The Seoul city government announced on the 23rd that it will launch a pilot project from the 24th in partnership with the Ministry of Justice for foreigners staying and residing in the country, focusing on household and childcare activities.
The personnel being recruited by the Seoul city and the Ministry of Justice for household and childcare activities are different from the previously operated 'Filipino housekeepers' by the Seoul city. Unlike Filipino housekeepers, they are not subject to the minimum wage. Filipino housekeepers are employed by government-certified household service providers, whereas the personnel being recruited this time will enter into private contracts with individual households.
The recruitment target for this pilot project includes adult foreigners holding specific legal residency visas in the country, such as D-2, D-10, F-3, and F-1-5. Among these, the F-3 visa is only available if the primary visa holder (spouse) holds ▲E-1~E-7 ▲F-2, ▲F-4, ▲H-2 visas. Applications can be made starting from the 24th through the private matching platform EasyTask.
The city will accept applications from foreigners in March and April and conduct training in April and May. There are plans to deploy a total of 300 childcare households in June.
The target households for childcare are those based in Seoul that raise minors aged 6 to 18. They will provide services specializing in household duties, childcare, or a combination of both. The service format will be decided autonomously between the households and suppliers as part-time or full-time (8 hours).
The city will handle administrative procedures such as matching personnel supply, managing training, and responding to civil complaints. The Ministry of Justice plans to support the verification of foreigners' residency information, activity permits, and training programs.
The city also plans to provide incentives to international students participating in the pilot project. If an international student engages in activities in the household and childcare sector for more than 6 months, they will receive a bonus (10 points) when extending their residence period under 'Job Seeker Qualification (D-10)'. Additionally, if they obtain an excellent visa under the point system (F-2-7), they will receive points for volunteer activities, and benefits will be offered for easing or exempting the financial capability proof documents based on the hours worked when extending the study residence period.
Lee Hae-sun, the director of global city policy for Seoul, said, “I hope this project helps ease the household and childcare burdens for families raising children while also ensuring stability for foreigners participating in the program, resulting in benefits for both citizens and foreigners.”