Criteria to consider while choosing helper

We never used to have helpers all our lives. It was only with the arrival of the second one that we decided to take the plunge. As taking care of the baby is the main priority, these were the criteria I used in doing the selection and some questions that I asked :

- have their own children (ideally not too young as they may need to go back often.

- have prior helper experience in other countries (like Saudi Arabia or something) , Singapore is ok but it might mean she expects to have 4 off days per month or have certain expectations or habits. 

- any prior medical condition like sprained back etc (might mean hard to take care of babies)

- tell them you have 2 kids, and need to do a lot of work (lazy ones will scoot upon hearing this)

- your expectation of their scope (Cooking? Children? Household ? Pets? Or more? Paint the most realistic picture you can)

- ask why she want to work in sg (usually those who work for their children's education are more motivated) 

- your expectation abt phone usage - super important !!  (they pay themselves and you will keep phone till 8pm every night or you can start with only on weekends. Latter is advisable. This is the bane of most issues.) 

- ask them how they handle stress

- ask them how they will react of water is boiling over, baby suddenly cried and phone rings .. (Test their logical thinking)

And with agencies, try to find those that allow you up to 2-4 free replacements during the first year in case things still don't work out. 

With these criteria, hopefully you can find a helper that matches your need. Once it doesn't foolproof the experience but it increases the odds of them working out. 

I have a good helper but even then, after one year, I also need to deal with issues that have recently propped up. At the end, it's mainly luck but hopefully one can somehow increase the success odds.