(Updated on September 6, 2023)
Hiring a domestic helper in Hong Kong is a common practice, many hong kong families wanted a domestic helper to help release the burden of housework. But did you know that not everyone can employ a domestic worker? The Hong Kong Labour and Immigration Department have set eligibility requirements for employers based on the employment situation and income. If they cannot fulfill any one of the criteria, their helpers’ visa applications wouldn’t be approved. Other than the legal requirements, to be understanding and kind is also an integral quality of a good employer.
Conditions to be an employer
You need to be a Hong Kong resident (having an HKID),
meaning that if you are in Hong Kong on a tourist visa, you will not be able to hire a helper. This can be frustrating when you are relocating to Hong Kong and want to be well prepared. Therefore, you can find the right candidate through direct hire, sign the contract and have the visa application ready before you come to Hong Kong so that she should be able to start working with you within a month or two.
A second requirement of the Immigration Department and the Hong Kong government for the employment of a domestic helper is that the household income per month should be more than HK$15,000 or that you have comparable assets to support your domestic worker through the entire contract period two years. Also, the Immigration Department states that the “bona fides” of the employer must not be in question, which means you must not have been previously blacklisted from employing a domestic worker, from issues such as living out, abuse, and underpaying, etc. As an employer, before hiring a domestic worker, familiarise yourself with all your responsibilities and all the rights a domestic worker is entitled to, and learn to apply sensitivity when it comes to the worker’s culture and religion.
Conditions of employment
When you and your family are hiring a foreign helper, you will have to fill out the Standard Employment Contract. The employment contract states that domestic helpers can only work for the employer who has signed the contract and that they can only live and work at the contractual address. This means that employers cannot request their domestic helpers to also prepare dinner in the apartment of their mother-in-law or to work at an office or market, even if it is just for a day. However, they can still go to the market to buy food for the day, wash their employers’ car or deliver food or personal items to their employers, their employer’s children, or other direct family members that live at the same address.
As stipulated by the Standard Employment Contract, you must also provide the helper with suitable accommodation and with reasonable privacy, which means the helper cannot sleep in the toilet, kitchen, and living room, and cannot sleep with an adolescent or adult of the opposite gender. In the employment contract, you must also indicate that you can provide your helper with free access to light and water, toilet and sanitary facilities, a bed, bedsheets and blankets, pillows, a wardrobe, access to a refrigerator and a desk. If you cannot provide any of these, your helper’s visa will likely be denied. Therefore, if you think the space in your house is limited, you might not be able to give your helper “suitable accommodation with reasonable privacy” with all of the amenities. If you are uncertain about the exact conditions, you can check the contract or contact the Labour Department for more information.
Other non-legal requirements of being an employer of a domestic worker
A good employer also needs to be understanding and tolerant. These domestic workers travel across seas to work for you, leaving behind their loved ones, missing many important moments of their children to take care of your children. Where they come from, might not have a refrigerator, washing machine or air conditioner. Therefore, train them with patience. Also, these workers come from a very different culture and speak a different language. Do not expect them to fully understand you all the time, especially in the first few months. It might even be a bonus if you can learn to speak a few words in their language (usually Tagalog if from the Philippines or Bahasa Indonesia if from Indonesia), it can make their day! At last, please respect their culture and religion, especially for Indonesian, who are predominantly Muslims and might have their own habits. If you think you or anyone in your family cannot stand a person with very different habits in the house, it would be pointless to hire a domestic worker.
How To Hire A Domestic Helper Online?
HelperChoice is a licensed maid agency in Hong Kong and the first Hong Kong online helper matching platform. Found in 2012, HelperChoice has been serving more than 75,000 employers with 20,000 verified Filipino and Indonesian maid profiles. It is an ethical maid agency that does NOT charge domestic helpers any placement fees. HelperChoice online platform allows employers to publish their job offer, browse helper profiles and contact candidates by phone or through Whatsapp for job interviews. The hiring process is relatively affordable and flexible compared with traditional domestic helper agencies.
Let’s give it a try!
Step 1. Go to HelperChoice website and create a FREE employer account with your email address or Facebook account.
Step 2. Fill out your basic information and publish the job offer, which defines the type of helper you are looking for by their work experiences, cooking skill, nationality, salary expectation and availability etc.
Step 3. Browse available helper profiles. If you find certain candidate profiles suitable, you may subscribe our platform service plan and become our Premium member. Once you become our Premium member, you can have an unlimited access to helper profiles and their contact details for job interview.
Step 4. Once you find a suitable helper and decide to hire her, you may contact us for visa processing. Helper visa processing can be classified into two main categories – local hire and overseas hire. Local hire refers to helpers who have completed 2 years contract with the last employer and they are currently in Hong Kong. Overseas hire refers to helpers who are currently outside Hong Kong or those who are requested to go back to their home country before applying for their next work visa to Hong kong. To learn more about the details of visa processing service, please click here.
See also: HelperChoice Platform User Guide
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