我們為什麼建立Arrow?

我帶同妻子和孩子在香港為WorldVenture 服務了18年。在2007年的一月，我們開始了Arrow Employment Services，提供良好的培訓和可靠的幫手予香港人。

經過幾位朋友幫助我們尋找一位家僱幫手後，我們開始構思關於開辦一個僱傭介紹所。我們的幫手 — Nely，是一個極好和真誠的女僱，我們的朋友都希望找到一位像她一樣的幫手。在幫助朋友尋找女僱時(當然是免費的)，我們學習到僱傭介紹所的事業。在我們不斷的學習當中，我們更注重我們可以怎樣提供更好的服務。以下是我們的發現︰

• ·  僱傭介紹所對於他們給香港家庭介紹的女僱認識非常的少。他們有女僱簡單的個人背景資訊，並附有一張相片，有些更有大約五分鐘的自我介紹影片。一間優良的公司會每一個或兩個月便到菲律賓去接見女僱。他可能用3-5分鐘的時間去考慮誰可以被他的公司介紹工作。我們聘請女僱的目的不只是要她們幫助做家務，更要他們去照顧我們的老人家和小孩。因此，我們是否應該認識她們多一點，而不是看僅僅一至兩頁的簡介呢？ 

• ·  中介公司通常都不會花太多的時間去了解你和你的家庭。在一些大型的公司，聘請女僱就像極速配對約會一樣。聘請女僱是一項很重要的決定。中介公司應該花多點時間去了解你的家庭需要什麼。
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  ·  外地家庭僱工慣性的被一些肆無忌憚的中介公司收取過多的費用和過度的剝削。菲律賓人第一次來香港通常要付HK$15,000。有些中介公司會跟雇主合謀，採取2個以一人價錢的方法剝削女僱的利益。他們會待女僱付清所有的費用後，鼓勵雇主用各種藉口辭退女僱，之後會替他找更好的女僱。因此，中介公司能夠向另一個女僱收取費用，這個情況亦會循環持續下去。

 ·  在幫助朋友尋找女僱當中，我們認為「一定會有一個更好的方法」，一個更好的方法為香港家庭提供可信和可靠的女僱，與此同時，亦可公平的保障女僱的權益和價值。現在，"Arrow way"正符合這些方向。

Why we started Arrow

 In 1988, I (Allan), came with my wife Ione and our two kids to serve with WorldVenture.  In January 2007 we started Arrow Employment Services to provide well trained and reliable helpers to Hong Kong people. 

We began thinking about opening an employment agency after a number of our friends came to us for help in finding a helper. Our helper, Nely is a superb helper and frankly, our friends wanted to hire someone like her. As we helped our friends locate; good helpers (completely gratis) we learned about the "employment agency" business and the more we learned, the more we concerned we became. Here's what we discovered:     

Employment agencies know very little about the people they are recommending to HK families. They have a biodata form with a picture and some basic info. Some of them have a 2 minute video of the girl introducing herself. A really good agent will fly to the Philippines every month or two and interview girls. He may spend 3-5 minutes with them before deciding which ones to offer through his agency. We hire helpers to help take care of our children and elderly  parents.  They are much more than housekeepers. Shouldn't you know a little more about them than a one or two page summary?

 

Agencies don't usually take time to get to know you or your family. In some of the biggest agencies, hiring a helper is like speed dating. Hiring a domestic helper is an important decision. The agency should take time to get to know your families needs.

Foreign domestic helpers are routinely overcharged and taken advantage of by unscrupulous agencies. Filipinos coming to HK for the first time often have to pay HK$15,000 to get here. Some agencies conspire with employers in 2 for 1 schemes. They wait until the helper has paid them their fee, then encourage the employer to fire the employee over petty grievances, promising abetter helper for free. They then charge another girl an outrageous fee and the cycle starts all over.

 

As we helped our friends, we thought "there has got to be a better way", a way that provides trustworthy and reliable helpers to Hong Kong families, while at the same time treating the Filipinos with fairness and dignity. Now there is, it is the "Arrow Way".