HIRING A DOMESTIC HELPER - FAQ

• Philippine, Indonesian or Thai maid ?
• Local or Overseas Direct ?
• Finish Contract or Break Contract ?
• Local Hourly Helpers
• Should I use an Employment Agency's service ?
• IP Camera for Home Surveillance
• Loan Company and Related Issues
• Other Things to Consider

Should I select a Philippine maid, an Indonesian maid, or Thai maid ? Or should I consider helpers from Nepal, Sri Lanka or India ?

It really depends on what you are looking for and the reason for hiring a maid. There are good and bad helpers from each of the countries supplying maids to Hong Kong.

However they do have some distinct characteristics which could be summarized below:

Indonesian maids tend to be hard working and willing to adjust to accommodate the needs of the Employer. Indonesia maids are industrious and more flexible with their weekly rest day arrangements. The feeling that they are willing to accept lesser / inferior working conditions is an outdated concept and they are as aware of their rights as any other helper.

Indonesian maids tend to be younger and most Indonesian maids have high school education.

Many Indonesian maids in Hong Kong have working experience in Singapore and decided to come to Hong Kong for better pay. Some can speak good Cantonese and some are strong in English. Some Indonesian maids are fluent in both English and Cantonese which really depends on their previous working experience.



Philippine maids tend to be better educated. Most have attended college. Some are university graduates and have special training in various medical and professional fields.

The majority of Philippine maids can speak fluent English. Their Cantonese are less proficient in comparison. Philippine maids usually are cheerful, high-spirited and have pleasant and outgoing characters.

Philippine maids are good with young kids and can do some tutoring with their home work. Many Philippine maids have teaching certificates in the Philippines and they are particularly suitable for this application.

Philippines maids are quite open to foreign culture and their living style is relatively modern. They are easily adaptable to the living environment of Hong Kong. Philippine maids are often chosen by Hong Kong employers because of their higher level of education.



Thai helpers tend to be good cooks. They have amazing capability to learn Cantonese and can master the language within a short time. However, they are weaker in English. One of the reasons suggested is that because they can communicate so well in Cantonese, they will be using it most of the time with the employers and thus have fewer chance to practice English. In general Thai maids tend to be older and have primary school education.

Thai maids are particularly strong with elderly care due to their proficiency in cooking and the Cantonese Language. Most of them are Buddhist which fits well with the habits of local elderly persons.



Nepalese maids are usually hard working and loyal. But they tend to stick to their own ways of doing things and thus require a lot of patience. Maids from Sri Lanka and India are said to be very intelligent and quick learners.



Indonesian maids are mostly Moslem and they do not eat pork. However, they can handle and cook pork without any problem. It does not seem to have caused a lot of inconvenience to most households.

Most Indonesian maids do not perform religious rituals at home while others may pray at night. It is important that you work it out with the maid during the interview to avoid conflicts. Some Indonesian maids like to wear their ethnic costumes during the holidays. If you feel uneasy about this, you must talk it out clearly with the Indonesian maid before hiring.

Philippine maids are mostly Catholics or Protestant Christians and they want to go to church on Sunday. It is important to agree on the weekly rest day with them. Thai maids are mostly Buddhist and some are vegetarians.



When selecting a maid, the employer should consider the distinct characteristics of maids from various countries vis-a-vis the individual needs of the family.

There are quite a few Indonesian and Philippine maids available locally for interview. The maids are physically in Hong Kong and they have just finished or terminated their contract with the previous employers.

Nowadays, many Philippine maids come to Hong Kong as tourists and look for jobs. This is rather uncommon with Indonesian maids.

Thai, Nepalese, Sri Lanka and Indian maids are less readily available in the local job market. Chance of picking a suitable Indonesian or Philippine maid from the local pool is quite good.

When you hire someone who is locally available, the advantage is you can interview with them and have a better feel of the real person, and how they perform their duties. You can also call their previous employers for reference.

On the other hand, you can hire someone directly from overseas.

Employment Agencies usually have a number of Philippine and Indonesian maids on their file for your selection.

You can also do direct hiring of the Philippine and Indonesian maids introduced by your friends' maids. Direct hiring of Philippine maids is relative straight forward but for Indonesian maids, the process could become quite complicated. It is better to use an Employment Agency's service if you plan to do direct hiring of Indonesian maids.

Foreign domestic helpers without previous working experience in Hong Kong require a lot of training and patience. If you can afford the time, you have a better chance of finding someone who will follow your instructions strictly.

An older person without previous overseas working experience will have more difficulty adjusting to the work requirements in Hong Kong. In general, younger people, especially those who have previous overseas working experience can adjust better and quicker.

Many Philippine and Indonesian maids who previously worked in Singapore, Taiwan or the Middle East want to come to Hong Kong.

Maids who have worked in Singapore are considered to be more adaptable to Hong Kong due to cultural similarity of the two cities.

Maids who have Middle East working experience are used to strict rules. However, some worked in very big mansions with a high degree of division of labour, which means they may only perform 1 or 2 chores repeatedly all the time. Otherwise, they are used to hard work as the employers are usually quite strict.

Maids who have working experience in Taiwan are used to hard work and strict rules also. However, many of the maids actually spent more time working in factories and had little experience in house chores.

The advantage is they can speak and understand Mandarin Chinese. Indonesian maids in Taiwan tend to be mostly household worker while quite a few Philippine maids are actually working in factories and at home part time.

You can choose someone who has worked in Hong Kong before. Many of them returned home to get married and later decided to work in Hong Kong again to help out the family. This is particularly common with Philippine maids.