Finding the right Singapore maid for your family is a delicate process, especially when there are about 700 Singapore maid agencies to choose from. Thus, it is important to do some research.

A maid in Singapore is what is officially termed a Foreign Domestic Worker or a domestic helper or nanny. Some locals even call them an "ah-mah". Due to the rapid pace of life among the Singaporeans, employing a maid is almost a necessity.

For the many expatriates relocating to Singapore, having a Singapore maid can be said to be a blessing especially when they travel frequently for work. Many of these maids hail from places like Indonesia and the Philippines. Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh are some other countries which supply maids. At the point of writing, there are about 155,000 maids working in Singapore.

If you don't have any idea on how to find the right maid or there is no one to recommend any maid to you, then it is important to engage the service of a Singapore maid agency. It is important to seek professional help as the maid will be living and working in your home.

Some tips for shortlisting the right Singapore maid agencies are: Tip #1. Make sure that the maid agency is duly licensed by the Singapore Ministry of Manpower ("MOM") and accredited by the Consumers Association of Singapore or The Association of Employment Agencies. Ask for these documents if you do not already see them displayed in the agency's premises.

Tip #2. Ensure that the Singapore maid agency has a good reputation. How do you do that? Here are a few things to note here: - see if there are any written testimonials from their customers. Many agencies do not have testimonials. If they do, then they are probably not too bad. After all, no one will write good things about them if their service is terrible. Check that the testimonials are real. Generally, genuine testimonials will describe the assistance rendered in details;

- Ask around and see what your friends and colleagues recommend. Big agencies may not be better since they are mostly run by employees who may not be customer centric; and

- try talking to some maids and see which Singapore maid agency they recommend. You see, maid agencies are generally pretty strict with the maids. If despite that, the maids still like them, then the maid agency must be good to the maids in certain ways. Given a case like that, then you will probably have a good choice of maids to choose from.

Tip #3: Have a chat with the staff of the maid agency about how they shortlist candidates for the potential employers, what are the procedures for employing a maid and so on. If they are clear in their explanations and are friendly, then you are off to a good start!

Tip #4: Never rush into employing a maid! Make sure that your family and you are comfortable with the maid before employing her.

Tip #5: Make sure that there is a guarantee or a free replacement within a minimum of 3 months or more. This is to ensure that, should the first Singapore maid not work out, you are still covered.

There you are - 5 tips to finding the right Singapore maid agency for you and your family.