SIP is a compliance day — not a household orientation you invent
When a first-time migrant domestic worker (MDW / FDW) arrives in Singapore, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) requires her to attend the Settling-In Programme (SIP) before she can start work. SIP is a one-day orientation run by MOM-appointed training providers. It is not the same as your family’s house-rules walkthrough, not the Employer Orientation Programme (EOP) you may have completed as a first-time employer, and not something SmartMaid books for you.
This page is an employer prep guide for SIP: who must attend, what you are responsible for in the SIP window, what she typically learns, how the household should prepare around travel and rest, and how SIP sits next to arrival medical and Work Permit issuance. It is not a fee list, not a full hiring journey map, and not a substitute for MOM’s live SIP page or your licensed employment agency (EA).
Hard rule: do not invent SIP course fees or “typical $” training costs from this article. Provider fees change — confirm with your EA and on MOM / the appointed provider.
- First-time hire overview (different article): How to hire a domestic helper in Singapore
- Before she arrives (home readiness): Preparing your home before your domestic helper arrives
- After she lives with you (fortnight onboarding): First two weeks with a new domestic helper — onboarding tips
- WP paperwork cluster: Work Permit application employer checklist
- Overseas / fresh hire clock: New/fresh MDWs from home country — longer timelines explained
- This article: employer prep around the SIP day and window
SmartMaid.com.sg is a search marketplace. You browse and shortlist biodata published by licensed agencies; SmartMaid is a maid search platform and does not register SIP slots, escort helpers to training centres, or issue Work Permits. See How Smart Maid Singapore differs from a maid agency.
What SIP is (in plain employer language)
| Point | MOM rules (always check the latest) |
|---|---|
| What | A 1-day Settling-In Programme for first-time MDWs |
| Why | Orient her to living and working safely in Singapore before she starts household duties |
| Language | Usually conducted in the MDW’s native language |
| When she may start work | Only after she has attended SIP |
| Who pays / books | Employer / EA arrange registration with an appointed provider — confirm current process with your EA |
SIP is about Singapore systems, safety, employment conditions, and stress/relationship basics. It does not replace your duty to show her *your* kitchen, children’s allergies, rest-day calendar, or Wi‑Fi password. Those remain household onboarding — see our guide Preparing Your Home Before Your Domestic Helper Arrives (before arrival) and our guide First Two Weeks with a New Domestic Helper: Onboarding Tips (first fortnight living together).
Who must attend (and who usually does not)
Must attend (typical rule): MDWs who are first-time workers in Singapore — i.e. new to working here as an MDW under MOM’s definition of “first-time.”
Often does not need the same SIP path: helpers with prior Singapore MDW experience / many transfer cases — but do not guess. Ask your licensed EA to confirm against her profile and MOM’s current check. Rules and edge cases (e.g. foreign employers bringing their own MDW) belong on MOM’s FAQ pages, not in blog certainty.
Quick employer habit
- When the IPA / placement is confirmed, ask the EA in writing: “Does she need SIP?”
- If yes, ask for the target SIP date, provider, and who registers.
- If no, still keep arrival medical + WP issuance on the calendar — SIP is only one compliance step. Arrival medical: Pre-employment medical check — timing after your helper arrives.
EOP (employer side) is a different programme. First-time *employers* often need EOP before applying for a Work Permit; first-time *helpers* need SIP after arrival. Do not treat “I finished EOP” as “she can skip SIP.”
Employer responsibilities around the SIP window
You (as employer of record) and your licensed EA share logistics. SmartMaid does none of the following.
Typically your / EA’s side of the work
| Duty | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Confirm whether SIP applies to *her* | Avoid day-of surprises |
| Register early for a slot inside MOM’s window | Slots fill; late registration risks missing the deadline |
| Keep arrival day separate from SIP day | MOM advises she should not attend SIP on the same day she arrives — she needs rest to learn |
| Prepare required documents for the training centre | Incomplete docs can mean she is turned away |
| Protect the SIP date on the household calendar | Do not stack heavy solo childcare, deep-clean marathons, or guest hosting on SIP day |
| Do not assign her to start full duties before SIP is done | MOM rule: she can start work only after attending SIP |
Documents commonly required at the centre (verify with provider / EA — lists can change):
- Full set of her In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter
- Her passport
- Copy of her educational certificate (providers may check minimum education requirements)
- Copy of her digital arrival card (ICA)
Ask the EA who prints / packs the set and who escorts her. Do not assume she can navigate an unfamiliar training centre alone on day 2 in Singapore without a plan.
If she misses SIP inside the window: MOM consequence is severe — Work Permit may not be issued and she may have to be sent home. Treat the deadline as hard. Confirm the live wording on MOM’s SIP FAQ pages with your EA.
What she learns (so you know what not to re-lecture incorrectly)
SIP modules (high-level, per MOM) typically cover:
- Adapting to working and living in Singapore
- Conditions of employment
- Working safely
- Relationship and stress management
She may also hear about legal consequences of serious offences, mental-wellbeing resources, and helplines. That is good — it does not mean she arrives “trained for your exact household.”
How employers should use that knowledge
- Do not contradict MOM safety basics (“ignore the fire exit; we never use it”).
- Do add household-specific detail SIP cannot teach: your children’s names, elder medication times, pet routines, condo rules, preferred cooking oil.
- Expect her to ask clarifying questions after SIP — that is engagement, not defiance. Our guide First Two Weeks with a New Domestic Helper: Onboarding Tips covers calm week-1 / week-2 feedback once she lives with you.
How the household should prepare (around SIP, not instead of it)
SIP is one day. The household still needs a soft landing before and after.
Before she flies / before SIP day
- Finish room, keys, Wi‑Fi, and draft house rules — home prep checklist.
- Align with the EA on arrival date → rest → SIP date → arrival medical → WP issuance sequence (exact order can vary; ask your EA for *her* plan).
- Brief family members: SIP day she is out for training, not “off for fun.” Protect coverage for children / elders.
- Pack a simple day bag plan with the EA: documents, water, phone with your number saved, transport arrangement.
On arrival day (not SIP day)
- Prioritise rest, water, bathroom, sleeping space — not a full duty dump.
- Confirm SIP slot aloud with her and the EA coordinator.
- Do not send her to SIP exhausted from same-day travel.
Evening after SIP
- Light meal, early rest, short “how was class?” check-in.
- Save detailed house-rules reinforcement for the next calm block — our guide First Two Weeks with a New Domestic Helper: Onboarding Tips days 1–3 orientation guidance.
Overseas / fresh hires often have longer pre-arrival clocks (training in source country, medicals, flights). SIP still sits after Singapore arrival. See longer timelines for new/fresh MDWs so you do not confuse source-country prep with SIP.
Timing vs arrival — a simple employer calendar
Use this as a conversation template with your EA (verify live MOM windows; do not treat blog days as law):
| Milestone | Employer focus |
|---|---|
| IPA issued / flight booked | Ask: SIP required? Which provider? Who registers? |
| Arrival day | Rest + documents ready; no SIP same day |
| Within MOM’s SIP window (soft: within 7 days of arrival, excluding Sunday and public holidays — confirm on MOM) | She attends the 1-day SIP |
| After SIP | She may start work only then (MOM); continue arrival medical / WP issuance steps with EA |
| First fortnight at home | Living-together onboarding — first two weeks tips |
Public holidays and Sundays affect how the window is counted — ask the EA to map her arrival date to a concrete SIP booking, not a vague “sometime next week.”
Paperwork context around IPA / WP: Work Permit application employer checklist. Do not deep-link IPA twin URLs that 301 into this SIP page.
— who does what for SIP
| Task | SmartMaid (marketplace) | Licensed EA | You (employer) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Browse / shortlist biodata | Yes | Publishes biodata | Shortlist + interview |
| Confirm SIP eligibility for *her* | No | Yes (primary) | Ask and record the answer |
| Register / pay SIP provider | No | Often coordinates | Employer of record; confirm who pays / books |
| Escort / documents on SIP day | No | Often arranges | Ensure docs + calendar coverage at home |
| Issue Work Permit | No | Guides filing | Employer account / MOM steps with EA |
| House rules & fortnight onboarding | No | Aftercare per contract | Your daily household |
Related agency expectations: Working with a maid agency in Singapore — what to expect · What to ask a maid agency before you sign.
Copyable SIP prep checklist
- [ ] EA confirmed in writing whether this MDW needs SIP
- [ ] SIP provider + date booked inside MOM’s window
- [ ] Arrival day ≠ SIP day (rest buffer planned)
- [ ] Document pack ready (IPA full set, passport, education cert copy, digital arrival card copy)
- [ ] Who escorts her / transport plan named
- [ ] Household coverage for children / elders on SIP day
- [ ] No full-duty start scheduled before SIP completion
- [ ] Arrival medical + WP issuance next steps diarised with EA
- [ ] Room / keys / Wi‑Fi ready (#12 home prep)
- [ ] First-fortnight living plan ready (#16 onboarding)
FAQ
Is SIP the same as EOP?
EOP is typically for first-time employers before they apply for a Work Permit. SIP is for first-time MDWs after they arrive in Singapore. Different audience, different day, different providers.
Can she start cooking and childcare the morning she lands?
MOM framing: she should attend SIP within the required window and may start work only after SIP. Same-day arrival + SIP is also discouraged so she can rest. Protect rest and the booked slot.
Does every transfer maid need SIP?
Not automatically. Transfer / ex-Singapore profiles often differ from true first-timers. Confirm for her name with your EA against MOM’s current check — do not assume from biodata labels alone. Biodata reading: Reading a maid biodata — 8 things employers should check.
What if she fails to attend within the window?
MOM: Work Permit may not be issued and she may be sent home. Escalate immediately to your EA; do not “hope MOM overlooks it.”
Can SmartMaid book SIP?
SmartMaid is a smart maid search platform. SIP registration runs through appointed providers via you / your licensed EA.
Where does SIP sit vs the full first-time hire journey?
SIP is one post-arrival compliance step. For the wider sequence (search → agency → IPA → arrival → medical → WP), use the first-time employer guide and the WP checklist.
Next steps
- Ask your licensed EA whether your selected helper needs SIP and request the booked date in writing.
- Finish home prep so arrival + SIP rest are not competing with “where do I sleep?”
- Keep WP checklist and arrival medical timing on the same timeline board.
- After SIP, follow first two weeks onboarding for living-together routines.
- Still shortlisting? Search maids · transfer maids — then let a licensed EA run placement and SIP logistics.
- Confirm live SIP rules on mom.gov.sg — Settling-in Programme (SIP).
This article is general employer guidance only. SIP eligibility, timing windows, provider lists, document requirements, and Work Permit consequences can change. Confirm current requirements with your licensed employment agency and on mom.gov.sg.
