What is Advance Placement Scheme (APS)?

Normally after a helper is selected by an employer, it usually takes a while for the helper’s permit to be approved by MOM (Ministry of Manpower) and for the helper to reach Singapore. After her arrival in Singapore, the said helper still requires some time to complete her on-arrival processes and be deployed to a household to begin her employment.

Need to Hire Urgently? Hire a Helper under Advance Placement Scheme(APS)!

What is Advance Placement Scheme (APS)?
Under the Advance Placement Scheme (APS), an MOM-approved pilot scheme: the selected participating employment agency can bring in a specific number of Migrant Domestic Workers (MDWs) to Singapore, even without an employer for them.

As the MDWs are already in Singapore, APS allows employers to conduct direct face-to-face interviews with prospective helpers, to facilitate a better match and fast hiring!

As the MDWs are already in Singapore, the selected helpers can be quickly deployed to the households once their job is confirmed and approved under the Advance Placement Scheme (APS).

This fast placement of helpers is especially important to families that require urgent infant caregiving, urgent elder caregiving, or families with urgent care needs and require urgent fast hiring and fast placement under Advance Placement Scheme (APS).

 

 

3 Benefits of Advance Placement Scheme (APS) for Employers!

(1) Fast hiring in 3-4 working days
Since your selected helper is hired under the Advance Placement Scheme (APS) and already in Singapore, your family can be assured of fast hiring. Your helper can be deployed within a few working days to meet your family’s urgent home care needs. In our experience, we find that families with urgent home care needs, infant care needs, or eldercare needs would find the Advance Placement Scheme (APS) especially useful and beneficial. Specifically if you have care recipients requiring urgent need of a helper for example, before urgent discharge from the hospital. With APS, many Singapore employers benefit due to the faster deployment time of a helper to their household.

(2) Face-to-face interviews
Since helpers on the Advance Placement Scheme (APS) are already in Singapore, the availability of face to face interviews is definitely possible and highly encouraged. With face to face interviews, employers and helpers can better communicate their individual expectations and this certainly helps MDWs understand the requirements of the job-scope prior to accepting a particular job. Singapore employers can also better understand and assess the prospective helper’s level of communication, experience, job willingness and abilities, as compared to interviews via video-conferences. With APS, many Singapore employers benefit due to the better matching of a helper for their household.

(3) Training Conducted in Singapore
Since helpers on the Advance Placement Scheme (APS) are already in Singapore, adaptation to our Singapore culture and localised training begins as soon as these helpers arrive, and with this early start to training, they can also enjoy a longer training and adaptation period at our local Training Centre. At our local Training Centre, we provide localised training to orientate and assist newly arrived APS helpers to adapt and better understand the work culture and expectations of their employers here in Singapore prior to their deployment. We believe that trained help contributes to a higher success rate for the benefit of both the employer and the MDW. With APS, many Singapore employers benefit due to the early start on inclusive localised training provided while the helpers are waiting to be deployed to their household. 

Do I qualify to hire a helper under Advance Placement Scheme (APS)?

Currently, helpers under the Advance Placement Scheme (APS) can only be deployed to Singaporean households that qualify for the concessionary levy scheme.

To qualify and hire a helper under Advance Placement Scheme (APS), your household needs to qualify for the concessionary MOM levy by meeting the following criteria:

If you live with any of the following eligible person who is a Singapore citizen:

• Young child below 16 years old.
• Elderly person who is at least 67 years old.
• Person with disabilities (PWD) – Must be certified by Singapore-registered doctor to require help with at least 1 activity of daily living (ADL), such as showering, feeding, dressing or toileting.

If you or your spouse is a Singapore citizen, you can also enjoy levy concession if your parent, parent-in-law, grandparent or grandparent-in-law is a Singapore permanent resident, at least 67 years old and stays with you.

Remember: the levy concession for 1 helper is granted based on 1 eligible person in the household. Levy Concession is capped at 2 helpers per household.

Why choose Island Maids to assist you on hiring a helper under the Advance Placement Scheme (APS)?

Island Maids is one of the select agencies approved by MOM to bring in suitable Migrant Domestic Helpers (MDWs) into Singapore for Singaporean families under the Advance Placement Scheme (APS) for fast placement.

Island Maids carefully screens and interviews both Experienced and Fresh helpers under the Advance Placement Scheme (APS) prior to each helper’s arrival. As we understand many APS helpers need to have related experience to eldercare or infant care to cater to urgent eldercare giving needs or infant care giving needs respectively, our candidates are subject to stringent interviews and suitability checks before they arrive.

Island Maids has a local Training Centre and provides complimentary in-house training and useful pre-deployment tips to all helpers placed by us.

Island Maids is an approved AIC Eldercare Training Provider, and employers may conveniently opt for their selected APS helper to be pre-trained specifically under our Eldercare Training course before deployment. We provide both class-room based and home-based Eldercare Training Course.

Island Maids has 7 branch offices conveniently located throughout Singapore to assist you with understanding your home care needs and finding a suitable helper for you, even if you are eventually not eligible for the Advance Placement Scheme (APS).