How To Start A Maid Agency In Singapore?

If you want to be your own boss in Singapore with an investment as small as $5,000 to $7,000 then starting your own maid agency can be the best option for you. Your maid agency will work like an employment agency that can help people in their household works by allowing them to hire maid through your agency. You can help working men and women in accomplishing their household routine work by priding them a household help against some fee. Here in this write-up brief information about how to start your maid agency is provided for your guidance.

Licensing
In order to open a maid agency in Singapore you will have to apply for an Employment Agency License before starting commercial activity in your office. All type of recruitment agencies have to apply for this basic license with Ministry of Manpower of Singapore government. This license authorizes you to offer employment to the needy people and facilitate others needing manpower against some fee. You may not need an Employment Agency License if you are directly employing them in your company but if you are hiring them other against some fee then this license is essential for you.

Eligible candidate for a Maid Agency License
All individuals and organizations which are involved in the activities of employment agency including maid agency in Singapore are eligible to apply for Employment agency License. They have to apply for this license regardless of the fact whether they deal with overseas jobs or in Singapore or they are based in Singapore or overseas. The activities of an employment agency should include:

– Communicate regarding the job application of the prospective candidates
– Collecting the resumes of the people needing job
– Putting forward applications for Singapore work visa on behalf of the candidates or employers to the competent authorities
– Make the placement of the prospective candidates easy with the employers

Individuals and agencies that are not involved actively in placing maids with the needy employers need not apply for this license. An agency can choose from Comprehensive License and Select license depending on the profiles of the candidates they want to deal with. You can apply for Comprehensive license if your agency deals with all type of employment opportunities without any salary restrictions. If your maid agency deals with the local and foreign candidates for earning more than S$7,000 per month then you should apply for Select License.

Other facts and requirements for maid agency in Singapore
In order to start your maid agency in Singapore you need to fulfil following requirements before applying for Employment Agency License:

Register your company:
You will have to incorporate your company in Singapore as per your business activities and get it registered with the Singaporean authorities.

Setup an office:
Your maid agency must have a business office to operate its business activities. You can choose from the office space options available in Singapore according to the needs of your agency and after getting approval from the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore. You need a prior approval from the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore if you want to make additions and alteration in your office space.

Deposit security:
If you have applied for Select License then you will have to furnish a security of S$20,000 as bankers guarantee. But if your company wants Comprehensive license then you may have to submit deposit between S$ 20,000 to S$60,000 depending upon the track record of the owner and the volume of placement.

Certification of the personnel of maid agency:
All the people working in a maid agency from CEO, general manager to temporary and contractual employees have to be certified under the courses of the Certificate for Employment Intermediaries. You need this certification prior to apply for the license for your agency. Whether they play an active role in the agency or not, the key position holders in the agency will have to attend these certification courses whereas others may need this certification only if they play active role in the agency.

Registration of the personnel of maid agency:
All the people performing actively in a maid agency must be registered with Singapore Ministry of Manpower and have a standardized registration card irrespective of the type of license their company has. They will have to pay onetime, non-refundable fee of S$160 for this purpose. This registration is not transferable from one employer to another. The employee of the agency will have to deregister him and apply for fresh registration if he/she changes his agency. But if they do not do any agency related work then they need not apply for this registration.

Procedure of applying for Maid Agency License
While applying for license for a maid agency in Singapore you will have to submit an application on prescribed form along with valid fee of S$400 to the Singapore Ministry of Manpower. Within 1-3 weeks of application you can receive an In-Principle-Approval letter from the authorities, if your application is approved. You will have to submit following documents after receiving this letter:

– A security bond in the form of bankers guarantee from any Singaporean bank according to the type of license you want to apply for
– A copy of your employment pass or Singaporean ID
– A copy of latest business profile of the company obtained from ACRA
– A copy of In-principle-Approval letter
– A recent passport size photograph
– If operating agency under the Home Office scheme then a copy of approval letter from the relevant authority
– A copy of certification passed under Certificate for Employment Intermediaries (CEI) course

Along with these documents you will have to submit any special document required in In-Principle-Approval letter and a completed checklist with your application.You can receive the approval within7 days if all the documents submitted by you are in order. You can get a valid license for your maid agency for three years directly at your address after submitting a fee of S$100. In case your application is rejected due to any reason then you can submit an appeal within 30 days for review of your case.

Thus, by following all the procedures stated above you can start a maid agency in Singapore.