Hiring an Indonesian domestic helper

Why does accreditation matter to the employer?

Accreditation is how the Indonesian government satisfies itself that its nationals are placed on terms it recognises. For you, it does two things. It makes the placement lawful at both ends, and it makes the contract worth something if the relationship goes wrong.

What do you charge, and what is in it?

Two ways to hire. Full placement at RM17,800 means we find the candidate, train her, certify her and process everything. Direct hire means you have already found someone and we handle the legal side. The paperwork is identical either way; the difference is whose candidate she is.

Full placement adds sourcing, training and BNSP certification before she leaves Indonesia, and it carries the refund and replacement cover. We have placed helpers with more than 173 households since 2022, and 84% of those placements are still running, measured as active placements against terminations.

• The helper’s passport
• Medical screening in Indonesia and again in Malaysia
• Work permit for the first year
• Verified two-year employment contract
• Personal accident insurance, 24 months
• Hospitalisation insurance, 12 months
• Travel to Sarawak
• Stamping and documentation fees

What do you pay her, and what does the first year come to?

An Indonesian domestic helper's basic salary is RM1,500 a month, which includes one rest day a week. If she works a rest day, overtime is RM86.54 for that day.

So the honest answer to "what does a helper cost" is RM17,800 + RM18,000 = RM35,800 in year one. Food and accommodation are provided in kind on top of that, and SOCSO is a monthly employer contribution. Anyone quoting you a single five-figure number without the salary beside it is quoting you half the cost.

What must the contract contain?

• Salary, payment date and payment method.
• Rest day entitlement.
• Overtime treatment where rest days are worked.
• Accommodation and food provision.
• The term of the contract and the renewal position.
• That the helper retains possession of her passport.

• Indonesian helper contract: salary, payments, rest days and overtime
• Rest day management for domestic helpers

What happens if the placement does not work out?

Some placements fail. A refund scale and a replacement window are what separate an agency that stands behind a match from one that takes the fee and stops answering.

There is also a 90-day replacement window, with a replacement fee. A free replacement inside those 90 days applies in exceptional cases only, where there is clear evidence the helper broke the contract and none that you did. Terms apply to both, and we give you them in writing before you sign, which is the point at which you should read them.

To end the contract yourself, give her 30 days notice. You do not need a reason. To end it immediately, pay her a month’s salary in lieu.

What happens after she arrives?

• SOCSO registration Employer registration and monthly contribution
• Permit and contract renewal Annual, and started before expiry
• Renewing an Indonesian worker’s passport in Sarawak