First batch of 400 maids from Cambodia due in July

First batch of 400 women will be part of pilot scheme to try out new source of domestic helpers Published on Apr 28, 2013

This photo taken in 2010 shows Cambodian maids headed for Malaysia at a training centre in Phnom Penh. The first batch of maids from Cambodia could start working in households from July under a pilot scheme by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to try out this new source of domestic workers. -- FILE PHOTO: NEWSMAKER

By Amelia Tan

 

The first batch of maids from Cambodia could start working in households from July under a pilot scheme by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to try out this new source of domestic workers.

According to a report in The Phnom Penh Post last Friday, 400 Cambodian women will be part of the trial.

Before they come over, the maids will receive training for between two and three months, depending on their previous work experience, said maid agencies in Singapore.

Six agencies chosen by the ministry to take part in the scheme were briefed by MOM officers last Monday and told that Cambodian maids will have to be trained before they are deployed in Singapore.

Background story

COSTS

• Salary: About $450, similar to the amount that Indonesian maids draw.
• Placement fee: About $2,200. The fee is paid upfront by employers and recouped through salary deductions from their maids.
• Agency fee: This fee, paid by employers, would likely range between $1,200 and $1,600.