1. Why do I need a confinement nanny? 2. What are the differences between hiring a nanny by myself or through PEM? 3. Do I need to pay more for the services provided by your company? 4. When should I engage a nanny from you? 5. Will I be able to select a nanny? 6. Will you recommend an experienced nanny? 7. How do you ensure the qualities of your nannies? 8. Why can some agencies offer prices lower than market rate? 9. How do I know if the company is a Ministry of Manpower listed agency? 10. Can I engage a Malaysian confinement nanny on social visit pass without a work permit? 11. Why does one still engage Malaysian confinement nannies without a work permit? 12. Why are some of the Malaysian confinement nannies willing to work without a work permit? 13. Can I get a replacement if nanny is unsuitable? 14. Am I allowed to appoint the nanny whom my friend used before? Why do I need a confinement nanny? You may find yourself in a situation where you are unable to trust your maid with your newborn as she does not have the expertise in the area of baby care. Seeking help from your mum or mum-in-law is an option but you may find that their baby care skills are out-dated or such responsibilities and tasks are too tiring for them. Going through the whole confinement period by yourself will be extremely tiring for you and have adverse affects on your health and well-being. A confinement nanny could be the right answer for you. Not only is she trained to take great care of your newborn, a confinement nanny will also create a variety of dishes with high nutritional value recommended for mothers who have just given birth. She can also guide you through daily baby care procedures so that you feel comfortable providing for your newborn. In addition, a confinement nanny can highlight all the doís and doníts of proper care and nourishment during the confinement period so that you can recover your health more easily. What are the differences between hiring a nanny by myself or through PEM? By engaging a nanny through PEM, we negate all the hassles that you will have to face by helping you to make all the necessary arrangements from the first stage of contact till the nanny arrives at your doorstep. Furthermore, we ensure that a trained nanny will be available for you, regardless of your delivery date. Most importantly, we have a group of dedicated crew who will provide you with the utmost support and assistance throughout your entire confinement period, with services like a replacement of nanny if necessary. Do I need to pay more for the services provided by your company? No. We do not impose any additional agency fees to our clients when they hire a confinement nanny through PEM. When should I engage a nanny from you? Due to the rising demand for confinement nannies, we do urge you to book a nanny from PEM as early as possible. It is strongly recommended to book at least 4 to 5 months prior to your estimated delivery date (EDD). If you are booked five or more months in advance of your EDD, you will be entitled to a full refund* of your deposit should a miscarriage or pregnancy failure occur with a doctorís certification. *Do note that administrative charges are still applicable. Will I be able to select a nanny? A personal selection of a nanny is not possible. All of our nannies are exclusive full-timers whereby they usually work 8-10 assignments a year. Precise planning of job schedules has to be in place so that the nanny is not left without work. Moreover, there might be unforeseen circumstances which result in the nanny being unable to work at the time of your delivery. For example; still employed by a previous client, illness, immigration delays etc. Will you recommend an experienced nanny? Yes. All PEM nannies are exper Moreover, we believe in the provision of quality nannies and services in order to receive your future recommendations and it is this same kind of support given by all our customers that has enabled us to remain in the market till today. How do you ensure the qualities of your nannies? On top of their training and high work rate, nanniesí qualities are further ensured by the company feedback management system where all of our customersí valued comments are reviewed seriously. Therefore, we strongly encourage our customers to rate the nanny by completing the feedback form given by our consultant or through our website. Through this system, we are able to: ï Recognize the effort made by the nanny ï Improve both the company and nannyís standard of service ï Re-evaluate the nanny quality after each and every assignment Additionally all of our nannies undergo an annual medical check up to ensure that they are Hepatitis A, B and HIV free. This will ensure that our nannyís physical health condition does not cause a threat to any of the family members. Why can some agencies offer prices lower than market rate? Some new agencies may possibly use market penetration pricing strategy, where they price their services at a very low rate at first with a gradual rise in the rates after gaining market awareness. The reason they apply such a strategy is due to the fact that they cannot compete in the quality of nanny or services provided. In addition, some unlicensed agencies are operating illegally and they will usually persuade clients to save on the government levy by not applying for the work permit required by the nanny. Some agencies also underpay their nannies to keep their client fee down. Such practice greatly affects the nannyís performance and an unhappy experience for you. Lower rates could also be due to the provision of inexperienced nannies. How do I know if the company is a Ministry of Manpower listed agency? It is illegal for unlicensed confinement nanny agencies and/or housewives operating from home to provide confinement nannies. Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has stringent regulations in authorizing companies in order to make sure that your payment made is guaranteed. A few important things you should do: ï Request for the employment agency license number (EA no.***), company name and address. ï Check the MOM website to verify that the name and address of the company given is the same. ï Do not believe a company or anyone who claims that they are operating under a borrowed licensed name. *** EA no. is different from Business Registration Number. A Business Registration Number is obtained from ACRA to start their business. However, for certain commerce such as a confinement nanny agency, the government will issue a special license authorizing them to operate. Can I engage a Malaysian confinement nanny on social visit pass without a work permit? A government announcement on 5th July 2002 states that, all employers who employ confinement nannies from Malaysia regardless if friends or relatives, paid or unpaid, will have to apply for a work permit for them. The government has also implemented penalties for employment of foreign workers without work permits. Please refer to the MOM website for more information. Why does one still engage Malaysian confinement nannies without a work permit? Some are unaware about the need to apply a work permit for the nannies while the others believe that they will not be that unfortunate to be caught. However, if one is caught for hiring illegal workers, not only will he/she be fined, the authority will prohibit him/her from engaging foreign maids in the near future. Many people perceive that the maid levy is too costly and decide to hire nannies without a work permit. However, the amount is just S$6.00 per day for the care of a newborn Singaporean and S$10.00 for newborn of a foreign nationality. Why are some of the Malaysian confinement nannies willing to work without a work permit? A full time experienced nanny taking the risk of working without a work permit is very slim. Due to the fact that, if her passport is filled with social visit endorsements, it will eventually increase the chances of her being suspected of working illegally. Nonetheless, there are still nannies who are willing to work without a work permit. These are the nannies that have no financial commitments and are in this field to pass time. With 2 or 3 assignments a year, their chances of being suspected or caught are low. However, these nannies are usually less accommodating and not as seasoned to confinement work as compared to full-time nannies. Other reasons nannies are willing to take the risk might be because: ï They are not within the age limit (<58 years old) set by Ministry of Manpower to apply for a work permit. ï Lack of experience and thus willing to accept any assignments possible to furnish their experience. ï They are blacklisted by the Ministry of Manpower due to various reasons, i.e. criminal record etc. A sincere and experienced nanny knows that she will not gain any benefits by working illegally. Hence, she will want you to apply for a work permit for her, as she does not wish to jeopardize her career or face the penalties (fine, jail or banned from coming to Singapore) Can I get a replacement if nanny is unsuitable? Although we are confident with all our nannies capabilities in fulfilling their job scope well, we do understand the existence of different family requirements, expectations and human chemistry. Hence, free replacement of a nanny can be done if you feel that she is unsuitable. Am I allowed to appoint the nanny whom my friend used before? You are allowed to appoint the nanny and it will be placed on your top priority but please take note that it may be subject to changes due to unforeseen circumstances. |
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