Read before you sign — then file the PDF
The standard employment contract for MDWs (plus related agency paperwork) sets salary terms, rest days, duties, and how employment can end. Read key clauses with your licensed employment agency (EA) before you commit. Soft MOM: confirm live guidance on mom.gov.sg.
General guidance only, not legal advice. SmartMaid.com.sg is a marketplace. Platform ≠ agency.
Neighbouring hubs:
- Replacement policy questions to ask your agency (unique #25)
- Employer record-keeping for MDW employment files (unique #66)
- Creating a simple written house rules sheet (unique #32)
- Illegal deployment: where MDWs may and may not work (unique #68)
- This article: which contract clauses to slow down on
How to read with your EA (30–40 minutes)
- Ask for the full pack (employment contract + agency service pages that affect you)
- Read with your co-employer
- Get plain-English answers before signing
- Save the signed PDF in your employment folder
Cluster 1 — Parties, role, place of work
Confirm employer names, helper particulars, and that work is domestic work for your household (see illegal-deployment guide). If relatives expect to share her as their worker, fix that before signing.
Cluster 2 — Salary and payment (no public $ rates)
Read the salary as written in your contract, payment method/timing, rest-day pay language if any, and deduction clauses. Ask EA what is lawful. No invented $ rates on this page — numbers live in your EA quote and contract only.
Cluster 3 — Rest day and leave
Check weekly rest-day pattern, swap/compensation language, and any home-leave mentions. Soft MOM weekly rest — confirm live. House rules must not contradict the contract.
Cluster 4 — Duties and fairness
Duties should match your real load (infant nights, elderly care, cooking). If the PDF is light but your plan is heavy, rewrite the plan or do not sign. Fair workloads matter.
Cluster 5 — Notice, ending employment, agency terms
Ask EA to explain notice/ending pathways and how transfer/replacement interacts with the agency service agreement (separate from the employment contract). See replacement-policy questions hub.
Cluster 6 — Safety, welfare, medical touchpoints
Note welfare/safety language and medical/insurance references at a high level. Soft MOM + EA/insurer documents win on detail.
Verbal promises not in the PDF
If it matters, get it written — or do not rely on memory.
Soft MOM reminder
Confirm live on mom.gov.sg. Marketplace ≠ agency. Emergency: 995 / 999.
Copyable checklist
- [ ] Full pack received
- [ ] Parties / place of work correct
- [ ] Salary & payment read (your figures only)
- [ ] Rest day understood
- [ ] Duties match home
- [ ] Notice / ending explained
- [ ] PDF filed
- [ ] Platform ≠ agency
Sample scripts
To EA: Please walk us through rest day, duties, salary payment, and notice before we sign.
To co-employer: No signing until we both agree the duties match our home.
Bottom line
Slow down on parties, pay method, rest day, duties, notice, and welfare — with your EA — then file what you signed. Browse biodata on SmartMaid; contract work goes through a licensed agency under soft MOM rules.
