Employing a maid??? You may want to read the following frequently asked questions to know more information.
Full-time and Part-time Maid
Maid Agencies
Some Important Information
- In March 2002, an employer received a five-year jail term for abusing her19-year-old MDW. For over 20 days, the employer scalded the MDW with boiling water, poked her thighs with a pair of scissors and hit the back of her head with the back of a chopper.
- In July 2002, an employer who physically abused his MDW and caused her death was sentenced to 18 years in prison and 12 lashes of the cane. At her death, the MDW was found to have multiple scars and injuries.
- In July 2006, an employer was fined $2,000 for asking her MDW to climb and prune a 6-metre mango tree in her yard.
- In October 2004, an employer who failed to pay her MDW for almost two years was fined $3,000. She was also ordered by the court to pay her MDW the outstanding salary owed to her, which amounted to $3,580.
- In September 2006, an employer instructed her MDW to climb out of the window of her 18th storey apartment and stand on a narrow ledge to clean the windows. The employer was convicted for breach of the Work Permit Conditions and fined $3,500.
- In September 2005, an employer deployed her MDW to help out at her food stall from 10am to 6pm from Monday to Friday. The MDW's duties at the stall included serving customers, collecting money from customers and packing food. The employer was charged for illegal deployment and fined $3,000. Her security deposit of $5,000 was also forfeited.
- In February 2006, an MDW fell eight stories to her death when hanging laundry on a narrow ledge. The employer claimed that it was her mother-in-law who had instructed the MDW to climb onto the ledge. The court rejected her claim and ruled that as the legal employer, she should bear the "ultimate responsibility" for the MDW's safety. The employer was sentenced to two weeks in jail.
Other Useful Information
1. you are a married woman and has elected for separate assessment; or
2. you are married and your husband is not resident in Singapore; or
3. you are separated or divorced or widowed and living with your unmarried child for whom you can claim child relief.
The relief is two times the amount of maid levy paid for one maid. It can only be set off against the earned income of the wife. Single taxpayers are not eligible for this relief. You can get the relief even if the levy is paid by the husband.
Ministry of Manpower Guidelines
Standard Contracts
Skills Training
Sunlove Home, 89 Hougang Ave 4, Tel: 6386-0274
Elderly Care (Elementary)
Sunlove Home, 89 Hougang Ave 4, Tel: 6386-0274
Elderly Care (Advanced)
Sunlove Home, 89 Hougang Ave 4, Tel: 6386-0274
Vegetarian Cooking
Sunlove Home, 70 Buagkok View, Tel: 6343-7464
Chinese Cooking
FAST, Toa Payoh Central CC, Tel: 6419-2745
Windows, Word, Excel
Asia Innovatory Management School, 50 Collyer Quay, Tel: 6227-5464
Basic Computing and Internet
NTUC Learning Hub, 10 Anson Road, Tel: 6372-3972
Guitar and Piano
Le Classique Music Studio, 304 Orchard Road, Tel: 6734-6448
Settling-In Programme (SIP)
The SIP is a mandatory one day programme for all first-time MDWs, prior to deployment. The SIP aims to better orientate and equip MDWs with basic knowledge about living and working in Singapore. It includes modules on:
- Introduction to Singapore;
- Conditions of employment;
- Safety at home;
- Safety in other areas; and
- Relationship and stress management
The Safety Awareness Course will be subsumed under the SIP. The SIP will be conducted in the MDW's native language, to maximize understanding and retention.
A first-time MDW is one who:
- Has no employment record with MOM's Work Pass Division; or
- Has Work Permit records with MOM but did not collect her Work Permit cards previously. This includes Migrant Domestic Workers who have worked in Singapore for brief periods in the past, or who have applied for Work Permits but did not eventually work in Singapore.
The SIP will better orientate first-time MDWs by equipping them with basic knowledge about living and working in Singapore. This will include modules on how to manage stress and adapt to working in a foreign, urban environment. These will help MDWs adapt better to working in local households and foster better working relationships with their employers. First-time MDWs must attend the SIP within three working days of their arrival in Singapore, excluding the day of arrival.
Working days are Monday to Saturday, excluding Sunday and Public holiday.
The Ministry of Manpower has accredited two training providers to conduct the SIP, and they are:
- Grace Management And Consultancy Services Pte Ltd (GMCS), working in partnership with the Migrant Domestic Worker Association for Skills Training; and
- ECON Careskill Training Centre (ECTC) Pte Ltd, part of the ECON Healthcare Group
The details of the respective training providers are as follows:
- Grace Management And Consultancy Services Pte Ltd (GMCS), working in partnership with the Migrant Domestic Worker Association for Skills Training
- ECON Careskill Training Centre (ECTC) Pte Ltd
Venue:
231 Mountbatten Road
Block A #03-00
Singapore 397999
(Enter via Guillemard Crescent)
Tel: (65) 6299 4333
Email: gracemgt@gmcs.com.sg
Webpage: http://gmcs.com.sg/etsac
Venue:
451 Yio Chu Kang Road
Singapore 805947
Tel: (65) 6853 3727
Email: enquiry@econcareskill.com
Webpage: http://www.econcareskill.com/SIP
The Work Permit system keeps a record of employers and their employment history. The system will identify which Migrant Domestic Workers (MDWs) are new to Singapore. Employers and Employment Agencies (Eas) will be informed of this requirement in the 'Letter of Notification to bring MDW into Singapore'.
Employers can check if their MDW is required to attend the SIP via WP Online.
All first-time MDWs are required to attend the mandatory SIP within the first three working days of arrival in Singapore, excluding the day of arrival.Working days are from Monday to Saturday, excluding Sunday and Public holiday.
A first-time MDW is one who:
- Has no employment record with MOM's Work Pass Division; or
- Has Work Permit records with MOM but did not collect her Work Permit cards previously. This includes Migrant Domestic Workers who have worked in Singapore for brief periods in the past, or who have applied for Work Permits but did not eventually work in Singapore.
As the SIP is a mandatory programme, no first-time MDWs will be exempted. The SIP is focused on adapting MDWs to working and living in a foreign environment, especially on observing work safety. MDWs will also learn about their rights and responsibilities while working in Singapore, as well as relationship and stress management. The SIP will help MDWs be better oriented and adjusted when starting work at your household, which can help reduce conflicts and accidents at the workplace.
MDWs who fail to attend the SIP within three working days of arrival in Singapore, excluding the day of arrival, will not be issued their Work Permits and will be repatriated.
Working days are Monday to Saturday, excluding Sunday and Public holiday.
If your MDW is a first-time MDW in Singapore, she is required to attend the SIP.
A first-time MDW is one who:
- Has no employment record with MOM's Work Pass Division; or
- Has Work Permit records with MOM but did not collect her Work Permit cards previously. This includes Migrant Domestic Workers who have worked in Singapore for brief periods in the past, or who have applied for Work Permits but did not eventually work in Singapore.
The SIP is focused on adapting MDWs to working and living in a foreign environment, especially on observing work safety. MDWs will also learn about their rights and responsibilities while working in Singapore, as well as relationship and stress management. The SIP will help MDWs be better oriented and adjusted when starting work at your household, which can help reduce conflicts and accidents at the workplace.
Registration for the SIP must be done before the arrival of the MDW into Singapore. Registration can be done online at either one of the two accredited training providers' websites:
- Grace Management & Consultancy Services Pte Ltd (GMCS), working in partnership with the Migrant Domestic Worker Association for Skills Training
- ECON Careskill Training Centre (ECTC) Pte Ltd
A first-time MDW is one who:
- Has no employment record with MOM's Work Pass Division; or
- Has Work Permit records with MOM but did not collect her Work Permit cards previously. This includes Migrant Domestic Workers who have worked in Singapore for brief periods in the past, or who have applied for Work Permits but did not eventually work in Singapore.