How to become a yaya in the Philippines: requirements, skills & where to find work

Paano maging yaya sa Pilipinas? (Mabilis na sagot)

Kung tinatanong mo kung paano maging yaya sa Pilipinas: kailangan mong maging 15 years old pataas ayon sa batas (RA 10361), maghanda ng basic documents (birth certificate o valid ID, barangay clearance, NBI o police clearance, at medical certificate), at makabuti kung mayroon kang training gaya ng TESDA Caregiving NC II. Wala namang required na "license" para maging yaya, pero ang verification at maayos na kontrata ang magpoprotekta sa'yo pagdating ng trabaho.

The rest of this guide goes deeper into each part, in English, since that's what most employers and job listings use. But the short version above is the whole shape of it.

Who can actually work as a yaya: the age rule

This is the one hard legal line, so it's worth stating plainly.

Legal requirement (RA 10361, the Domestic Workers Act / Batas Kasambahay): The minimum age to work as a kasambahay (the legal category that covers yaya, nanny, general househelp, cook, gardener, and laundry work) is 15 years old. Nobody younger than that can be legally employed in this role, full stop.

If you're 15, 16, or 17, you're not shut out, but the law treats you as a "working child" and gives you extra protection under RA 9231:

• Your employer can only have you work up to 8 hours a day, and no more than 40 hours a week.
• You cannot be made to work between 10:00 in the evening and 6:00 in the morning. This one matters most in yaya work: night feeds, overnight duty, and any live-in arrangement that expects you to be on call through the night are not allowed until you turn 18.
• You must still be allowed to finish your basic schooling; the job can't get in the way of that.
• You cannot be assigned hazardous tasks.

Practical example: Say you're 16, just finished Grade 10, and want to work part-time as a yaya over summer break, daytime hours only. You're legally allowed to, but your employer has to keep your hours capped, avoid anything hazardous, end your work day by 10pm, and not ask you to skip school once classes resume. A live-in job that expects you to handle night feeds, or any shift running past 10pm or starting before 6am, is not something the law allows at your age, even if the family offers extra pay for it. If an employer offers you full-time hours, night duty, or asks you to drop out, that is not how the law says a 15-17 year old kasambahay should be treated. You're allowed to say no, or to ask for the schedule in writing first.

If you're 18 or older, the standard adult rules simply apply.

Requirements to become a yaya in the Philippines

There's no central government office that "licenses" yayas; it's not like becoming a nurse or a teacher. What actually happens in practice is that families and agencies ask for a standard set of documents before they'll take you on, and a barangay is supposed to have you on record.

Guidance: commonly requested by employers/agencies, not all individually mandated by a single national form.

• Proof of age: a birth certificate is the usual one; a voter's ID, baptismal record, or passport can work as an alternative if you don't have your birth certificate on hand.
• Medical/health certificate: issued by a local government health officer, confirming you're fit to work.
• Barangay clearance: from your home barangay.
• Police clearance and/or NBI clearance: increasingly asked for, especially by agencies and cautious employers.

Legal requirement (RA 10361): Once you do start with a family, your employer is expected to register you in the barangay's Registry of Domestic Workers where you're working, and to put a written employment contract in place, ideally DOLE's standard Kontrata sa Paglilingkod sa Tahanan (Form BK-1), attested by the Punong Barangay or a barangay officer, with a copy kept by you and a copy on file at the barangay.

If a family or agency skips the written contract entirely and wants to run on a verbal agreement only, that's a gap worth raising before you start, not something to quietly go along with.

Skills that actually make you hireable

Beyond the paperwork, what separates someone who gets hired quickly from someone who doesn't usually comes down to a specific, describable set of skills, not vague qualities like "maalaga" or "masipag" that every applicant claims.

Childcare-specific skills

• Handling different age groups: infant care is a genuinely different skill set from looking after a school-age child, and it helps to be honest about which one you actually have experience with.
• Basic health and safety awareness: recognizing when a child is sick, handling minor injuries calmly, safe sleep and feeding practices for infants.
• Patience under pressure: tantrums, crying, refusing to eat, refusing to sleep. Employers ask about this in interviews because it's the actual day-to-day of the job.

Household skills (relevant even for "yaya-only" roles)

Many families expect some crossover, even in a yaya-focused role.

• Basic cooking, especially for children: meal prep, portioning, simple nutrition.
• General tidiness and light housekeeping.
• Laundry and clothing care, particularly for infants and young children.

Practical and interpersonal skills

• Basic communication: being able to give a parent a clear, honest update on their child's day.
• Reliability and punctuality: this comes up constantly in what families say they value.
• Comfort discussing money and benefits: being able to talk about SSS/PhilHealth/Pag-IBIG registration with an employer without it feeling awkward is itself a useful skill, and a sign you understand your own rights.

You don't need every single one of these on day one. But naming the specific ones you already have, rather than a general "I love children," is what makes an interview go well.

TESDA training: is it worth it, and what does it actually cover?

You do not need a TESDA certificate to work as a yaya. Plenty of experienced, well-regarded yayas have never taken a formal course; much of the skill is built on the job. That said, if you're starting from zero experience, a recognized certificate is a real, concrete way to strengthen your application before you've worked a single day for anyone.

Two TESDA courses are directly relevant:

Guidance, not a legal requirement: Neither course is mandatory to work as a kasambahay. But some local government units and TESDA-accredited training centers offer these courses for free, so it's worth checking with your local TESDA office or LGU before assuming it's out of reach financially. A completed NC II certificate is something concrete you can put in front of an employer, which matters most for applicants with no paid experience yet.

What you're entitled to once you start working: know this before day one

This section is about your rights, not employer generosity. Everything below is a legal requirement under Batas Kasambahay (RA 10361), not a suggestion or a "nice employer" bonus.

• A minimum wage that applies in your region. Kasambahay minimum wages are set region-by-region by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPB), not by one single national number. As one example, the NCR (Metro Manila) rate is ₱7,800/month effective February 7, 2026. Other regions have their own current rates, set and updated on their own schedule. Always check the current rate for the specific region you'll be working in at nwpc.dole.gov.ph rather than assume a figure you saw for a different city applies to you.
• Daily and weekly rest. At least 8 hours of aggregate rest per day, and 24 consecutive hours of rest each week. Your rest day is meant to be fixed by written agreement, and your religious preference is supposed to be respected when it's set.
• 13th month pay, computed as at least 1/12 of the basic wage you earned that calendar year, due on or before December 24.
• 5 days of paid Service Incentive Leave per year, once you've completed 1 year with the same employer. Note: unlike regular Labor Code leave, this doesn't carry over to the next year and can't be converted to cash if unused.
• Free lodging, at least 3 meals a day, and clean drinking water, if you're live-in.
• SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG registration, required once you've worked at least 1 month for the same employer. See the full plain-English guide to Batas Kasambahay for the complete breakdown of the law. If you earn below ₱5,000/month, your employer pays the entire contribution for all three; nothing should be deducted from your pay for this. If you earn ₱5,000 or more, the contribution is shared: you pay your share (usually deducted from salary) and your employer pays theirs, plus the SSS Employees' Compensation contribution.

Practical example: Say you're offered a live-in yaya job in Quezon City at ₱6,500/month. As of February 2026, the NCR kasambahay minimum wage is ₱7,800/month, so that offer sits below the legal floor. Knowing this number means you can raise it with the family directly, rather than assuming a lower offer is just "normal" because you're new to the work.

Practical example: If you're earning ₱6,000/month after 8 months with the same employer and haven't been registered for SSS/PhilHealth/Pag-IBIG yet, that's already overdue under the law (registration is required after just 1 month of service), and because ₱6,000 is above the ₱5,000 threshold, the contribution should be split between you and your employer, not carried by either side alone. It's reasonable to ask about this directly.

This guide explains what the law says generally. It isn't a substitute for legal advice on your specific situation. For that, DOLE or a labour lawyer is the right next step.

Where to find yaya jobs in the Philippines, and how to avoid getting scammed

There are a few realistic channels people use to find yaya work:

• Word of mouth / community referrals: still very common, especially outside major cities.
• Facebook groups for household help: large reach, but essentially no built-in verification on either side.
• Placement agencies: can offer structure and sometimes handle some of the paperwork, but only licensed agencies are legally allowed to recruit and charge placement-related fees. See our honest direct-hire vs agency comparison for the trade-offs from the family's side, which shapes what they'll expect from you either way.
• Apps with identity-verified profiles (like Pinoyaya): once your ID check passes, an ID-verified badge sits on your profile, and families can filter their search to show only ID-verified helpers. That badge tells a family your identity was checked by a third party before they even message you, which tends to build trust faster than a cold Facebook comment. Read what "identity verified" actually means to see exactly what that check involves.

Whatever route you take, a few habits protect you:

1. Verify who you're dealing with. If it's an agency, confirm it's actually licensed through official channels rather than taking their word for it.
2. Get everything in writing. A fee explanation, a receipt for anything you do pay, and eventually a proper employment contract.
3. Don't hand over cash with no paper trail. If a fee is real and legitimate, there will be documentation for it.
4. Ask for the written employment contract before your first day, not after, and confirm the family plans to register you with the barangay's Registry of Domestic Workers.

A realistic path, step by step

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum age to become a yaya in the Philippines?

The minimum age is 15, under RA 10361 (Batas Kasambahay). If you're 15 to 17, you're covered by additional child-labor protections under RA 9231: a maximum of 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, no work at all between 10pm and 6am (so no night feeds or overnight duty), no hazardous tasks, and your schooling has to be protected.

Do I need a TESDA certificate to work as a yaya?

No, it isn't legally required. TESDA's Caregiving NC II (about 786 hours) or Housekeeping NC II (a minimum of 436 hours) are genuinely useful if you're starting with little or no paid experience, since they give you a concrete, recognized certificate to show employers, but experienced yayas without one are hired all the time.

What documents do I need to become a yaya?

Commonly requested documents are a birth certificate (or an alternate like a voter's ID, baptismal record, or passport), a medical/health certificate, a barangay clearance, and a police or NBI clearance. Once you're hired, your employer should also register you with the barangay's Registry of Domestic Workers and put a written contract in place.

How much does a yaya legally have to be paid?

There's no single national figure; kasambahay minimum wages are set region by region. As one example, NCR's rate is ₱7,800/month effective February 7, 2026. Always check the current rate for your specific region at nwpc.dole.gov.ph rather than assume another region's number applies to you.

Is it safe to find yaya jobs through Facebook groups or agencies?

Both can work, but neither is automatically safe. Facebook groups generally have no built-in verification. Only licensed agencies may legally charge recruitment fees; if anyone asks for upfront cash with no receipt or documentation, that's a red flag for illegal recruitment, regardless of the channel. Verified apps add a layer of identity-checking before you even start talking to a family.

What benefits am I legally entitled to as a yaya?

Under Batas Kasambahay: your region's minimum wage, 13th month pay, at least 8 hours of daily rest plus a 24-hour weekly rest day, 5 days of paid Service Incentive Leave after 1 year (non-convertible to cash), and SSS/PhilHealth/Pag-IBIG registration after 1 month of service, fully employer-paid if you earn under ₱5,000/month, shared if you earn ₱5,000 or more. Live-in helpers are also entitled to free lodging, at least 3 meals a day, and clean drinking water.

This guide is for general information only and is not legal advice. For questions about your specific situation, contact DOLE or a Philippine labour lawyer.