Ask Andreas: How Can I Hire A Part Time Helper?

We have the best Agony Uncle at Sassy Mama – Andreas is the author of one of our most-recommended books: Hiring & Managing Domestic Help. It’s an absolute must-have for Hong Kong mamas and you can buy it here!

This week Andreas, our expert extraordinaire when it comes to all things helper related, tells one mama how to hire a part time helper.

I’m looking for a part time helper, but I hear that helpers can’t enter into another contract if they have one already – is this true?  What is the deal with part time helpers and can I hire one legally?

First, definitions. When most people say “helper, they mean a “Foreign Domestic Helper” employed under a specific type of two-year contract. This is in contrast with “local helpers”, who are citizens or permanent residents and can work in any form (part-time, full-time, live-in, live-out). In the case of Foreign Domestic Helpers, they may only work under one contract and they may only work for that family (and in the residence or running errands for the family). Foreign Domestic Helpers may not live out or work for any other family, part-time or otherwise. There are heavy fines for employers (both the “actual” employer and the “part-time” employer) who are caught.

For more information, check out the Practical Guide For Employment of Foreign Domestic Helpers here where you can find details what both helpers and their employers should know.

For the only guide you’ll ever need on working with a helper, check out Andreas’ fab book ‘Hiring and Managing Domestic Help’ and buy it here.

 

Andreas Rosboch was born and raised in Sweden by an Italian father and a Swedish mother. He has been an expat for more than ten years and plans to keep it that way. He has spent most of his career in the information technology field, handling everything from brand management to customer support. He is the author of one of our most-recommended books Hiring & Managing Domestic Help – an absolute must-have for Hong Kong mamas (psst- and you can buy it here). He lives in Hong Kong with his wife, two children and dog.