preparation

A helpers room in Hong Kong

How to Prepare a Domestic Helper’s Room Properly

It is important to offer your domestic helper a proper living quarter so that she can gain enough rest after a long day working. But things get a tad more complicated when it comes to the accommodation arrangement as foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong or Singapore are required to live with their employers. HelperChoice investigated the most common living arrangements for domestic helpers in Hong Kong. The survey exposes that ...

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Creative and Affordable Options When Your Helper is On Long Leave

By PathFinders Many households in Hong Kong, especially those with young children and elderly parents, rely heavily on the support of foreign domestic helpers. When helpers need to be on long leave for a period of time – due to childbirth, illness, a crisis back home - it is understandable a lot of employers feel some degree of anxiety.  The imminent questions tend to be: “What will happen to my household during ...

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child-drinking

An Unplanned Pregnancy: Planning Your Next Steps (Phase 2)

By PathFinders (Click here if you have not read phase 1.) In Phase 2 of your planning when experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, you will need to be looking ahead into the future.  As a reminder, put things down in the format that works for you. It is important for you to be able to physically check where you are in the planning, to tick/cross what you’ve done, to see what you need/have to ...

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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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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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What Cleaning Needs to be Done to Make Sure Your Kitchen is Baby-proofed?

Cleaning is an important task for many domestic helpers, but how specifically should the helper handle the housework when there are little ones around? It’s vital to ensure babies and children are protected from harmful germs and microbes. With a little bit of knowledge and some guidance, it’s easy to ensure your domestic helper is able to do just that. From sterilizing bottles to cleaning kitchen cupboards where you store feeding ...

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How to defrost safely

How To Safely Defrost Food

Many of us cook at home, of course, we love fresh ingredients, but we might sometimes buy frozen food as it is more convenient to store. One of the risks of frozen food is that when defrosting, bacteria can develop and lead to food poisoning. How to correctly defrost then? Here are 3 ways to prepare a safe meal for the whole family. If you are planning to cook on the ...

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Can I Add More Domestic Worker House Rules After I Have Hired Her?

It is important to set expectations and daily schedules and to stick to those. But that does not mean that you cannot add more house rules if you think there is a need for this. "Our helper was great when she started, but she just does not follow instructions anymore. She is great with the children so I don't want to fire her, but things need to change." Managing a domestic ...

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