Philippine Housekeepers to Care for Homes at 1.19 Million KRW per Month... 100 Arriving Tomorrow

Job Training for Childcare and Housekeeping Management... Specialized Education Including Korean Language
Service Starts from the 3rd of Next Month, Pilot Project Runs Until February Next Year

The pilot project for foreign domestic workers will begin on September 3. One hundred Filipino domestic workers participating in the pilot project are scheduled to arrive early morning on the 6th, and they will receive 2 nights and 3 days of basic training followed by 4 weeks of specialized education.

According to Seoul City on the 5th, 422 households applied for care and domestic service use from July 17 to August 1. The pilot project service providers selected by Seoul City and the Ministry of Employment and Labor (Home Story Saenghwal and Hubris) are recruiting households for care and domestic services until the 6th of this month.

The pilot project for foreign domestic workers will begin on September 3. One hundred Filipino domestic workers participating in the pilot project are expected to arrive on the 6th.
[Image source=Getty Images]

The 'Foreign Domestic Worker Pilot Project' is a measure for caregivers who have experienced career breaks or have given up childbirth due to soaring care costs amid a decrease in domestic care workers and an aging population. Service use is open to households with children aged 12 or younger or expecting childbirth, regardless of income criteria. Selection is prioritized for single-parent, multi-child, dual-income, and pregnant households, with final selection considering factors such as children's age and usage period.

The burden on user households is calculated based on the hourly minimum wage (9,860 KRW) plus minimal indirect costs such as the four major social insurances (employment insurance, national pension, national health insurance, industrial accident insurance), amounting to about 1.19 million KRW per month for households using 4 hours per day. This is 9.2% cheaper than the current public hourly comprehensive child care worker service (care + domestic work) at about 1.31 million KRW per month and 21.7% cheaper than private domestic workers at 1.52 million KRW per month.

Filipino domestic workers arriving will receive a total of 160 hours of specialized training over 4 weeks after entry. The training is divided into common basic education under the Employment Permit System (E-9) (16 hours) and job training (144 hours). Specifically, it includes safety and health and basic life law, sexual harassment prevention education, child care and domestic work job training, Korean language (beginner and intermediate) and life culture education. Their shared accommodation is prepared near Yeoksam Station. Depending on the room size (4.8~6.5㎡), they will live in single or double rooms, with all 100 domestic workers residing there for about 7 months until the end of the pilot period.

The period when Filipino domestic workers provide services to user households starts from September 3. The pilot project runs until the end of February next year. Kim Seon-sun, Director of the Seoul City Women and Family Office, said, "As Seoul City is conducting the first foreign domestic worker pilot project in Korea, we are thoroughly preparing by directly inspecting accommodations, training centers, education programs, and foreigner registration procedures. We will actively support the Filipino domestic workers who are starting a new life in unfamiliar Seoul after leaving their homeland, and do our best to provide satisfactory care and domestic services to the households using domestic worker services."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.