First hire, clear path
How to hire a domestic helper in Singapore: a first-time employer guide is a practical sequence: confirm you can hire, write the job brief, shortlist on a marketplace, interview, then complete placement through a licensed employment agency (EA) under soft Ministry of Manpower (MOM) rules. Soft MOM: mom.gov.sg.
SmartMaid.com.sg is a marketplace for biodata. Platform ≠ agency — see how SmartMaid differs from a maid agency (unique #82).
Step 1 — Confirm eligibility and household readiness
- Check live MOM employer eligibility for your household
- Align co-employers on budget process (discuss figures only via EA quotes — no invented $ here)
- Decide care load: infant / elderly / cooking / general
- Plan the helper’s room, rest day, and privacy basics
If medical-condition eligibility questions apply, verify with EA/MOM — don’t self-diagnose from forums.
Step 2 — Choose transfer vs overseas-new
Pick based on calendar and training capacity: transfer vs overseas new hire (unique #83).
Step 3 — Write a one-page job brief
- Daily duties and must-haves
- Language minimum for safety
- Rest-day expectation (soft MOM weekly rest)
- Hard nos
Both decision-makers sign off before browsing.
Step 4 — Search and shortlist
Browse on Search maids, filter by skills/availability, favourite with notes: shortlist before interview (unique #76). Skills first — no nationality ranking.
Step 5 — Interview with a scorecard
- Duty walk-through
- Language echo test
- Rest-day / phone boundaries
- Why she is available
Interview a small set, not twenty maybes (how many to interview).
Step 6 — Choose the EA process, then the helper
Enquire via the listing EA. Ask replacement/policy questions, confirm licence (soft MOM directory), read contract key clauses (#69), arrange insurance/bond (#70).
Step 7 — Work Pass and arrival / start
Follow EA instructions for documents, medical, and start timing. Keep copies in your employment file (#66).
Step 8 — Onboard in week one
- Day-one orientation / house rules
- Stove, chemicals, childproofing as relevant
- Food prefs and rest-day written note
- First-month check-in habit
See first-two-weeks onboarding and SIP/EOP guides already on site for depth.
Soft MOM + safety
Confirm live rules on mom.gov.sg. Marketplace ≠ agency. Emergency: 995 / 999.
First-timer checklist
- [ ] Eligibility checked
- [ ] Brief written
- [ ] Path chosen (transfer/overseas)
- [ ] Shortlist + interviews done
- [ ] Licensed EA + contract + insurance/bond
- [ ] Work Pass steps followed
- [ ] Week-one onboarding planned
- [ ] No invented $; no nationality stereotypes
- [ ] Platform ≠ agency
Scripts
To EA: We’re first-time employers hiring for [duties]. Please explain timeline, fees in a written quote, and next interview slots for these biodata.
To co-employer: No offer until we’ve both watched the interview and read the contract clusters.
Bottom line
How to hire a domestic helper in Singapore (first time): brief → search/shortlist → interview → licensed EA/Work Pass → onboard. Use SmartMaid to discover biodata; use a licensed agency for employment compliance under soft MOM rules.
Related employer guides: FDW levy · salary and total cost · Work Permit checklist.
Last reviewed: August 2026. Employment rules change — confirm current requirements on mom.gov.sg.
