The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has announced that Japan is opening its doors to foreign housekeepers.
POEA Dep. Admin Amy Reyes said Japan is interested to hire housekeepers from the Philippines since they are aware of the quality of work of Filipinos.
“They need people to look for their children. They need people to take care of their houses also. Alam din nila na the reason why these opportunities are open to us Filipinos, alam naman nila kasi ang kalidad ng ating pagtratrabaho (They know the reason why these opportunities are open to us Filipinos, they know the quality of our work),” Reyes told ABS-CBN News.
Interested applicants must be at least 23 years old, must have one year experience in housekeeping and must have a Level 2 certification from TESDA. Applicants interested in becoming nannies must secure Level 4 certification.
Applicants will pay for the costs of their passports, preliminary medical exams, clearances as well as Pag-ibig and PhilHealth membership fees. However, they will be exempted from paying placement fees, transportation fees, and language fees.
Hired housekeepers can expect a salary of ¥ 136,203 or P 58,565.38, the minimum wage in the Kanagawa Prefecture. But since housekeepers will shoulder their food and house rental, the net pay is expected to be about ¥ 59,856 or P 25,736.
“Nasa kultura din kasi ng mga Hapon na ‘yung mga bahay nila ay hindi masyadong malaki. They are not used to having a stranger sa bahay nila,”
(It’s common in Japanese culture that they don’t live in big houses. They are not used to having a stranger in their house.)
To protect hired housekeepers, there will be a contract between the recruiter and the employer. Moreover, a Third Party Labor Management Council in Kanagawa, a Philippine labor attache and a Philippine Consulate in Osaka will assist housekeepers should they encounter a problem.
Watch the video report.
