After a long and stressful day of work and commuting, you only want to rest in your comfy bed. But as you arrive home, you’re faced with a dirty house; dishes are sitting in the sink, and food splashes are all over your dining table.
Whether you like it or not, you have to clean your house first before going to bed. Otherwise, the mess will accumulate. Imagine if this happened every day, how frustrating would that be?
Since you prioritise physical and mental well-being, you’re now considering hiring a domestic helper to keep your house clean and neat.
However, if this is your first time, you might be uncertain whether to hire someone who lives with you or someone who only cleans for a few hours a day.
To keep you guided, let’s discuss the differences between full-time maid vs part-time maid so you can decide which domestic helper suits your needs. Read on to learn more!
Full-Time vs Part-Time Maid: What Are The Differences?
Full-time maids vs part-time maids are two different services that you can choose from to assist you with home cleaning. Understanding the distinct roles between full-time maids vs part-time maids will help you gauge what to expect from each of them.
Here’s a further detail of full-time maids vs part-time maids:
Who is a Full-Time Maid?
A full-time maid is a domestic helper who lives with you to perform daily house chores. They typically work for 6 days a week with a day off.
With such an arrangement, you’ll be responsible for their accommodations. This includes a separate bedroom, toiletries, cell phone credit, and more to support them in adjusting to a new environment.
Full-Time Maid Task
A full-time maid’s task in Singapore depends on what you ask them to help with. However, as a live-in domestic helper, they’re usually responsible for assisting with daily chores like:
- Cleaning: A full-time maid is responsible for performing regular cleaning of the entire house, such as sweeping, mopping, dusting, vacuuming, as well as cleaning the bathrooms.
- Cooking: Many full-time maids are responsible for preparing meals for the household. They can cook the meals according to their menu plan, or you can request what they should cook in advance.
- Laundry: Most of the full-time maids are in charge of managing the laundry, including washing, ironing, and folding the clothes.
- Shopping and running errands: Some full-time maids are assigned to help employers with shopping and running errands. This can include grocery shopping, picking up your kid(s), and other activities.
Who is a Part-Time Maid?
A part-time maid is a domestic helper who comes to clean your home on demand. They don’t live with you and will leave after work.
Unlike a live-in domestic helper who’s paid monthly, a part-time maid is only paid hourly. This gives you greater flexibility in assigning tasks to them, which, of course, influences their rates.
The following are some cleaning services that a part-time maid usually performs:
Part-Time Maid Task
- Vacuuming and mopping: A part-time maid can assist you in thoroughly vacuuming the floors to remove dust, dirt, and debris. They’ll also mop the floors to ensure no more stains are left.
- Dusting: Most part-time maids are experienced in dusting surfaces, furniture, and home ornaments. They’ll typically use dusters or damp clothes to remove the dust.
- Bedroom cleaning: No more stressing over a messy bedroom with the help of a part-time maid. Most part-time maids provide professional bedroom cleaning, which includes everything from vacuuming and mopping to linen changes.
- Bathroom cleaning: Bathroom cleanliness is essential, considering it’s a humid area. Now you can be stress-free about it as a part-time maid will clean your bathroom anytime needed.
- Kitchen cleaning: The kitchen is a place that is prone to splashes from oils, food, and seasonings. Thankfully, you can have a spotless kitchen with a part-time maid’s help with kitchen cleaning.
- Ironing: While washing clothes is now easy with washing machines, ironing isn’t the case. But now you won’t have to do it yourself with help from a part-time maid.
- Rubbish removal: Busy activities often make you forget to remove rubbish from your home. A part-time maid will do the job for you so you can enjoy your clean, rubbish-free home.
- Surface disinfection: Say goodbye to dirty surfaces that contain harmful germs by hiring a part-time maid to perform surface disinfection in your home.
Hiring Full-Time Maid vs Part-Time Maid: What Are The Pros and Cons?
Since there are working arrangements and task differences between full-time maids vs part-time maids, there are benefits and drawbacks. So before you decide to hire a full-time or part-time maid, it’s best to look out for the pros and cons.
This way, you can understand what to expect from each option and hire a domestic helper that perfectly suits your needs.
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of hiring a full-time maid vs a part-time maid below:
Hiring A Full-Time Maid
Hiring a full-time maid means you’ll have an extra adult living in your home. This person will perform daily house chores, such as cleaning, cooking, laundry, and more.
Here are the pros and cons of hiring a full-time maid:
Pros
- Consistent cleanliness: A full-time maid will ensure that your home is spotless as they’ll clean on a regular basis.
- Time savings: A full-time maid will eliminate your need to clean your house by yourself, allowing you to focus on more important tasks.
- Streamlined household management: A full-time maid will help with household management, such as grocery shopping and meal preparation.
Cons
- Higher cost: Hiring a full-time maid comes with an additional levy of S$300 as well as their accommodations, such as buying toiletries, cell phone credits, and providing a separate bedroom.
- Loss of privacy: Hiring a full-time maid means there’s someone else living in your home, causing a loss of privacy. You may be having a hard time keeping your personal space uninterrupted.
- Expectation conflicts: Clashing cleanliness standards and personality traits between you and your helper can potentially lead to conflicts that cause tensions in your home.
Hiring A Part-Time Maid
Hiring a part-time maid offers greater flexibility – you’ll only contact them when you need cleaning services. With this arrangement, there come the pros and cons that you need to consider carefully.
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of hiring a part-time maid below:
Pros
- Flexibility: Hiring a part-time maid gives you greater flexibility in receiving domestic help only when you need it. You’ll also likely pay less money when compared to hiring a full-time maid.
- More privacy: A part-time maid will only come around during the scheduled cleaning time. This arrangement surely gives you more privacy and personal space in your home.
- Excellent cleaning service: Most part-time maids are trained to deliver excellent cleaning services. You will be provided with a neat and clean house in just a few hours and without having to train them.
Cons
- Availability: A part-time maid isn’t always there to clean your house. You have to plan ahead and arrange a cleaning appointment at your desired time.
- Limited task assignment: Part-time maids are only hired to perform cleaning tasks as well as ironing and folding services. They won’t prepare meals for your family or do grocery shopping.
- Familiarity: Unless you do direct hiring, the part-time maid who arrives will most likely be a different person. If you have a high standard of cleanliness, you should be present to give them a brief instruction.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Maid?
Costs for hiring a maid differ between full-time maid vs part-time maid services. It’s important for you to know the price comparison between the two so that you can be wiser in choosing a service type that suits your household needs.
Full-Time Maid vs Part-Time Maid Salary Comparison
Full-time Maid Costs
Full-time maids in Singapore mostly come from overseas. The costs you’ll pay will depend on their nationality, as listed below:
| Country of Origin | Minimum Wage Set by Embassy | Average Monthly Salary |
| Philippines | S$570 | S$650 |
| Indonesia | S$550 | S$600 |
| Sri Lanka | S$497 | S$550 |
| Myanmar | S$450 | S$500 |
Aside from paying your full-time maid a monthly salary, you’ll also need to pay a monthly levy for your overseas domestic helper. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has a predetermined foreign levy rate, as explained below:
| Type of Levy | Monthly Rate | Daily Rate* |
| First helper | S$300 | S$9.87 |
| Subsequent helpers | S$450 | S$14.80 |
| Concessionary* | S$60 | S$1.98 |
*Daily rate applies to full-time domestic helpers who didn’t complete a full calendar month.
*The concessionary rate applies to families with a young child, elderly member, or person with a disability.
Part-Time Maid Costs
Between full-time maid vs part-time maid, hiring a part-time maid is more affordable.
Part-time maids are paid on an hourly basis. You can control how often you need their cleaning services, which affects the amount of money you pay.
Part-time maid hourly rates in Singapore range from S$23 to S$30. The total cost you pay at the end of each session is influenced by factors such as the number of cleaners, the number of hours worked, and the scope of the work.
Assuming that you need their services 4 hours per week, you will pay between S$368 and S$480 per month. When you only need cleaning services for your home, this amount is more affordable than hiring a full-time maid.
So, Which One To Hire Between Full-Time Maid vs Part-Time Maid?
Hiring a full-time maid vs a part-time maid has its own pros and cons. Let’s evaluate the ideal situations and decide on either of them.
When To Hire A Full-Time Maid
If you feel you need an extra hand to help with house cleaning as well as household chores such as cooking, grocery shopping, and picking up your children, then hiring a full-time maid is more suitable for you.
However, you have to consider the additional levy costs and living arrangements that have been explained previously.
When To Hire A Part-Time Maid
If you’re someone who still has free time to cook, look after your kid(s), and run errands on your own, choosing a part-time maid service fits you perfectly. By assigning the cleaning tasks to a part-time maid, you can focus on doing other activities that matter most.
Hiring a part-time maid is also cost-efficient, as you’ll only call for the cleaning service when you need it. However, you still have to pay attention to the quality of the service they provide.
The most convenient way to find a professional part-time maid is through a trustworthy home cleaning agency. Helpling proudly presents to you our home cleaning services performed by trained housekeepers who are experienced in delivering hotel-standard cleaning services.
More interestingly, we have you covered with weekly/fortnightly cleaning services starting from S$23 per hour and one-off cleaning services that start from S$26 per hour.
Choose the plan that suits you best and enjoy your neat, spotless home with ease. Book our home cleaning services and secure your 25% OFF today!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a full-time maid vs a part-time maid?
A full-time maid vs a part-time maid differs in the scope of work, salary range, and working arrangement. Typically a full-time maid helps with daily house chores, lives together with the employer, and is paid monthly.
On the other hand, a part-time maid only comes around to clean for a few hours. They’re also paid on an hourly basis.
What is a full-time maid?
A full-time maid is someone who does daily house chores and manages household needs. They typically live together with the employer and are given a day off within a week.
What is a part-time maid?
A part-time maid is someone who is paid on an hourly basis to perform home cleaning. Their services typically include vacuuming, mopping, cleaning the bathroom, and others but don’t include cooking and running errands.
How much do part-time maids make in Singapore?
Part-time maids in Singapore typically earn between S$23 and S$30 per hour. They can choose how much they want to earn; the more hours they work in a month, the more they can make.
