Ask Andreas: I'm planning to fire my maid, what is the legal process for doing that?

We have the best Agony Uncle at Sassy Mama – Andreas is the author of one of our most-recommended books: Hiring & Managing Domestic Help. It’s an absolute must-have for Singapore mamas and you can buy it here!

This week Andreas, our expert extraordinaire when it comes to all things helper related, gives one mama general tips on how to fire her helper.

I’m planning to fire my maid, what is the process legally, what am I obligated to do for her in terms of flight, etc and what are your general tips?

In Singapore, there are no legal conditions to be met for you to terminate your helper. You can just go ahead and do it.

–          You must to pay any outstanding wages and any reimbursements before the Work Permit is canceled.

–          You must to give “reasonable notice”. The period is not specified by the Ministry of Manpower, but I think two to four weeks is a reasonable period.

–          You must pay the full cost of repatriation. This means door-to-door including any trains, ferries, flights, taxis, buses, plus a food allowance.

–          If you fail to repatriate the helper, you may forfeit your security bond.

–          You must inform the Ministry of Manpower. This is easiest done through WP Online here.

The legal details are laid out in mind numbing detail here. 

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.