Does Age Matter when Employing a Maid in Singapore?

Does Age Matter when Employing a Maid in Singapore?

Absolutely, yes.

Depending on the reason for hiring your helper, here are some important age-related factors you could consider:

What is your family’s primary need to be met, in hiring your helper?

If your reason for Hiring a Maid is caring for a newborn, a helper with age could come with more experience, especially when she has had experience taking care of other children of similar ages throughout her course of work overseas.

However, if you are alright to hire a younger helper who has had taken care of her own kid since birth, and she’s willing and able to do the tiring night feeding shifts with you and be trained by you, then hiring a younger helper could also fulfill your hiring objective!

Likewise, if your family requires a helper who is able to communicate in a slower pace to care for an elderly in your family, you may want to consider if a middle-aged helper would help bridge that comfortable communication and help the elderly in your family feel more at ease during caregiving.

However, if you prefer a younger helper who has had similar elderly care experience, adjusting easily to an elderly’s supposed temperaments, and having more energy to tend to the elderly throughout the day, hiring a younger helper could also fulfill your hiring objective!

What are some of the toughest parts of your helper’s jobscope?

Before hiring, think through your helper’s work routine and her daily schedule.

Would it involve climbing a few storeys to carry out heavy general household cleaning daily? And if so, how often do you require your helper to clean (and which parts of) the house? Make the extent of work clear to her. Housekeeping requires a lot of physical activity. Is this something she can handle?

Now consider her age. Would age eventually play a part in the short run? It is always good to help your helper better envision her daily schedule, so that you can help make a better choice if she is suited to work in your household or not.

And if she feels she is suitable to work in your household, what age is considered too young or too old based on your own preference?

Have a frank interview with your shortlisted helper(s).

If it is an older helper you’re looking to interview to hire, you may wish to establish how she prefers to be called.

Ask her too if she has ever changed her job previously because of age-related matters. Remember, it is always good to explain your job-scope in detail from the onset.

Also, you might want to ask your helper if she has had any similar experiences in the past, where she had to change her job. And if so, for what reason(s)?

Mentally check in if any could be age-related matters, and that would be a better gauge for you to decide if she is suitable to work in your household.

Your Personal Experience

Have you hired a younger helper or an older helper before? Based on your personal experience, how did that employment relationship go? If you have never hired a helper before, are you willing and ready to learn on-the-go with the helper of your choice?

Commitments that come with Age

What are your helper’s commitments back home? What are your helper’s motivations to work? An older helper may have more commitments (eg. family, dependents and installments to support back home) than one who is young and single.

But remember, age does not necessarily determine that a younger helper does not have any motivation.

Find out more from your helper – what motivates her to travel overseas all the way to Singapore to work?

What are her plans for the near future?

Remember, you know your household best.

There are certainly differences with age (big or small), even we feel it. Hence, it’s always good to prioritise your family’s and your potential’s helper’s needs from the on-set.

With this needs well-communicated, your trusted maid agency can then better source for you a helper that is more suitable for your family’s needs based on your preferred age requirements.

When a helper’s age is more suited for the job, the chances of a successful employment relationship are higher.