Before she starts
Your helper keeps her own phone. MOM’s published guidance supports access, practical safety discussions, feasible family-call arrangements and household privacy. Use the worksheet below to discuss expectations together. It is a planning aid, not a contract or a statement of Apex’s house rules.
Describe your daily duties and communication needs when requesting a shortlist. Discuss the proposed household arrangements with the candidate as well.
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.
MOM’s Ask Jaya column on phone access treats the device as the helper’s personal property. It recommends discussing safety during duties, workable call times, unexpected urgent calls and permission before sharing household photos or information. These are published guidance points, not a new phone-use statute.
The 2 February 2018 employment-agency alert also tells agencies to explain that helpers retain their phones and can use them during rest hours. The alert’s date matters: it is not a new 2026 regulation.
Before choosing a candidate, describe your actual day. For example, explain when you need direct communication about school collection or a family member’s routine. Ask how she would manage those communications alongside personal calls. A useful discussion checks mutual understanding; a promise to accept a blanket phone ban is not evidence that someone is a good match.
For an Indonesian helper shortlist or a Filipino helper enquiry, assess the individual’s communication in the interview. Do not assume phone habits or language ability from nationality.
Original informal planning prompts: not a contract, legal waiver, consent form or Apex policy. Print or copy the table and complete it together. This page has no form and collects none of your answers.
On a small screen, swipe across the table to read both columns. Keyboard users can focus the table area and use the arrow keys.
| Discussion prompt | Notes to agree together |
|---|---|
| Access and custody | How will she keep and reach her own phone without handing it over? |
| Tasks needing attention | Which specific tasks need uninterrupted attention? How can a call wait until the situation is safe? |
| Family calls | Which times work for her family’s routine and time zone? What flexibility is needed? |
| An urgent call | How will she alert you, pause the task safely and contact family when something unexpected happens? |
| Photos and messages | Whose permission is needed before sharing pictures or details of the household? |
| Rest and personal time | How will the daily plan leave time to rest and contact people outside the household? |
| Reviewing the arrangement | When will both people discuss what is practical and what needs changing? |
Copy the prompts into your own notes, then add both people’s answers. The suggested questions do not create employment terms.
Read the notes with your household schedule and first-week checklist. If the plan leaves no practical personal time, revisit the workload rather than expecting the phone discussion to solve it. Make sure the explanation is understood; agreement on a page is not proof of understanding.
Keep the rest-day arrangements separate. For home recording devices, use the CCTV and privacy guide. This worksheet does not determine internet-payment obligations or replace advice on a specific employment dispute.
Describe the particular task or misunderstanding, ask for her explanation and revisit the notes together. Avoid turning a disagreement into taking the phone away, reading private messages or monitoring personal calls. For an unresolved employment issue, check the appropriate MOM guidance or seek advice on the actual circumstances.
Keep access to her own phone separate from the discussion about when and how it is used.
Questions
No. It is an informal discussion aid, not a contract, legal waiver, consent form or Apex policy. Use it to record questions and revisit practical arrangements together.
Describe your actual daily communication needs during the interview and ask the candidate to explain her understanding. Assess the individual rather than assuming phone habits from nationality.
No. Discuss permissions for sharing household photos separately from any recording devices at home. The CCTV and privacy guide addresses that different topic.
Talk to us
Share your main duties, daily language and preferred start date. Apex can discuss its current shortlist and the hiring process; confirm the individual candidate’s availability.
