How to Hire Your First Yaya in the Philippines: A Practical Family Guide

TL;DR: Define the childcare role and schedule before you search, compare evidence instead of titles, interview with real scenarios, check references with consent, return original documents, use a paid trial if useful, and sign a clear contract before the first day. Set at least the current regional wage floor, then budget the benefits and responsibilities that make the job real. The first week is part of hiring: stay home, teach the house, and do not leave a new yaya alone with a child until the checks and the written rules are in place.

Hiring a yaya starts an employment relationship inside your home. A real person will rely on you for clear work, fair pay, privacy, rest, and respectful treatment. The hiring process has to be specific enough to find the right skills, and fair enough that a good candidate can decide whether the job is right for her too.

This guide is for a Filipino family hiring directly for regular household work. The legal baseline is Republic Act No. 10361, and current wage floors come from the NWPC domestic-worker summary. Read how Helpers checks identity, NBI, and references before you treat a badge as a decision, and keep the legal hire checklist beside this page when you are ready to sign. If you are hiring through an agency, using rotating care staff, or need clinical nursing care, get advice for that arrangement rather than treating a household-helper contract as a universal form.

Start with the job, not the candidate

Before you browse profiles or ask relatives for referrals, write a one-page role brief. It prevents the most common failure: hiring for "yaya" and then discovering that everyone meant something different by the word.

Write down:

• Children and care level. Include ages, routines, school hours, nap or feeding needs, allergies, mobility needs, and whether another adult is normally at home.
• Actual duties. Childcare, children's laundry, preparing children's meals, tidying play areas, school runs, errands, cooking for the whole household, and general cleaning are different tasks. Name each one.
• Schedule. State work days, start and finish times, overnight expectations, emergency changes, and the weekly rest day. "Flexible" should mean what happens when the schedule changes, not "always available."
• Location and arrangement. Say whether the role is live-in or live-out, where the work happens, whether the helper will travel with the family, and what private sleeping space is available.
• Pay and benefits. Set a realistic range before interviewing. It must meet the current regional minimum where the role is covered, but the legal floor is not automatically a competitive offer. Use the salary guide and salary calculator to budget.
• Household boundaries. Decide who gives instructions, whether visitors or phone use have rules, which rooms are private, and how the family will handle feedback.

If driving is a regular part of the job, say so and price it as a separate responsibility. Family drivers are excluded from the kasambahay wage order in the NCR domestic-worker order, so do not assume that a yaya-plus-driver arrangement can be evaluated using the same legal and pay assumptions.

Understand the minimum legal setup

The Batas Kasambahay, Republic Act No. 10361, applies to domestic workers who regularly perform household work on an occupational basis. A yaya or nanny can fall within that definition even when childcare is the main duty. It covers live-in and live-out work.

The contract must be executed before service begins, in a language or dialect understood by both parties. Section 11 says it should cover the duties, period of employment, compensation, authorized deductions, hours and additional payment, rest days and leaves, board, lodging and medical attention, deployment expenses, loans, termination, and other lawful terms. Use the kasambahay contract template as a completion guide, then replace every blank with the actual arrangement.

The cash wage is only one part of the job. Under RA 10361, a kasambahay is entitled to:

• at least 24 consecutive hours of weekly rest, with the schedule agreed in writing;
• an aggregate daily rest period of at least eight hours;
• three adequate meals a day and humane, safe sleeping arrangements for live-in work;
• payment in cash at least once a month and a payslip every payday;
• 13th-month pay under the applicable law;
• five days of paid service incentive leave after one year of service; and
• coverage under SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG after at least one month of service, with contributions handled under the relevant agency rules.

The contract cannot turn statutory rights into optional perks. It can make the arrangement clearer, set lawful additional terms, and record who provides what.

The government-registration step is worth planning at the same time. The SSS household-employer guidance explains the unified forms for household employers and helpers, while PhilHealth's employer registration page lists the forms used for a kasambahay. Keep the receipts and the worker's copy of the contract; "we meant to register her" is not a useful record when a contribution goes missing.

Build a shortlist without over-trusting labels

When reviewing profiles, start with the duties you actually wrote. A candidate who calls herself a "helper" may have strong childcare experience; a candidate who calls herself a "nanny" may not want cooking or whole-house cleaning. Treat the profile title as a starting point and read the work history.

Look for specific evidence:

1. How many children did she care for, and what were their ages?
2. Did she handle routines you actually need, such as infant feeding, school preparation, bathing, medication reminders, or homework support?
3. How long did each placement last, and are the dates consistent?
4. Does her availability match the schedule, commute, and live-in requirement?
5. Does she state a salary expectation that fits the role and legal floor?
6. Which trust signals are real and current? An ID check, NBI clearance, and work-reference verification are separate signals. Read what the profile says has been checked rather than assuming every badge means the same thing.

Keep three to five candidates in the first shortlist. A single "perfect" candidate can make families rush past basic checks; a large list makes it harder to compare fairly.

Interview for judgment, not warmth alone

The first conversation should be paid attention to by both sides. Explain the job before asking personal questions, and give the candidate time to ask about pay, hours, rest, household rules, privacy, and the children's routines.

Useful questions include:

• "Walk me through a normal day with a toddler or infant."
• "What would you do if a child refused food, had a fever, or was crying for a long time?"
• "Which tasks have you done yourself, and which would you need training on?"
• "How do you prefer a family to give feedback when something needs changing?"
• "Tell me about a time a child was injured or became ill. What did you do first, and who did you contact?"
• "What schedule and rest-day arrangement are you looking for?"
• "What would make you leave a job?"

Do not ask for a rehearsed answer about being "patient." Ask for a real example and listen for safety, honesty, escalation, and respect for a child's dignity. A yaya should never use physical punishment, humiliation, threats, or unsafe restraints. Tell candidates clearly what your family considers unacceptable, and explain who to contact in an emergency.

Avoid questions that have no legitimate connection to the work. Do not make a hiring decision based on religion, ethnicity, pregnancy, marital status, or a disability unrelated to the duties. If a role genuinely requires lifting, night work, or a driving licence, describe the requirement and assess the ability fairly.

Check identity, clearances, and references proportionately

Section 12 of RA 10361 allows an employer to require a medical or health certificate, barangay and police clearance, NBI clearance, and authenticated proof of age. That permission does not make every document relevant to every job, and it does not give an employer the right to keep original papers.

Use a simple process:

1. Ask what document you need and why. Explain who will see it and how long you will keep a copy.
2. Check the document in the candidate's presence. Compare the name and photo to the person, and check dates and obvious inconsistencies.
3. Give originals back immediately. Keep only a necessary copy in a restricted place, then delete it when the hiring purpose ends.
4. Pay document costs that the law or the agreed hiring process places on the employer. Never charge a candidate a placement or processing fee as the price of being considered.
5. Record the result accurately: verified, pending, expired, or not submitted. NBI clearance is not a substitute for references, an interview, supervision, or a safe-household plan.

For references, obtain the candidate's permission before contacting someone. Ask the same core questions of each reference: dates worked, duties, reliability, reason for leaving, whether wages and rest days were handled fairly, and whether they would hire her again. A former employer's dislike of a worker is not automatically a red flag; look for consistent facts and give the candidate a chance to explain.

Use a paid trial only when the terms are clear

A short trial can reveal more than another interview, especially for childcare. It should not be an unpaid shift disguised as an assessment. Agree in advance on the date, hours, duties, rate, payment timing, supervision, transport, and whether the candidate is expected to remain overnight. Pay for the work performed.

Keep a parent or responsible adult available, especially for infants or children with medical needs. Do not leave a new hire alone with a child until you have completed the checks and decided that the arrangement is safe. Never ask a candidate to perform hazardous work or to use medication, equipment, or a vehicle without the training and authority needed.

After the trial, ask the candidate how the job felt from her side. Did the hours match what you described? Were the duties manageable? Was the family respectful? Her answer is hiring information, not a formality.

Make the offer precise

The offer should be a short, plain-language summary that matches the contract. Include:

• role and full duty list;
• start date and whether the term is fixed or indefinite;
• work days, hours, overnight expectations, and weekly rest day;
• basic monthly salary and payday;
• overtime or additional-work terms, if applicable;
• meals, sleeping arrangements, transport, uniforms, and medical assistance;
• SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, and 13th-month treatment;
• authorized deductions, if any, written specifically; and
• notice and termination terms.

Do not write "salary negotiable" and leave the important parts for a chat. A candidate needs enough information to accept or decline with dignity. Give the signed contract to the kasambahay before she starts. If the job changes materially, update the written agreement rather than relying on memory.

Your first week with a new yaya

The first week is where most new hires fail, and it is usually the family's process, not the yaya's skill. Stay home for as much of it as you can. A paid trial is not a substitute for a supervised first week. Do not leave a new yaya alone with an infant or a toddler until identity, references, and the written house rules are done. How we vet helpers tells you what a badge covers. It does not tell you whether this person knows your child's fever plan.

Print a one-page sheet before day one: emergency numbers, paediatrician, nearest hospital, allergies, medicines the yaya may never give without you, the rest day, payday, and who gives instructions. Put it on the fridge. Give her a signed copy of the contract the day she starts. The legal hire checklist covers Form BK-1, barangay registration, and SSS.

Privacy rules belong on day one. No photos of the children on her phone or yours for social media. No sharing the school name, the address, or the gate code in a group chat. The Data Privacy Act is the legal backdrop; the practical rule is simpler: the children's faces and whereabouts stay inside the family.

If something is unsafe in week one (withheld documents, a request to skip rest, physical punishment, or a duty the contract never named) stop the arrangement, pay for days already worked, and keep the records. Do not solve it by holding her bag or her phone.

After week one, keep a short weekly check-in through the first month. Ask what is working, what is unclear, and whether the hours match the contract. Give one or two concrete changes at a time. The first month still matters. The first week is when you decide whether the children are safe in that routine.

Red flags that should slow you down

Pause the hire when:

• anyone asks the candidate to pay for access to the job or hand over an original passport, ID, or certificate;
• the family cannot explain the schedule, salary, rest day, or duties in writing;
• a reference cannot confirm basic dates or the candidate's account changes repeatedly;
• someone pressures you to skip the interview, trial, or contract because "we need her today";
• the candidate or household proposes withholding wages, charging meals or lodging against the minimum wage, or hiding extra work;
• a person suggests physical punishment, isolation, confiscating a phone as control, or keeping the worker's documents; or
• the role quietly expands from childcare into full household work, driving, or caring for a medically complex adult without a new agreement.

One red flag does not prove misconduct, and no checklist can guarantee a safe hire. It does tell you when to slow down, ask a better question, or walk away.

A simple decision scorecard

After each interview, score the same categories from one to five and write one sentence of evidence:

Do not let a high score in "warmth" erase a mismatch in hours or safety. The right hire is the person who can do the work, agrees to the real terms, and has a respectful two-way relationship with the household.

Frequently Asked Questions

How early should I start looking for a yaya?

Start before the date you actually need care. Give yourself time to write the role, compare several candidates, complete references and relevant checks, and agree the contract. A rushed hire turns every unanswered question into a problem during the first week. If the supply in your city is small, leave a request on the family hiring page and widen the search only when the commute or live-in terms remain workable.

What is the difference between a nanny, yaya, and general helper?

Families use the words differently. Nanny or yaya usually signals childcare-first work, while a general helper often means broader household support. The label does not decide the pay or the duties. Write the children's care tasks, whole-house duties, errands, driving, and overnight expectations separately, and use the role that describes the work you are actually offering.

How many candidates should make the shortlist?

Three to five is enough for a first comparison in most households. Fewer can create pressure to overlook a mismatch; many more can turn the decision into a popularity contest. Use the same scorecard for each person and record evidence from the profile, interview, reference, and trial rather than relying on memory.

Is a paid trial day required?

The law does not turn every hiring process into a mandatory trial. A supervised, paid trial can still be useful when both sides agree on the date, duties, hours, rate, supervision, and payment timing beforehand. It is work, not free training. Keep a parent or responsible adult available and do not use a new trial worker as an unsupervised substitute for a qualified medical professional.

What should I do if the family and helper disagree after starting?

Return to the written duty list, schedule, pay, rest day, and feedback process. Talk privately and make one concrete change at a time. If the arrangement is unsafe, abusive, or involves withheld wages or documents, prioritise safety, keep the records, and seek appropriate help. Do not solve a disagreement by threatening, humiliating, isolating, or withholding the worker's pay or papers.

The short version

Define the work. Publish the schedule and pay. Shortlist based on evidence. Interview with real scenarios. Check references with consent. Return original documents. Use a paid, supervised trial when useful. Sign a clear contract before work begins. Then keep the job fair and predictable.

For the next step, browse helper profiles, read how Helpers handles verification, and follow how to hire a kasambahay legally for the contract, barangay registry, and contributions. The family guides collect related questions about pay and household employment.