When we review replacement cases, most did not begin with "incompetence" but with a vague first week: duties never explained, expectations each side assumed the other understood. The first week is an investment, and a little clarity there saves months.
Day one: rest before work
She has arrived after a long journey and a complete change of environment. Give her a day to rest, eat and sleep. Starting work immediately creates an impression that is hard to undo.
Explain the place before the tasks
- Her room and her own bathroom.
- The kitchen, and where tools and supplies are kept.
- What is open to her and what is private in the home.
- Meal times and how food is prepared in your household.
Write down the daily routine
Do not rely on spoken explanation in a second language. Write a simple schedule — or use pictures — showing the start time, the tasks in order, rest periods and the finish time. Then review it with her after three days and adjust.
The most commonly forgotten item: the weekly rest day and daily rest hours. Agree them in writing from day one — it is a statutory right and the single largest source of disputes.
Agree how you will communicate
How do you ask for something? How does she say she has not understood? Who does she speak to about a personal need? Settling this at the start stops misunderstandings from building up in silence.
What she must have with her
- Her passport — it is her property, and withholding it is a violation.
- A way to contact her family.
- A copy of her contract.
- The recruitment office's number for emergencies.
After a week: sit down and review
Set aside ten minutes: what is going well? What is she finding difficult? A correction in the first week is easy; in the third month it becomes a complaint.