| Many Indonesian migrant domestic helpers face communication difficulties, even though they have had pre-departure job training at BLK (Balai Latihan Kerja – Vocational Training Center). These communication difficulties often stem from their inadequate English communication skills. Further signifying the issue is the new government regulation concerning the supervision of Indonesian migrant workers through BLK (Article 4, 2016 - PER. 12/KA/XI/2016), which seemed to focus merely on practical work training while neglecting the needs for English language training. Given the importance of English among the Indonesian migrant domestic helpers, this study aims to uncover their actual English needs by conducting a needs analysis and designing a specific English syllabus tailored to the target learners’ needs. The respondents were 37 Indonesian migrant domestic helpers and two employers. The study employed an in-depth qualitative method by utilizing both questionnaires and interviews to collect the data. These data were analysed using PSA and TSA approaches suggested by Dudley-Evans and St. John (1998), and the results were described and interpreted using simple qualitative descriptive statistics. The insights from the needs analysis then served as bases for designing the English syllabus for the Indonesian migrant domestic helpers. The findings indicated that (1) most of the Indonesian migrant domestic helpers came from low education level, (2) they mostly never received any English training from BLK, (3) their English needs mostly revolved around communication in daily life situations related to their employers, employers' families, (4) their English needs revolved around speaking and listening skills, (5) their perceptions of their English competence were mainly in speaking and listening, (6) there were 12 types of daily uses of English that the Indonesian migrant domestic helpers needed, and (7) they needed multiple learning resources and practical experiences in the target language Considering these insights, the English syllabus proposed many real-life situations between the Indonesian migrant domestic helpers and their employers, intended to improve the participants' speaking and listening skills while also featuring a small number of key grammars and vocabularies to supplement the role-plays. It is hoped that by providing various real-life communication situations in the syllabus, the Indonesian migrant domestic helpers could be better equipped for their work overseas and become more encouraged to communicate in English. The pedagogical implication showed the importance of conducting a needs analysis and designing a syllabus prior to designing a curriculum, which should be relevant to EOP material designers. This ensures that the EOP lesson designers do not overlook any required communicative scenarios. Additionally, It is essential that EOP instructors be more aware of the needs of Indonesian migrant domestic helpers by demonstrating real-life working situations rather than simply delivering lessons, such as encouraging the Indonesian domestic helpers to speak up more in their classes, utilizing practical tasks and hands-on activities. |