Maximum agency fee paid by maid?

We are going to sign our new helper this afternoon, an Indonesian lady. As we have to use an agency for this process an they have a horrible reputation, I want to be sure we or our new helper don't get ripped off.


What is the maximum fee the agency may legally charge the helper? We want to sign her to more than the minimum wage but if it means that just ends up going straight to the agency, we'd ather sign her to minimum and call the rest her 'bonus'!


Does anyone have an experience with 'Java Maid' in Wan Chai?


Cheers

Maximum is 10% of a months pay... but with Indonesian helpers the sky's the limit... The best I have ever heard anyone paying was HKD3k... some pay 18K...

A nice surprise!! My hubby just got back from 'Java Maid' and he really drilled them about how much our new DH will pay and the answer is nothing to the agency, only her visa fee (which I believe we pay anyway!) Our fee was $2500 to the agency + $680 for her medical check and all he had to do was sign some papers...the rest was done for him...easy!!


If it was only like that for everyone!

I won't trust the agency telling me that. I believe that the agency will still charge the helper a leg and an arm behind your back.

If your helper is hired abroad, then she's definitely paying the agency. They usually pay the agency which helped them with the hiring in their country and that agent will share the profits with the HK agent. I don't think they pay the agent if they're hired locally though.

My friend who is a former Indonesian helper said that if you finish contract then you pay $360 to the agency to process you here in HK and if you are terminated or break contract it's around 4 months salary. She paid 5 months salary for her 1st placement in HK when she came out here 15 years ago.


The agency were very impressed by my hubby (tall, fair skinned pilot) and treated him like royalty. I think they're used to chinese employers who want to get the most out of their helper wheras he was drilling them on concerns for the helper's welfare. My Indo friend said she's heard of Java Maid and hears they're OK.

Christine,

I think it's great that your agency is so good to the helpers who regularly suffer so much financial abuse at the hands of horrible agencies. Our fee was a total of $3100 which includes all the above services but I don't think includes a warranty. So I thought our price was good but yours seems better!


One extra service that I think it would be great for you to provide to your DH's is some kind of advocacy and support when employers are making the helpers work illegally (not giving 24hrs off on rest days, working at sisters/grandmother's house as well as employers property, withholding pay, etc). I'm friends with a few Indonesians, some of them former helpers and some of the stories I hear are terrible. One had to work every day and got 1 day each month off which she would be told was her day off ON THE DAY at about 10am and then had to be back at 6pm. She worked for a couple with 2 kids and 2 elderly people and had to clean the relatives house up the road and often worked 6am to 11pm. They accused her of stealing all the time and withheld her pay, yelled at her, she slept on a yoga mat on the floor of the kids bedroom. She was eventually 'rescued' by some westerners who gave her a great job with fair hours and decent respect when they hired her after 4 years with her Honky employers after they terminated her so she wouldn't get her long service pay. There are too many who have stories like this and the agencies seem to not care once they've made their commission.

Hear hear adele78! At the very least, agencies could clearly explain the law to employers and helpers. That might help some. I believe that many helpers don't really know their rights, and do not feel confident in speaking up or getting help when they are abused.