Photo credit: asia.nikkei.com
Working as house help in foreign countries is something that we should be proud of. It allowed many people provide a better life for their families because they were courageous enough to live and work abroad. Some may think it is a thankless job, but actually it is a noble one. You are tasked to keep everything in order at home and that is a huge responsibility not everyone can accomplish.
We know that a huge portion of our modern heroes, the OFWs, work in the field of housekeeping. This industry has given many people a chance to provide for their family, to send their kids to good schools, and even to help relatives.
Now, there is a new opportunity because according to Korea Times, Japan has opened the country to hire foreign house help for the first time. Possibly, due to our hospitality and close family ties, Filipinos are on top of their list.
The search has started for the Kanagawa Prefecture and the city of Osaka as early as March. Tokyo is also looking to hire foreign housekeepers soon.
The Japanese are doing this so that housewives can slowly re-enter the workforce.
A few requirements include:
- at least 18 years old
- should have at least a year of housekeeping work experience and have basic Japanese language skills
- to undergo about 200 hours of training, then they  will help with cooking, laundry, cleaning, shopping and child care (not nursing care, which they are not allowed to do)
At present, about 50 Filipinos are expected to arrive in Japan this February for training. Then, they will be hired by housekeeping staffing firms and child-care centers.
When hired, the foreign housekeepers will be assigned full-time while their Japanese counterparts will be assigned part-time. They will be allowed to stay in Japan to up to 3 years.
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