping, bill paying, household cleaning and laundry? Also, specify whether she will be a live-in or live-out, state regular working hours and benefits (food allowance, cooked meals in your home, living quarters, days off, annual bonus, etc.).
Remember to look up the local labour laws to see what they cover as far as domestic help goes. You want to ensure that you are legally employing someone and allocating them the correct holiday, sick leave and minimum wage.
Finally don’t forget that your help must receive overtime pay for working beyond their set hours, or entitled days off and holidays. Typically, a bonus equal to one month’s salary is also given at the end of the year.
