Questions to ask when interviewing a domestic helper

Are you looking for a 菲傭? Then during the interview, you might be tempted to ask a lot of questions, but the answers you get might end up overwhelming you. You might not even remember the details you are given.  

The following checklist can help in knowing what to ask and thus, making the selection process to be much more comfortable.  You might find it hard to recall all the questions of the head and therefore, reasonable to write them down as you head for the interview.

The background of the maid

Your maid is going to become part of your family, and she will be the household manager. You will need to ask her about her previous experience and if she has ever worked as a foreign maid before and her background. 

Where is she coming from?  Why is she at the moment interested in being employed as a foreign maid? What is her immediate current job, and why is she leaving the employer?  Are her going reasons from her previous employer related to the arrangements of living, or does she feel that she is being overworked?

Experience and duties

After the preliminary questions, you are free to ask her questions to enable you to find more details about the history of employment. You can start with an open-ended question that will give more than just a yes or no answer.  You have to ask the maid about her daily tasks as an employee.

What the type of chores that she gets involved in for her employer? If it is relevant to you, ask her about her experience with children. How does she manage when it comes to the weekly food menu? Does she design her duties every week, or does her employer draw the plan? What about her rest day arrangements?

Challenging scenario and situational questions

Most of the interviews will be regarding the experiences and skills of the helper. You can as well leave some room to ask some challenging questions about what you anticipate in the future. ask her questions like: 

If situation X happens, what are you likely to do? It could be as simple as If you were cooking and then the stove exploded, what would be your reaction? If the child, while riding, fell off from the bike, what will be your reaction? If my boy became rude or naughty to you, what will be your reaction?

Mutual interview

The candidate has a right to decide if they want to work for you or not. That is why there is a need for you to smile and ensure you bring out the best side of you but in a professional way. For you to be able to allow the 菲傭, you will have to do an introduction of your children, your lifestyle, your pets as well as other tasks that you expect them to handle. You have to ask the candidate if they have any questions that they would wish to ask.

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