Ask Andreas: How Do I Hire A Helper ASAP?

If I need a new helper to start ASAP – literally right away – what are my options? When exactly is it that they are required to leave HK before a starting new job?  Am I looking for someone with a finished contract or one that left hers? I’m so confused!

Processing usually takes 3-10 weeks. For the lower end of that scale, you will need someone who is in Hong Kong already. Note that she needs to have ended her previous contract at end of term or with employers leaving HK. If she has a “broken contract” she must leave Hong Kong and come back, which puts things on par with a “new arrival”.

In any case it won’t be “right away”. If you need short term help, cleaning agencies like Merry Maids are available. Hiring a Foreign Domestic Helper part time while you wait is illegal.

For the only guide you’ll ever need on working with a helper, check out Andreas’ fab book ‘Hiring and Managing Domestic Help’ and buy it here.

Andreas Rosboch was born and raised in Sweden by an Italian father and a Swedish mother. He has been an expat for more than ten years and plans to keep it that way. He has spent most of his career in the information technology field, handling everything from brand management to customer support. He is the author of one of our most-recommended books Hiring & Managing Domestic Help – an absolute must-have for Hong Kong mamas (psst- and you can buy it here). He lives in Hong Kong with his wife, two children and dog.