157 families chosen for foreign nanny pilot

100 caregivers from Philippines to start work in September

Filipina workers participating in the pilot program for Filipina childcare workers arrive at Incheon International Airport on Aug. 6. (Yonhap)

A total of 157 households in Seoul, primarily dual-income families, have been selected to participate in the newly introduced foreign nanny program, according to the Seoul city government.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday it had received 751 applications by the deadline of Aug. 6, meaning there was significantly more demand than could be met by the pilot program.

The city government chose the successful applicants by prioritizing single-parent households, pregnant women, families with younger children, and those in which both parents were working.

Dual-income families with multiple children accounted for 62 percent of the selected households. By location, 40 percent of these households are located in the southeastern districts of Seoul, namely Seocho, Gangnam, Songpa, and Gangdong.

Scheduled to start work on Sept. 3, the 100 Filipina domestic workers involved in the pilot recently arrived in Seoul and are currently undergoing four weeks of training, covering topics such as child care, housekeeping, Korean language, and cultural education.

Nannies will not be directly employed by the families. They will be employed by a government-certified domestic service provider, and dispatched to the families according to demand.

This means nannies will not always work for one family, but work at different households according to the parents' needs.

The initiative, a joint program run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Employment and Labor, aims to provide families with affordable child care in response to the shortage of local providers.

This six-month pilot program is limited to Seoul residents and will hire only female nationals from the Philippines until the official version is launched.

During the six-month pilot program, those helpers will live in shared housing near Yeoksam Station in Gangnam area, which the city says will help with convenience and safety as it is close to public transport many of their workplaces.

The caregivers will work flexible shifts between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Friday. But they will have at least 30 hours of work per week, guaranteeing a minimum income of approximately 1.54 million won ($1,130) per month.

Those working eight hours a day, five days a week, will earn about 2.38 million won per month.

The service providers employing them is also required to provide the caregivers with four major insurances.

By Lee Jaeeun(jenn@heraldcorp.com)