Knowing how to choose a maid is less about luck and more about method. Most families who end up with the wrong helper did not pick a bad person. They compared candidates loosely, interviewed without a plan and only discovered a mismatch in the first month. This guide gives you a shortlisting process you can reuse every time: set your non-negotiables, score profiles consistently, interview with purpose, check practical skills and references, and confirm the Singapore rules before you commit.
The process works whether you are hiring a first-time helper from overseas, a transfer helper already in Singapore, or someone with specific childcare or eldercare experience. It also works whether you search on your own or with a licensed agency.
Step 1: Define your non-negotiables first
Before you open a single profile, write a short, precise role summary. Think of it as your reference point for every decision that follows. The Ministry of Manpower’s own interview tips for employers start in the same place: be clear on your household’s requirements and make a list that prioritises them.
Cover these basics:
- Household profile: the number and ages of children, any seniors, pets, allergies and any special needs.
- Schedule coverage: mornings and evenings, school runs, weekends, overnight care and family travel.
- Languages and communication: the level needed for daily instructions and, more importantly, for safety.
- Skills emphasis: infant care, eldercare, the kind of cooking your family eats, housekeeping standards and pet care.
- Your home: the number of rooms and toilets, the size of the flat or house, and how many storeys she will clean.
- Accommodation and privacy: where she will sleep, bathroom access and quiet hours. MOM’s accommodation guidelines say she must not share a bedroom with a male adult or teenager, so settle this before you interview.
Summarise it in five to eight lines. You will use this summary to judge every profile, and it stops you being distracted by nice-to-haves.
Step 2: Check basic eligibility before you fall for a profile
Check MOM’s eligibility requirements for migrant domestic workers before you shortlist anyone:
- She must be female and aged 23 to below 50 when the Work Permit application is made. Helpers aged 50 and above can only renew their permits, up to age 60.
- She needs at least 8 years of formal education with a recognised certificate.
- She must come from an approved source country or region, which includes the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar and India.
- She must not be related to you, and must work at your NRIC-registered address.
On your side, MOM’s employer requirements include being 21 or older and not an undischarged bankrupt. First-time employers must complete the Employers’ Orientation Programme at least two working days before the Work Permit application. Our first-time employer’s guide covers these steps in more detail.
Step 3: Build a scoring framework to shortlist the right helper
A good framework keeps your evaluation fair and repeatable, especially when several family members have opinions. Assign weights that reflect your priorities. A sensible starting point is:
- Skills and certifications: 30%
- Experience and tenure stability: 20%
- Communication and comprehension: 20%
- Reliability and references: 15%
- Temperament and fit with your household: 15%
Score each candidate from 1 to 5 in each category, divide by 5 and multiply by the weight. A 4 for skills gives 24 out of 30, for instance. Add the five results for an overall score out of 100 that you can compare side by side. Adjust the weights to suit your household.
Add pass or fail gates to save time. A candidate who fails any of these does not get scored at all:
- She is eligible to work and her documents are valid.
- She agrees to your rest day arrangement, basic house rules and food arrangements.
- She is comfortable with your essential tasks, such as infant night feeds, dementia care or handling a large dog.
Step 4: Choose your sourcing channel and read profiles properly
You can search directly or through a licensed agency. MOM’s 8 steps to hiring a helper puts it plainly: direct hiring could be more affordable, but it requires more effort on your part. If you use an agency, check that it appears in MOM’s employment agencies directory, because engaging an unlicensed agency is an offence. Licensed agencies typically provide profiles with work histories and skills notes, interview coordination and reference facilitation, and written policies on fees and replacements. Our comparison of agency versus direct hiring sets out the trade-offs.
What to look for in a profile
- Experience fit: direct experience with your top priorities, such as newborn care, mobility assistance or halal cooking. A long work history means little if it does not match your needs.
- Tenure patterns: stability matters. Two or more very short stints can be a warning sign, so ask the reasons for leaving. One short tenure with a clear, reasonable explanation is different from a pattern.
- Skills evidence: certificates such as infant first aid or food hygiene, letters from past employers, or successful trial tasks all signal readiness.
- Accuracy: MOM notes that an agency must give you her detailed biodata, and suggests asking how the agency verified details such as her age and years of education.
Red flags to note
- Vague duties and dates that do not line up.
- Unexplained gaps in employment.
- References that are generic or impossible to verify.
- A salary request far above what similar candidates ask, with no skills to explain it. MOM sets no minimum salary for helpers, so compare against your own shortlist and our 2026 salary guide.
Judge each profile as an individual. Nationality tells you nothing reliable about one person’s skills or temperament.
Step 5: Interview with a clear structure
A focused interview reveals more than any profile. MOM suggests meeting in person where possible, or by video or phone otherwise. Use this flow and keep it to around 40 minutes:
- Rapport, about 5 minutes: introductions, a quick overview of your home and what matters to your family. Ask about her background and religious practices.
- Scenario questions, 15 to 20 minutes:
- Childcare: “A toddler refuses to nap and throws a tantrum. What do you do?”
- Eldercare: “How would you manage medication timing and mobility assistance for a senior who is at risk of falling?”
- Housekeeping: “Plan a weekly cleaning schedule for a three-bedroom flat, including one deep-clean task per day.”
- Cooking: “Create a three-day menu with balanced meals and a shopping list.”
- Expectations and logistics, 5 to 10 minutes: rest days, festivals, phone use, privacy, food and how household money is handled. Share your detailed job scope and the standards you expect.
- Check understanding, about 5 minutes: ask her to repeat a key routine back to you. Listen for clarity and for whether she asks questions.
You are not testing grammar. You are testing comprehension, safety awareness and the ability to ask when unsure. Remember the interview is two-way: she also needs clear information to decide whether your home suits her, so do not rush it. For warning signs during the conversation, see our guide to interview red flags.
Step 6: Validate practical skills without a full trial
You do not need an in-home trial to spot competence. Small, concrete tasks work well:
- Meal planning: ask for a three-day family menu with preparation steps and a simple grocery plan. Discuss food hygiene and how she stores leftovers in Singapore’s heat.
- Cleaning plan: request a room-by-room weekly schedule, including laundry cycles and how she deals with stains.
- Safety basics: talk through gas and electrical safety, storing chemicals away from children, and balcony and window rules. Under MOM rules she must not clean the outside of a window unless it has a grille that is locked throughout the cleaning and an adult supervises, so check she understands why.
- Organisation: ask how she would label pantry items, rotate toys and books, and manage school bags and lunches.
Step 7: Check references and employment history
References help you confirm what you have seen. Keep the call short, with five to seven questions at most:
- Was she reliable and punctual?
- How was her communication, and did she ask when unsure?
- What were her hygiene and food safety habits like?
- Can you give a specific example of her childcare or eldercare routine?
- Why did she leave, and would you rehire her?
Some employers are busy or cautious and give short, neutral answers. Look for consistency across more than one reference, and for patterns that match or contradict her own account. MOM also notes that you can check a helper’s employment history yourself by logging in to FDW eService with Singpass, or ask your agency for it.
Step 8: Confirm the transfer rules and agree terms before you decide
If your top candidate is a transfer helper, check two things early. MOM’s transfer process requires her current employer’s consent, and her Work Permit must be valid for more than 30 days with her six-monthly medical examination done. Without consent, the transfer cannot go ahead, however good the fit. Our guide to selecting a transfer maid goes further.
Before you make an offer, put the essentials in writing: salary, rest days, duties and notice. If you use an agency, MOM advises making sure it records what both sides shared and confirmed, which prevents misunderstandings later. It also helps to know that if the helper’s employment ends within the first six months, MOM requires agencies to refund at least 50% of the service fee, subject to conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many profiles should be on my shortlist?
Three to five profiles is a good shortlist, because more than five tends to cause indecision, while fewer than three gives you too little to compare against your scoring framework.
What matters more, years of experience or communication?
Both matter, but communication and comprehension often decide long-term success and safety, so a moderately experienced helper who understands instructions and asks clarifying questions can outperform a veteran who does not.
Is a transfer helper faster to onboard?
A transfer helper is usually faster to onboard because she is already in Singapore, but her current employer must consent to the transfer through MOM, and you should still check her fit, her reasons for leaving and her references.
How do I test cooking skills without a full trial?
Ask for a three-day meal plan with a grocery list and preparation steps, discuss food hygiene and storage, and ask previous employers specifically about her cooking, or for photos of dishes she cooks regularly.
What if my top candidate asks for more than my budget?
Ask what the request is based on, such as specialist skills, night feeds or caregiving training, and if it is justified either adjust the job scope and budget or consider a close second who meets all your essentials within budget.
Conclusion
Choosing a helper well comes down to a few habits: write your non-negotiables first, check eligibility early, score every candidate the same way, interview with real scenarios, and confirm what you heard through references and small practical tasks.
Rules change, so confirm current requirements on the MOM website before you apply. If you would like help, we share maid profiles on request at our maids page, and you can read how we match families with helpers.
If you would like a second pair of eyes on your shortlist, we are happy to help you compare candidates against your family’s needs. You can get in touch with the Femme5 team to discuss your family’s needs, read more about how we work with employers, or explore what a good placement looks like.
The Femme5 Team
Maid placement specialists, Femme5 Maid Agency
Our consultants work with Singaporean and expatriate families on helper matching, contracts and MOM compliance, and we verify the regulatory guidance in our articles directly against the Ministry of Manpower’s published requirements.
