Seoul - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
Most families who need full time assistance sponsor a foreign national; many are from the Philippines. The typical rate is around $1,500 per month. The going rate for part time help is $10-12 per hour, but is dependent on whether someone's helper/nanny has time to spare. Due to COVID and challenges with immigration, household help can be hard to find right now. - Mar 2022
This is hard to answer. If you live on base the only real option is to sponsor a TCN (usually Filipino) who lives in. It's nearly impossible to get someone a badge to come on base otherwise. - Nov 2021
It's too expensive to have full time help for most at the embassy, but some with two incomes do it. I have paid US$10/hr for cleaning every once in a while. - Feb 2020
It's expensive and most people don't do it. They may pay a maid to come in once or twice a month but it's not cheap and the quality isn't that great. - Feb 2016
If you want full-time help you must sponsor a third-country national. We did not do this, so I can't speak to the process. Part time workers usually make about US$10/hour. - Feb 2016
Available and fairly cheap. $10 per hour. - Jul 2015
I pay US$10 an hour for a part-time housekeeper. - Feb 2015
About US$10 an hour. We had to let ours go when she kept asking us to buy stuff at the PX for her, asked for advances, stopped answering the phone when we called to schedule her, etc. Most people have good experiences. - Jan 2014
Housekeepers come once a week for $160 a month ($40 per week).Nannies are about $800 per month, plus costs of sponsorship. Babysitters are $10 per hour. Dog walkers are also available. - Jan 2011
Help is usually 10.00 per hour. - Dec 2010
Most full-time (40 hours per week- weekdays) cost anywhere from $650 to $800 depending on what other benefits you provide (airfare back to their country, etc.).It's more expensive than most places in the world as the cost of living for them in the economy can be quite high. - Sep 2009
Embassy officers are allowed to sponsor domestic help. The process is not that difficult but you have to have someone identified. Also, very affordable compared to the local economy and any help you can get in the US. - Jul 2008
Expensive. The new South Korean visa regulations regarding the sponsorship of third country domestics has created a lot of problems as well as added to the expense. - May 2008
