Domestic staff trial and placement process
How a domestic staff trial works before an offer.
Filipino Domestic Services' current client terms allow a trial to be considered before an offer is made. The trial period is agreed for the instruction, the applicable trial fee is confirmed separately, and the candidate's full trial wages are payable before the trial begins.
Quick answer
What is the trial stage for?
A domestic staff trial is a pre-offer assessment stage. It gives the household a chance to observe how the candidate approaches the actual responsibilities of the role and gives the candidate a chance to assess the household, schedule and working environment before deciding whether to proceed.
It should not be used as an open-ended period of casual labour. The purpose, tasks, duration and payment should be clear before the trial begins.
Where the trial sits in the placement process.
The trial is an assessment step between interview and offer. It does not replace the household's checks or the employment documentation that follows if both sides decide to proceed.
- 01
Interview first
Confirm the role, duties, hours, location, pay basis, live-in or live-out arrangement and any genuine requirements before arranging a trial.
- 02
Agree the trial
Filipino Domestic Services confirms whether a trial can be arranged, the agreed period, the applicable trial fee and candidate wages.
- 03
Define what will be observed
Use realistic role-related tasks and a clear schedule. Avoid adding duties that were not part of the original brief.
- 04
Run the trial
Observe working approach, communication, prioritisation and the practical fit of the actual role rather than relying on a staged personality test.
- 05
Exchange feedback
Record objective observations, clarify any concerns and allow the candidate to assess whether the household and working arrangement are suitable for them too.
- 06
Move to offer or stop
If both sides want to proceed, confirm the offer, written terms, start date and employment handover. If not, return to the search without treating the trial as a placement.
Current client terms
The commercial rules are specific, not a blanket guarantee.
The current Filipino Domestic Services client terms say that the agency may permit a trial at the client's request. They do not promise that every instruction will include one, and they do not publish a standard trial duration.
The terms also separate a trial from the later employment offer. Any agency charges, payment deadlines and post-placement provisions that apply after an offer should be checked against the current terms for the actual instruction.
Read the current client terms
What should you assess during a domestic staff trial?
Use the same role definition that was discussed at interview. The aim is to gather evidence about the actual job, not to create a more demanding version of the position for the trial.
Keep the trial proportionate to the recruitment decision.
Government guidance says an unpaid work trial can still create entitlement to the National Minimum Wage depending on the circumstances. Factors include the purpose and length of the trial, how closely the tasks match the role, whether the candidate is observed and whether the work has value beyond recruitment.
Filipino Domestic Services' route is paid.
The current client terms require the candidate's full wages for the trial to be paid before it begins. This page therefore does not rely on an unpaid-trial exception.
Do not use the trial as free labour.
Acas says an unpaid trial should be for a reasonable amount of time and should not usually last longer than one day. The longer or more commercially useful the work becomes, the more important it is to consider worker status and minimum-wage obligations.
Use a short, evidence-led feedback loop.
A trial becomes more useful when the household compares observations against the agreed role rather than deciding on general impressions alone.
- Write down what was observed.Use examples tied to the actual duties, schedule and instructions.
- Separate questions from deal-breakers.A point that needs clarification is different from evidence that the role is unsuitable.
- Invite the candidate's view.The candidate should also be able to say whether the duties, hours and household arrangement match what was discussed.
- Decide the next action.Proceed to offer, clarify the brief, or return to candidate introductions.
What changes when you move from trial to offer?
The trial answers whether both sides want to proceed. The offer stage converts that decision into a defined employment arrangement.
Resolve any difference between the original brief and what was learned during the trial before making the offer.
Make sure the household and candidate are discussing the same pay basis before payroll is set up.
State days, start and finish times, breaks, live-in or live-out status and any regular travel.
A trial does not replace the prescribed right-to-work check or the household's assessment of references, qualifications and role-specific checks.
Use the final role, pay, hours, workplace, holiday and other required terms as the basis for the written employment documentation.
Notify Filipino Domestic Services when the candidate is engaged and follow the current invoice and client-term requirements for the placement.
A pre-offer trial is not the same as probation.
The Filipino Domestic Services trial described here happens before an offer. A probation period, where one is used, sits inside the employment relationship after the employee starts and should be set out in the written terms.
Do not use the words trial and probation interchangeably when discussing the arrangement with a candidate.
See probation and written-term guidanceQuestions
Domestic staff trial and placement questions.
Does every Filipino Domestic Services placement include a trial?
No. The current client terms say that Filipino Domestic Services may permit a trial at the client's request. A trial is therefore an optional pre-offer stage, not an automatic promise attached to every instruction.
How long is a domestic staff trial?
The current terms do not publish one fixed duration. The trial period is agreed between the relevant parties for the instruction and should remain proportionate to the recruitment decision.
Is the candidate paid for the trial?
Yes under the current Filipino Domestic Services client terms. The candidate's full wages for the trial, together with the applicable trial-period fee, are payable before the trial begins.
Can the trial happen after I have already made an offer?
No under the current terms. The trial period can only commence before an offer of employment or contract for services has been made.
What should I assess during the trial?
Assess the real duties that matter in the agreed role: understanding of priorities, organisation, communication, practical judgement and whether the working arrangement matches what both sides discussed at interview.
What happens if the trial goes well?
If the household and candidate both want to proceed, the next step is to confirm the offer, gross pay, duties, working pattern, start date, employer checks and written terms, then notify Filipino Domestic Services and follow the applicable client terms for the placement.
Start with a role clear enough to test properly.
Tell Filipino Domestic Services the role, duties, postcode, hours, working arrangement, pay range and intended start date. If a trial is appropriate for the instruction, the terms and payment can then be agreed before it begins.