Filipina domestic workers can help with house chores and childcare, working up to eight hours a day between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., from Monday through Friday. Their maximum weekly work hours cannot exceed 52, according to the Seoul city government.
SEOUL, July 16 (Korea Bizwire) –The Seoul city government said Tuesday that 100 Filipina domestic workers will begin working in South Korean households for the first time in September in a pilot program meant to ease rising childcare burdens.
The Seoul city government and the labor ministry said it will accept applications from families interested in the service from Wednesday to Aug. 6.
The service is available to households in Seoul with children aged 12 or below, as well as expecting parents, regardless of their income level.
Filipina domestic workers can help with house chores and childcare, working up to eight hours a day between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., from Monday through Friday. Their maximum weekly work hours cannot exceed 52, according to the Seoul city government.
It will cost 1.19 million won (US$858) per month to hire Filipina domestic workers for four hours a day.
The six-month program comes as part of South Korea’s efforts to address the declining number of local domestic workers and the increasing cost of hiring them.
Those who wish to apply for the service can sign up for membership on the service provider app, Daerijubu, or Dorbom Plus and click on the city’s pilot program.
The foreign caregivers were selected by the Human Resources Development Service of Korea and the labor ministry, and they have received over 780 hours of training in the Philippines and acquired a government certificate.
Aged between 24 and 38, the caregivers are fluent in English and can communicate in Korean at a certain level, and they have undergone background checks on their criminal record and drug use, according to city officials.
They will receive 45 hours of additional training, including a Korean class before they enter Korea in August for a four-week training on housework and adapting to Korean life.
The caregivers will reside in group quarters during their stay, equipped with an emergency alert bell and with a helper stationed at all times.
The city plans to operate a channel to receive complaints in order to enhance the satisfaction rate of service users and protect the nannies and complement the system to fit into society.
(Yonhap)
