Hiring a Helper Helper All You Need to Know

To find out everything about hiring domestic help in Hong Kong, we turned to LAURENCE FAUCHON, co-founder and CEO of HelperChoice.com, a social impact start-up eradicating illegal agency placement fees by connecting employers and domestic helpers directly. Laurence started her entrepreneurial adventure while she was pregnant with her first daughter, and she believes that the employer-helper dynamic benefits from an ethical and open hiring process.

Many expats moving to Hong Kong are pleasantly surprised by the readily available and affordable domestic help. Life in Hong Kong is fast-paced and busy, leaving little time for household tasks, and while some expats prefer to hire a part-time helper who comes once or twice per week, for others (especially those families with young children) a full-time helper to cook, clean and handle childcare can be a blessing. Most of these helpers in Hong Kong are from the Philippines or Indonesia and are assiduous, earnest women who are working abroad to provide for their families back home.

Options

Hiring a helper may be attractive, but it can also be daunting. In Hong Kong there is a distinction between local and foreign domestic helpers. Local helpers, permanent residents or holders of dependency visas can be hired at any moment for either part- time or full-time duties; local helpers may have limited English. Foreign helpers can legally only be employed on two-year, full-time, live- in contracts.

Cost

Part-time local helpers are available between HK$65 and $120 an hour, and can be hired independently or through the Smart Living government programme. Foreign part-time helpers charge between $60 and $110 an hour, but be aware that this is illegal. For full-time, live-in maids you need to budget at least the minimum wage of $4,210 per month, but many expats pay $5,000 or more,depending on the years of duty and the level of experience, plus a Christmas and/or Chinese New Year bonus. Employers must also provide free food or a food allowance of not less than $995 per month. You must also offer suitable accommodation, insurance and free medical care, as well as pay all hiring-related costs and airfares for the bi-annual home leave.

Requirements