Arrow really hit the spot for us!

[koala226]

It's true

I am now on the process of hiring a helper through ARROW.
From day one they have been very helpful and kind.
My husband and i went to their office to interview through Skype, a few ladies the agency thought would meet our needs. We had given ARROW our requirement and family background in advance.
They gave us a lot of time to answer our questions and make suggestions to our current situation.
The first attempt of interviews did no succeed, nor the second.
Still ARROW was subtly keeping us posted and asked how our quest was going.
What impressed me most was how they were honest to give us feedbacks on the ladies who were in training. The agent would know what we are looking for and tell us if there would be ladies who would want to work for us.
If the agent in the Philippines finds a suitable candidate, ARROW would let us know and we can arrange for a Skype interview.
This is what I really appreciate. The candidate can see the employer and she can choose to take the job or not. I found it very uncomfortable to do "catalogue shopping" for helpers in other agencies. So doing a Skype interview is much more humane.
So at last, on our third attempt we have found a helper we would like to have in our family.
I do suggest ARROW to help you find a helper. Try, and you will know what I mean.

 

[genkimom]

We are going to try to get a helper through Arrow as well. So far, not very impressed. They said they would e-mail and didn't, they said they would call back and didn't, and the one person we have interviewed so far was an emotional wreck. BUT, I have heard such positive things about them, I am hoping this was just a bump in the road and everything else will go more smoothly. Will update later one way or another.

 

[carang]

genki, i had the same problem, even though at the time, i told them time was of the essence. they were excellent in the first day or two after my enquiry, then kind of disappeared...

 

[Honkyblues]

Their office admin is pretty poor, and they didn't follow up on their promises to support our helper after she arrived (socially, emotionally) - but we did end up with a nice helper, and they were very honest during the interview process about different helpers strengths and weaknesses. Better than most agencies, but room for improvement.

 

[genkimom]

I just thought yesterday it was unfair of them to make her interview when she was clearly still so shaken...kinda like advising someone to go on a date two days after a divorce. Who thinks that will go well? I thought they were pushing her too hard. But then today I got ahold of the HK labor guidelines and I realized after you get fired, you have only two weeks to find a new employer before you get booted out. It's really high pressure. So I can see why they had her interviewing so soon.

But then, if they KNEW this woman was crazy and had fired a bunch of helpers, why did they continue to do business with her? I reckon making 4-5 people an emotional wreck would be enough to want to cut ties.... I guess business is business and they cant train and screen clients like they can train and screen helpers. Pity.

But like I said, I will give them another chance because no one is perfect and if they are understaffed, that may explain some things.

 

[Gracey]

No, they're not perfect. I don't think the helper hiring process will ever be perfect. But they were the best I found out there after comparing various agencies.
They are honest and their heart is in the right place -- which is more than I can say for anyone else. They do offer some support / follow-up to their helpers -- though you have to remember that no agency can act as a guardian to these women.
We got our helper from Arrow, and we're very happy with her.