More affordable maid hiring system coming online on Jan 1

MALAYSIANS who do not want the services of agents can obtain foreign domestic helpers with the help of foreign maids working in Malaysia, or go to one of the nine source countries to personally find them.
However, the Malaysian Maid Employers Association (Mama) said the latter option may incur a cost higher than what recruitment agents charge for their services.
The direct maid recruitment via the Immigration Department's online system from Jan 1 next year requires employers to furnish the personal details of prospective maids, which means employers have to get these details themselves if they don't engage the services of agents.
Mama president Engku Ahmad Fauzi Engku Muhsein told Nanyang Siang Pau in a report published today, that Malaysians who want to recruit foreign maids directly from source countries will have to go to these countries to find suitable candidates before applying their work permits online.
He said that they may encounter problems and end up paying unnecessary expenses if they are not familiar with the maid market situation in these foreign lands.
Engku Ahmad Fauzi said the other means of getting foreign maids is to enlist the help of maids already working in Malaysia, to ask around for friends or relatives back home who might be interested to work as domestic helpers in this country.
The employed maids can arrange for prospective employers to meet their friends or relatives to discuss terms and working conditions prior to applying for work permits.
Currently, employers pay between RM12,000 and RM18,000 – depending on the source country — to hire a foreign maid through maid recruitment agencies. The cost includes the agency fee of between RM6,000 and RM9,000.
Under the direct online hiring come Jan 1, they need to pay only between RM3,500 and RM4,000 each.