Hiring a helper, made clearer.
Honest answers to the questions families ask most often — written in plain language, not policy speak.
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About Helper Circle
Helper Circle is a direct hiring platform for families looking for domestic helpers with clearer trust signals and more context behind each profile.
You browse available helpers yourself, see why each one is listed, and choose whom you want to meet. Some are recommended by previous employers, some have strong employment records, and others have had their experience reviewed directly by Helper Circle.
If both sides decide to proceed, we support the employment paperwork through to completion.
Helper Circle is a direct hiring platform. You browse available helper profiles yourself, see why each helper is listed, and choose whom you want to meet.
We coordinate the introduction, help verify the information behind each profile, and support the employment paperwork if both sides decide to proceed.
You stay in control of the hiring decision throughout — we do not simply hand you a pre-selected shortlist.
A family who has lived with a helper knows things a profile cannot capture — how she is with a nervous toddler, whether she asks when she is unsure, what she is like on a difficult morning. When a previous employer recommends her, we confirm it with them directly and pass on that context, so you start the conversation already knowing something real.
Facebook helper groups can be useful, but they are unmoderated — anyone can post, and it is hard to know who you are speaking with. Every helper here carries at least one clear trust signal: a recommendation from an employer we have spoken to, several years with one family, a record of completed employment in Singapore, or experience Helper Circle has assessed directly. We review every profile before it goes live.
Introductions are also coordinated privately, so contact details are never publicly exposed.
“Every helper here carries a signal we can point to — a family’s recommendation, an employment record we’ve reviewed, or experience we’ve assessed directly. That is the entire point.”
Transfers & Hiring
A transfer is when a helper already working in Singapore moves from her current employer to a new employer without first returning home. The new employer applies for her Work Permit as a transfer, and once the new permit is issued, her existing Work Permit is automatically cancelled.
Yes. Transfers are a normal, MOM-recognised route, provided the Work Permit requirements are properly completed. We handle the employment paperwork and Work Permit process for you.
Yes. Most helpers listed here are currently in Singapore, but some may be overseas — including helpers between contracts or those applying from their home country. The introduction still starts with a video call so you can meet and decide before proceeding.
The paperwork differs. A new Work Permit is applied for rather than transferred, and depending on her home country there may be source-country or embassy requirements to meet as well. That usually makes the timeline longer than a local transfer. We guide and handle the employment and Work Permit process with you.
The most common reasons: the previous family is relocating overseas, their children have grown up and no longer need a helper, or an elderly family member they cared for has passed away or moved into a care facility.
Each profile includes the reason for transfer — reviewed with the referring employer where there is one.
No. Many families using Helper Circle are first-time employers. We guide families through the process step-by-step.
Yes. You can request an introduction and speak with her before making any decision — usually on a video call. There is no fee for this and no obligation to proceed.
Timelines vary depending on availability and documentation, but transfers are often faster than overseas hiring because helpers are already in Singapore.
“The best context about a helper comes from the family who lived with her — or from a record you can actually check.”
Pricing & Fees
Yes. Browsing profiles, requesting an introduction and interviewing are all free. The S$699 fee is payable only once both sides agree to proceed.
Everything from your first enquiry through to completion of the employment process: your requirement review, suitable introductions, interview and feedback coordination, expectation alignment, the service agreement and employment documents, and the Work Permit or transfer process.
No fee is charged for browsing or interviewing. It is payable by the hiring employer only, once both sides agree to proceed. Helpers never pay Helper Circle — no placement fees, no salary deductions, no agency loans. Government and third-party charges are set by those providers and paid directly to them.
These costs vary depending on permit requirements and insurance providers. Separating them keeps pricing transparent and avoids hidden markups.
The S$699 is a one-time service fee paid by the hiring employer after both sides agree to proceed. There is no separate placement fee, and nothing is charged for browsing or interviewing.
No. Helper Circle does not charge helpers placement fees, deduct their salary or put them into agency loans. The S$699 service fee is paid by the hiring employer. If a helper is coming from overseas, any recruitment and employment arrangements are handled without charging her a Helper Circle placement fee or deducting our fee from her salary.
“Helpers never pay us. No salary deductions, no loans — just a clearer path between a good helper and a good family.”
Verification & Safety
Every listed helper carries at least one clear trust signal:
Employer Recommended — a current or former employer recommends her, and Helper Circle confirms this with them.
Long-Term Employment — several years with one family, supported by employment records reviewed by Helper Circle.
Completed Contracts — a record of completed employment in Singapore, reviewed before listing.
Helper Circle Assessed — her work history and experience have been reviewed directly by Helper Circle before listing.
These signals come from different sources and are not meant to imply that every helper has been personally recommended by a previous employer.
Employer Recommended is our strongest signal: a family who employed her has vouched for her, and we have confirmed that with them directly. You get their words, not ours.
Long-Term Employment means she stayed with one family for several years, supported by employment records reviewed by Helper Circle. No one has personally recommended her — her record is the point.
Completed Contracts means she has completed employment in Singapore and we reviewed that record before listing her. It shows stability, not endorsement.
Helper Circle Assessed means we reviewed her work history and experience ourselves before listing her. There is no previous employer speaking for her.
Every profile shows exactly one badge, so you always know which of these you are looking at.
Before a profile goes live, we review the information and records relevant to the trust signal shown on her profile. Where there is a referring employer, we speak with them directly rather than relying only on a written reference. If we cannot sufficiently support the trust signal being shown, we do not publish that signal or list the profile on that basis.
It means we’ve reviewed her Singapore employment history and found a record of completed employment. It is a factual signal of stability. It does not by itself mean a former employer has personally recommended her.
Not always. Employer Recommended and Completed Contracts are separate trust signals. Where a helper is both recommended and has completed contracts, her profile shows the stronger signal, Employer Recommended.
No. The badges give you factual context about a helper’s employment history or the recommendation behind her. Every family should still interview the helper, discuss expectations openly, and decide whether she is the right fit for their home.
Where a helper is Employer Recommended, usually yes. Once an introduction is arranged and both sides feel it may be a good match, we ask the referring employer whether they are open to a short conversation with you. Some prefer to answer in writing instead, and we respect that.
The other trust signals do not necessarily come with a referring employer. Where there isn’t one, the employment record or assessment behind the profile is what you are working from, and we’ll tell you what we reviewed.
No. Contact details are never publicly displayed.
Yes. We never publicly display full employer identities or personal contact information.
“Privacy on both sides is the default. Curated does not mean exposed.”
Process & Logistics
We check she is still available and confirm interest on both sides, then arrange a video call. Contact details are only shared once both of you want to take it further.
We confirm the terms both sides agreed to, then we handle the service agreement and employment documents, the Work Permit application or transfer, and the MOM steps that go with it. You’ll know at each stage what has been submitted and what is outstanding.
That’s completely fine. There is no obligation after interviews or introductions.
Yes. Availability may change if helpers are speaking with multiple interested families.
We are happy to guide first-time employers through the process in plain language.
“I found the Zoom meeting organised by Helper Circle very useful: the helper, the current employer and the future employer all get to meet and chat on one call, speak out our concerns, and check that all the criteria and areas of concern are met before both parties commit.”
Still deciding?
We’re happy to walk first-time employers through it, in plain language.
Helpers never payNo obligation