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BYO Helper

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Jomah
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BYO Helper

Post by Jomah » Wed, 16 Jun 2021 12:51 am

Hi all.

I’m moving to Singapore from London and have a 15 month old.

we were previously in Istanbul where we had a Russian speaking helper (Moldovan) and were keen to bring her with us, since I’m assuming having a helper who speaks Russian would be hard to come by.

Anyone know if this is possible or have any experience of doing this?

Thanks in advance!

(Note I want a Russian speaker as I’m trying to ensure my daughter picks up Russian at a good enough level whilst still young )

Lisafuller
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Re: BYO Helper

Post by Lisafuller » Wed, 16 Jun 2021 4:06 am

I’ve never done it personally, but this link should be helpful.

https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permi ... tic-worker

Myasis Dragon
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Re: BYO Helper

Post by Myasis Dragon » Wed, 16 Jun 2021 8:06 am

Cannot, lah! Helper must be from Southeast Asia or South Asia country.

x9200
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Re: BYO Helper

Post by x9200 » Wed, 16 Jun 2021 11:12 am

Jomah wrote:
Wed, 16 Jun 2021 12:51 am
Hi all.

I’m moving to Singapore from London and have a 15 month old.

we were previously in Istanbul where we had a Russian speaking helper (Moldovan) and were keen to bring her with us, since I’m assuming having a helper who speaks Russian would be hard to come by.

Anyone know if this is possible or have any experience of doing this?

Thanks in advance!

(Note I want a Russian speaker as I’m trying to ensure my daughter picks up Russian at a good enough level whilst still young )
Probably the only way, If you could find someone who has education as a professional nurse/nanny or other background related to child care.... But I believe you would still need a local company to hire her and they would need to apply for her for a work pass. It is going to be rather expensive experience.

Myasis Dragon
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Re: BYO Helper

Post by Myasis Dragon » Thu, 17 Jun 2021 12:11 pm

x9200 wrote:
Wed, 16 Jun 2021 11:12 am
Jomah wrote:
Wed, 16 Jun 2021 12:51 am
Hi all.

I’m moving to Singapore from London and have a 15 month old.

we were previously in Istanbul where we had a Russian speaking helper (Moldovan) and were keen to bring her with us, since I’m assuming having a helper who speaks Russian would be hard to come by.

Anyone know if this is possible or have any experience of doing this?

Thanks in advance!

(Note I want a Russian speaker as I’m trying to ensure my daughter picks up Russian at a good enough level whilst still young )
Probably the only way, If you could find someone who has education as a professional nurse/nanny or other background related to child care.... But I believe you would still need a local company to hire her and they would need to apply for her for a work pass. It is going to be rather expensive experience.
Very good point! My business partner had an "au pair" for his children. She was Swiss. I'll ask how he managed to have her living in his house.

Myasis Dragon
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Re: BYO Helper

Post by Myasis Dragon » Fri, 18 Jun 2021 1:56 am

I talked to my business partner about how he managed to get his Swedish au pair into the country on a maid pass. Bear in mind that this is many years ago, although the rules regarding maid nationalities were/are the same.

He made two claims in asking for an exception. First, that he traveled a lot, and needed someone who was familiar with his children, that he knew, and that he could trust. He was afraid to leave his children with someone brand new while traveling (note that he was a single father with 3 children. The youngest was about 5, I think).

Second, because they had previously lived in Sweden and his children were learning the language, he wanted this au pair to continue to teach them Swedish. Both of these circumstances were essentially true.

He said it took many letters and phone calls but no one actually said, "No." It was a typical Singaporean bureaucratic response when there was no exact process in the manual. In the end, he took his au pair to one of the maid agencies in the Far East Shopping Centre. They handled all the paperwork, setup her medical while my partner paid insurance and fees. It was all done.

So... your circumstances are different... 15 months and learning a language? And, if you have a wife, leaving the children alone may not fly. But, that's what my business partner did.

Good luck.

Lisafuller
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Re: BYO Helper

Post by Lisafuller » Mon, 21 Jun 2021 2:05 am

Myasis Dragon wrote:
Fri, 18 Jun 2021 1:56 am
I talked to my business partner about how he managed to get his Swedish au pair into the country on a maid pass. Bear in mind that this is many years ago, although the rules regarding maid nationalities were/are the same.

He made two claims in asking for an exception. First, that he traveled a lot, and needed someone who was familiar with his children, that he knew, and that he could trust. He was afraid to leave his children with someone brand new while traveling (note that he was a single father with 3 children. The youngest was about 5, I think).

Second, because they had previously lived in Sweden and his children were learning the language, he wanted this au pair to continue to teach them Swedish. Both of these circumstances were essentially true.

He said it took many letters and phone calls but no one actually said, "No." It was a typical Singaporean bureaucratic response when there was no exact process in the manual. In the end, he took his au pair to one of the maid agencies in the Far East Shopping Centre. They handled all the paperwork, setup her medical while my partner paid insurance and fees. It was all done.

So... your circumstances are different... 15 months and learning a language? And, if you have a wife, leaving the children alone may not fly. But, that's what my business partner did.

Good luck.
How interesting, very good to know.

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