Ask Andreas: How Do I Hire A Helper ASAP?

If I need a new helper to start ASAP – literally right away – what are my options? When exactly is it that they are required to leave Singapore before a starting new job?  Am I looking for someone with a finished contract or one that left hers? I’m so confused!

Unfortunately “right away” is impossible since it takes time a bit of time to process the paperwork. However it can be pretty fast. As a temporary solution, I recommend looking at a maid service and a nanny service while you wait, like Amahs on Wheels. Note that employing a Foreign Domestic Worker part-time while she is on another contract is illegal.

The best solution in your case is to find a helper who is already in Singapore and has finished her contract (or is about to), since she does not have to be out of the country while the paperwork is being processed.

The quickest method for processing an application is to use the WP Online service on the Ministry of Manpower website. This cuts the processing time from seven to one day.

For the only guide you’ll ever need on working with a helper, check out Andreas’ fab book ‘Hiring and Managing Domestic Help’ and buy it here.

Andreas Rosboch was born and raised in Sweden by an Italian father and a Swedish mother. He has been an expat for more than ten years and plans to keep it that way. He has spent most of his career in the information technology field, handling everything from brand management to customer support. He is the author of one of our most-recommended books Hiring & Managing Domestic Help – an absolute must-have for Hong Kong mamas (psst- and you can buy it here). He lives in Hong Kong with his wife, two children and dog.