Communication before shortlisting
Assess English communication during the interview, not from a biodata tick or a nationality label. The question is whether she can understand and carry out your household's daily instructions in English, ask for clarification when she is unsure, and communicate clearly about the children, meals, elderly parent or household routine in your home. That depends on the actual person, not her passport. Use these interview prompts to check practical communication, then record what you observed and what still needs confirming.
Share your household duties, who gives instructions and what language you use at home. Apex checks which available helpers fit that communication need.
Biodata is hosted on SearchMaid and may require a login. You can request a shortlist directly on WhatsApp.
By APEX Maids Agency Pte. Ltd. · MOM EA Licence 25C3180 · UEN 202547196H. Based in Jurong West and serving households across Singapore. Our website is apexmaids.sg and our phone is 8405 6661.
A household that uses English does not need an English teacher. It needs someone who can follow a multi-step instruction about a child's school routine, ask a question when a recipe is unclear, tell you clearly what happened during the day and understand a safety warning the first time. Use a focused conversation with practical examples from your own home to explore that difference; the prompts are not a timed or certified assessment.
Do not penalise an accent, shyness on camera, a slow answer given in clear words, or a connection problem during a video call. Asking you to repeat a question can be a sensible way to avoid misunderstanding. A confident candidate who answers quickly without addressing what you asked may need a different kind of check.
Separate two levels when you assess communication:
The interview prompts below test both levels. Use examples from your own home so the answers are directly relevant.
Give the candidate time to think. Invite her to ask for clarification. Record what you actually heard, not what you hoped to hear.
Suggested prompt: "The child comes home from school at 2 pm. She needs to change, wash her hands, eat the lunch you prepared, and then do her homework at the table while you tidy the kitchen. If the homework instructions are unclear, ask me before starting. Can you describe what you would do in that order?"
Listen for: correct sequence, whether she asks about unclear homework instructions, whether she asks anything about the lunch or the homework.
Suggested prompt: "I will leave a note on the fridge each morning with tonight's dinner. The note will say the dish name and how many people are eating. If you do not understand a word on the note, what would you do?"
Listen for: whether she would ask you, check a photo or guess. A good answer includes asking for help rather than assuming.
Suggested prompt: "On Tuesday mornings we have a visitor coming at 10 am. I need the living room vacuumed, the guest bathroom checked and fresh towels put out before then. You also need to prepare lunch for the children by 12. How would you plan your morning?"
Listen for: a workable order, whether she identifies a potential time conflict and how she would tell you if she cannot finish both.
Suggested prompt: "The washing machine stops before the cycle finishes. How would you explain the problem to me, and what would you want to ask before continuing the laundry?"
Listen for a clear description of what happened and a request for instructions. This is a communication prompt, not an equipment-repair test.
Suggested prompt: Give a deliberately unclear instruction: "Please sort the things in the blue box." Then pause. A candidate who asks "Which blue box?" or "Sort by what?" is demonstrating exactly the communication skill you need.
If she does not ask, follow up: "What would you do if I gave you an instruction and you were not sure what I meant?" Her answer to this follow-up matters more than whether she guessed the first time.
Suggested prompt: "Tell me about a normal weekday in your last household. What did you do from morning to evening?" Let her talk without interrupting. Record how clearly she describes the routine, the duties and who she was responsible for.
Suggested prompt: "I planned to return at 6 pm, but I now expect to arrive at 7 pm. Dinner is already prepared. What would you ask me, and how would you explain the change to another adult at home?"
Listen for what she understood, what is still uncertain and how she checks the revised plan. Assess communication separately from whether your workload plan is workable.
The interview tells you how the candidate communicates on this call, with these questions, at this moment. It does not tell you how she communicates after three months in your home when she is comfortable and familiar with the routine. Do not rely on improvement that has not happened. Record what you observed, what support is available and whether her present communication meets your essential duties.
It also does not tell you about her care skills, cooking ability, work ethic or character. Those are separate checks. Use the full interview checklist for duties and the biodata guide to compare what is on the profile with what you learn in the conversation.
If the helper needs to communicate with an elderly parent who speaks English, include that person's typical requests in the interview prompts. If the parent uses Mandarin, Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese or another language alongside English, that is a different communication assessment. See the elderly care language guide for dialect and Mandarin considerations.
An agency or family member who translates during the interview is helping the candidate, but it also hides the communication gap. If you need the helper to work independently in English, conduct at least part of the interview without a translator. Note which instructions she understood directly and which needed help. A candidate who follows most of the household prompts with occasional clarification is in a different position from one who cannot engage without continuous translation.
For each candidate, record what she understood directly, where she asked for clarification, where she needed translation and what you still want to check. Use the comparison labels from the interview checklist: explained in interview, supported by evidence and needs checking.
If a previous employer can be contacted through the agency, asking about communication in daily household work is a practical reference question. See the reference check guide for how to arrange and ask those questions properly. Compare each candidate against the same household instructions rather than ranking nationalities.
Open Apex's listing on SearchMaid and choose Indonesian or Filipino in Nationality to browse profiles, then ask Apex to arrange interviews so you can assess communication directly.
MOM's hiring guidance recommends interviewing candidates to ensure the right fit and asking detailed questions about biodata, employment history and the duties relevant to your household. MOM also advises choosing an agency that verifies relevant skills and matches candidates to the household. The interview prompts above are editorial suggestions for assessing English communication in a household context. They are not a clinical assessment, a certified language test or a guarantee of fluency. Source check: 19 October 2026.
Prepare practical interview prompts and compare English communication for each candidate.
Communication is a skill you test in the interview, not a nationality you select from a filter.
Questions
Communication varies from person to person. Interview each candidate using practical household instructions in English and record what she understood, where she asked for clarification and where she needed help. Do not rely on nationality as a proxy for language ability.
Give her a multi-step household instruction from your own routine and ask her to describe it back. Check whether she identifies the correct sequence, asks about anything unclear and can explain what she would do if something changed. Record specific observations rather than a general impression.
Not automatically. Compare each candidate's actual communication in the interview. A Filipino candidate may or may not communicate more comfortably in English than an Indonesian or Myanmar candidate for your particular household instructions. Test the person, not the nationality.
Note which questions the candidate understands directly and which need translation. If your household needs independent English communication, use part of the conversation to check that directly. Decide whether her present communication and the support you can provide meet the role; do not assume future improvement.
Tell Apex your household duties, who gives instructions and the language used at home. Apex will check current suitable options and arrange video interviews so you can assess communication directly. Confirm availability separately. A published language rating is not a substitute for your own interview observations.
Talk to us
Tell us who gives instructions at home, the duties and the language your household uses. Ask us to check current suitable options and interview arrangements.
