You & your Helper

Visa Requirements For Taking Your Domestic Helper on Holiday

When you take your domestic helper on holiday, securing the right visa for your domestic helper is key. In many South-east Asian countries, your domestic helper is allowed to join you on a short stay tourist. But in many western countries, your domestic helper will need to apply for a special visa. If you want to avoid tourist issues ruining your holiday, contacting the embassy will be the best way, ...

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Where to Find a Domestic Helper First Aid Training in Hong Kong

Having a medical emergency is a worry for everyone. Especially if you are not at home and your domestic helper takes care of your children or elderly parents. You may consider sending your domestic helper to a domestic helper first aid training, but the training can be expensive and it may take you a while to find the right course.  The domestic helper has already received first aid training in her ...

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Many employers will reward their domestic helpers with a lai see/ang bao in Chinese New Year

Should You Give Your Domestic Helper a Bonus for Chinese New Year?

Chinese New Year is around the corner and it is now time to get everything in order for entering the Year of the Pig! This celebration is a special time of year for many families in Hong Kong and Singapore, and is also an opportunity for us to acknowledge the hard work and contributions that domestic helpers make in our homes. CNY 2019 day is on Tuesday, 5 February Marking the turn ...

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HelperChoice Bank Accounts Guide for Domestic Helpers

Opening a Bank Account in Hong Kong For Your Domestic Helper: The Ultimate Guide

Maybe you just employed a new domestic helper or maybe you have been employing her for a few years. In any case, you might wonder how to pay the domestic helper's salary every month, should you give her cash directly or make a bank transfer? What are the advantages of opening a bank account for your domestic helper? In Hong Kong, many domestic helpers do not have have a bank account to ...

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Help! Since I’ve Hired a Domestic Helper My Privacy Is Gone

Your home has not felt the same since your domestic helper has been working for you. What are the common causes and what can you do about to improve both your own privacy and your domestic helper’s one? Maintaining privacy with a live-in domestic helper is not easy. When your domestic helper first started working for you, the issue of privacy may not have been so pronounced. But over time, you ...

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How to be Ready to Welcome Your New Domestic Helper?

You have just hired your new domestic helper. Now it is time to prepare your family and your house so that you can welcome your domestic helper in the best conditions. 1) Your domestic helper's living arrangement This is a crucial point. If your domestic helper feels comfortable in her own room that will translate in her work. Ideally, while you were interviewing the domestic helper, you discussed where she is going ...

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Let your new helper know what cuisines you prefer

Cooking Classes in Hong Kong For Domestic Helpers

Cooking classes are surely the best way to build up your domestic helper’s confidence in the kitchen, enable her to master new skills, learn the art of cooking in different cuisines and become more creative about food. There are many options for cooking classes for your domestic helper out there. Read on to find just what you have been looking for all along. Towngas runs basic cookery classes targeted at domestic ...

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Should My Domestic Helper Eat with Us at the Same Table?

Having a domestic helper who lives in with your family 24/7 can sometimes be tricky as the traditional employer-employee relationship gets blurred. You – and certainly your domestic helper – might just end up feeling confused and not knowing where you stand about certain things. That’s perfectly understandable given the peculiar nature of the relationship – the live-in factor doesn’t make it easier. It is okay to wonder where to ...

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My Domestic Helper Doesn’t Take Initiative, What Should I Do?

Even though you find your domestic helper hard working and dedicated, you might want her to take more initiative. That’s why you want her to enterprise more so that she does not get stuck to her daily schedule forever. Supervising, motivating and guiding a domestic helper is a challenging task. If you are frustrated by her lack of autonomy, take action earlier rather than later. The longer you wait, the ...

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Should I Assign My Domestic Helper’s Tasks?

Once the hiring phase is over, you will come to realize that putting on the ‘employer hat’ is an absolute must. The helper-employer relationship requires constant work as managing a domestic helper not only involves managing the relationship but also your domestic helper’s work – and the live-in factor can sometimes complicate things. Employers can manage their domestic helpers’ work in a different way. Each and every one of us has one’s ...

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