Useful Resources for Helpers in Hong Kong

HelperPlace

31 Jan 2025 | 5 min read

Table of Content

Being a domestic helper comes with many perks and a decent paycheck. However, you must take care of several things while pursuing a career as a helper. There are many job opportunities and resources for domestic helpers in Hong Kong, including fitness classes, financial literacy workshops, mental health awareness, and cooking classes tailored explicitly for them. Regardless of what nationality you belong to, Hong Kong offers a lot of career options for helpers. Recently, the demand for helpers in Hong Kong has risen by leaps and bounds. If you’re pursuing a career as a helper, this might be the best time for you to work in Hong Kong. But, as with any other industry, you must ensure that you take care of certain essential things to make the process hassle-free. Regardless of whether you’re a rookie or an experienced candidate in the Helper spectrum, you need to follow several things to ensure that your helper career journey goes smoothly. While looking to work as a helper in Hong Kong, you must get a decent knowledge of several organizations that will help you in case of any issue.

Here are a few resources for you

Justice Center Hong Kong

Justice Center operates as a non-profit organization for protecting the rights of Hong Kong’s forced refugees and migrants, human trafficked victims, and forced labor. This organization offers legal help to vulnerable migrants seeking safety and protection in Hong Kong. It also provides psychological help to these people.

Help for Domestic Workers

Need a helping hand? HELP for Domestic Workers is a non-profit organization in Hong Kong dedicated to supporting migrant domestic workers. If you’re a foreign domestic worker seeking legal advice, support, or counseling in case of distress, you can contact the organization Help for Domestic Workers at 2523-4020, or you can visit their website.

Enrich Hong Kong

Enrich is an organization that offers both empowerment and financial education to foreign and domestic workers in Hong Kong, helping them achieve financial stability. It trains them through workshops on various topics such as investment tools, assertive communication, personal finance, and much more.

RainLily

This is a crisis center that offers its services to the victims of sexual harassment and violence in Hong Kong. This organization is operated by the Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women. Some of the services provided by the RainLily include checking and prevention of STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), psychological support, forensic medical examinations, pregnancy prevention, and reporting to the police department. This organization also operates an alternative hotline that offers information about the services.

Contacts and Helplines

Working as a helper in Hong Kong, you must always keep information of various important departments and organizations. Here's a list of helplines and contacts of some of the very important departments.

Hong Kong Police

999 is the number that you must dial in case of an emergency or an accident. In case of any emergency or mistreatment, immediately contact the local police department. Seek the police documents in your language by asking them so that you get a better understanding of what you’re signing. As a part of your right, seek all the copies of documents that you sign. Here’s a link to the Police website useful resources.

Suicide Prevention Hotline

If you ever feel like harming yourself in state of a depression or distress, please contact The Samaritans, multi-lingual hotline that’s available 24/7. You can contact them through their number: 2896-0000

Anti-trafficking

If you are either trafficked or abused, you can contact the multi-lingual emergency hotline of Liberty Asia's Victim Crisis Centre through 2100-3300.

Emergency Accommodation

If you are concerned about your personal safety and in need of safe and emergency accommodation, you may speak to Migrant Women’s Refugee center run by Bethune House. Their contact details are 2721-3119.

Contract and Immigration

If you're looking for any support related to contract issues, you should contact the Hong Kong Labour Department at 2717-1771. In case of any issues related to Immigration, you should reach out to the Immigration Department of Hong Kong at 2824-6111.

Rights

Every human has rights according to the policies of the country in which they live. As a helper, you must always know your rights to practice them. Here are the most important rights you must know as a Domestic Helper.

Abuse

Although most employers are reasonable and fair, you must always have your guard on to protect yourself both physically and safeguard your mental health. If your employer ever mistreats you, store the records of all the details, such as places, dates, and times. To seek justice, you must provide valid proof, which is why it’s better to take photos, if possible.

Salary Payment and Underpayment

Every foreign helper in Hong Kong must be paid an amount equal to or higher than 4,990 Hong Kong dollars per month to ensure fair payment and promote money management and financial literacy. Do not sign a payment receipt if the amount on it is unclear or blank.

Day-offs and Holidays

For every seven days, as a helper, you must be provided a full 24-hour day-off. To ensure fair labor practices and well-being for migrant domestic workers, helpers should have twelve statutory day-offs annually. If you’re in your 1st or 2nd year in Hong Kong as a helper, you must be offered at least seven paid leaves, which increases by a day, every year you progress.

Food & Accommodation

In addition to the salary you get, every helper must be provided free and food for free. You can obtain a food allowance if your employer cannot provide food.

Medical Care

All helpers must have free medical treatments provided by their employers.

Work outside of the house for migrant domestic workers

According to Immigration law, it's not legal to work anywhere other than the address mentioned in the contract. You don't have the right to work for another business or employer. Doing such things will risk you being deported.

Air ticket

As a helper, you must be provided with a free air ticket to your home country after your contract expires.

Pregnancy

In case of you becoming pregnant, your employer doesn't have the right to terminate you. Know more about the pregnancy rights for a helper.

Domestic Helper Agency Fees

Hong Kong Agencies

If a Hong Kong recruitment and employment agency charges you in excess of 10% of your first month's wages (499 Hong Kong dollars), they're violating the law.

Indonesian Agencies

If you are in Indonesia and looking for a job, your agency cannot charge you more than HK$15,550. This includes training fees, service fees and other expenses for processing a worker’s visa to Hong Kong. If agencies are requiring more, they’re violating the Indonesian law.

Philippine Agencies

Employment agencies in the Philippines are not permitted to charge placement fees to overseas workers bound for Hong Kong. Renewing employment contracts and visas is a common process for foreign domestic helpers, particularly Filipino maids. In case you are a Filipino, you don’t have to pay anything to your placement agency to find you employment. They are allowed to charge for training, medical examination, photo, video and other necessary miscellaneous expenses but not placement fee! Reminder about your passport & possessions. Your employer or your agency doesn’t have the right to keep or take your possessions, such as your phone, contract, passport, or documents.