[met_74]

We are going to move to HK and now i am gathering information about living there. A live in maid does sound good to us but we have to see if we can afford this.
I understand that we have to provide the following:
-salary
-food
-room and bathroom
-medical insurance
-stat. holidays
-1 week holiday per year
-flight ticket home

Do i forget something?
Are there any cost we need to be aware of?
We will probably go home to the Netherlands 4 weeks per year. That means that the helper will have 4 weeks of holiday per year too. Do we have to provide more flying tickets per year?

Thank you very much!

[PettsWood]

That should be it. I cannot think of others major ones except the Levy and the following clarification:

1. Salary - you may like to factor in an one-off commission fee if you are getting your helper from an agent (most people would do that) who will look after all the documentation of the contract, the medial check, the visa and consulate fees etc (work out to be about $2000 - $3500 cheaper if the helper is coming from their place of origin because the agent charges them also, More expensive if it is a helper already in HK);

2. food - they normally eat what you eat so we are not generally talking about giving them money to get their own food unless they are Muslims or vegetarian (for example) and there is a clash of diet.

3. Room and bathroom - they need to have privacy so a room is needed. Bathroom can be a shared one;

4. Medical insurance - you would actually need to get a comprehensive insurance (including third party etc) but only for about HK 700 per year;

5. Bank holidays - they are off when you are. Normally not an issue unless you have kids and are always out of HK.

6. One week holiday per year - generally yes but my contract is not at hand to check the details. Normally it means two weeks every two years (so that it is worth their while to go home) with an increase of one day per extra year after certain year of service. I think you are responsible for one set of return tickets (air plus land, international plus domestic if necessary) to home every two years. This is non-negotiable - required by the government to have them leaving HK at least once every two years. In your case, if you are generous you can send your helper home for four weeks every year or just send her home once every two years for two weeks.

Basically you are responsible for almost all the expenses when the helper is working for you (weekdays) so you have to pay for all the meals, transportation (when doing shopping and taking kids to schools and activities), etc. There is usually other small costs like treats and contract renewal / consulate fees every two years.

The Levy mentioned earlier is a new thing. It's supposed to be a 'protection' fee for local employment (since foreign domestic helpers have taken the jobs off local people) so a levy is taken to be put in a training fund for the local low-skill workers. I think it is HK$ 9600 per year or $2400 per quarter throughout the contract period.

Hope this helps.

[met_74]

Pettswood, Thank you so much, this is really helpfull!
The levy is new to me.

Do you know why most people have an Filipinian girl instead of Chinese?

And daily costs, like a busticket to go to the market, would you pay a fixed amount every month for transportationcosts or does she keep the receipts so you later can reimburse her?

Thanks

[jan522]

What I know is that most domestic helpers in HK are Filipino because they can communicate in English, sometimes better than if you get a local Chinese DH. And there seems to be a lot of agencies in HK who supply DH.

[PettsWood]

More details about domestic helper including the levy here: http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/faq_fdh.htm

I think the foreign domestic helper scheme only allows certain nationalities to come and work in HK. Chinese nationals (from mainland China) are definitely not in the scheme. Locals did not want to work as helpers in the past (I believe there are more locals who would do part-time domestic helper work but most of them would not speak English). Filipinos are the majority due to closer language and culture gaps, I suppose.

On the bus fare, it really depends on how you would want to work. There is a wonderful thing called Octopus card which is basically a smartcard with stored money in it that is acceptable by all major transportation and even supermarkets. In my case, I just gave one of these to my helper and every now and then she would ask for the odd $100 to top it up. I figure out if she asks me once every three to four weeks, that would be about okay so I just gave her the money (if you ride on the bus every day, $100 may not last three to four weeks). Otherwise it would get rather tedious.

Some, as I know, would meticulously count every penny the helper uses... So it is up to you.

[Britz208]

Met_74

HI! In HK, it is compulsory for the employer to get a Domestic Worker Insurance. Normally when you goes to an agency, you get to select your desire DH and they can supply you with the Insurance package.
However, what I found out is that they normally costs more. I'm only currently paying HK$380 per annum, and that covers you for Employees' Compensation, 24-Hr Accident Insurance, Hospitalization & Surgical Expenses, Repatriation Expenses, Personal Effects & Fidelity Coverage. If you want further information I can give you a number to call.

[met_74]

Hmm..the octopuscard is a great idea.
And i see the point of hiring an filipino instead of chinese, language is very important.
I will check out the link about levy. Thanks for that!

Britz thanks for the tip! Yes, i would like to have the number.

About hiring through an agency; i wanted to find someone via internet. I have seen several websites where d.h.'s are offered sometimes recommened by their previous owners.
Does anyone have experiences to share? What would be the pro's and contra's?

[carang]

also regarding the levy... it is NOT every year. it is per contract.either 9600 up front OR 2400 every 6 months.

[PettsWood]

carang - you are right. I'd got it wrong. Should work out to be about $400 per month so $9600 is for the whole contract.

met_74 - I don't think you would want to do it exclusively via the Internet. One of the most important thing about hiring domestic helper is to interview them for yourself. I have seen a lot of very good reference but when you see the helper in person, you may draw a different conclusion. If you are doing it the first time, unless someone is guiding you on every step, it can be mind-boggling particular if you have just arrived. I am not discouraging you on this, it should not be too difficult and it all depend on whether you want to do it. I understand if you are getting a helper through an agent, they would do (1) for new helper hiring directly from their place of origin - show you a video of the helper, arrange everything (visa, HKID, medial check etc.) and may even bring her to your door step. For the commission you pay, you are entitle for an 'exchange' if you are not satified with the helper but you will still have to pay for the return ticket to send her home. For (2) existing helper finishing a contract - arrange an interview and all the paper work like above.

Hiring from home for a first-time helper has the advantage of a relatively younger helper that you can train her up the way you want her to work. Hiring someone finishing an existing contract has the advantage of seeing that person in-person and since she has worked for some time, there is no need to train her up to work in the Hong Kong setting. However, it also means that she may pick up habits from previous employers or her friends you don't like.

I would have thought that if you don't have kids (you have not mentioned any) then there is no absolute hurry to get a helper (takes 4 - 8 weeks) on your arrival. Why don't you start to look for one after you have settled down then you have more time to talk to agents and frends to know the rules of the game, so to speak.

Hope this makes sense.

[met_74]

Pettswood, Thanks again for the information you're sharing.
I do have kids. A baby (9months and a two year old). So for me it is essential to know as much as possible upfront.

I guess an agency is less of a hassle then. What age group would you recommend?
How much does an agency charge for seeking a helper?

Again, thank you so much, you are really helping me a lot!