All About Full-Time Maids

[nms1]

I think it really does depend a lot on the person and also on what you are looking for. If you need someone who can be independent and hit the ground running then a slightly more educated maid may help.


I did have two maids with degrees both of whom were very good - I think the reason was that they had their own children back in the Philippines as well as younger siblings. They both also had prior experience in Singapore when they came to me. Personality-wise they were on the quiet side and that it what I think made the difference. They weren’t the type to easily make friends or to socialise and only mixed with their cousins and friends of their cousins.

My current maid who only has a high-school diploma and is single is much more outgoing and seems to know every maid within about 1 km of our house. She is nowhere near as diligent as the other two.

[DesertWind]

ScaredyMum:

Install them before your maid arrives, and explain to her why u hv cameras at home. I told mine the purpose is not to monitor her, if she does her work etc. i told them its for safety purpose cos only she and young children at home, also for me to monitor DC, whether are they taking too long to eat their meals, are they watching tv etc. Dun make them feel u r scrutinising them.

Agree!
Truth be said, who wants to look at the maid? It is our darlings we want to look at. That is what I will tell my maid as well when we put up the cameras. Good thing her recent escapades gave us good reasons to instal the cams. without being too apologetic about it.
And after instaling just one pointing at the front gate, we found ourselves looking forward eagerly to see our DS coming back and going to school in his schoolbus. How nice! :love:
:celebrate:

[ScaredyMum]

Yes, DC used to wave goodbye and blew flying kisses to me over e cam when they were in lower Pri. Now they wave hello when they are back We get to see if they are back late or not too.

[POA Teacher]

Coolkidsrock2:

Notksmum:

hi beauty79,


I also like to look for helpers who have some form of financial committment back home. ie. They need the money or are sole/sub breadwinners. I dig deep into family background and even asking whether they have friends or relatives here. I like to select helpers with small families and from provinces. They are simpler and because they need the money, they work hard.

Cannot agree more with this.

This is more so for those maids who are here to put their kids into private schools at home or in uni.

My best maid had only primary school education and her home is a wooden hut where they cook with firewood. Her family are workers of a landowner. She is able to act as a caregiver to elderly (handling medication and injections), cook, housekeeping and look after kids with time on weekends to learn cake making.

The ones who came after the new regulations on minimum education level cannot even come close.

When they first implemented this my maid commented that most of these budak sekolah would not make good maids.

[piyobaby]

The agency plays a very important part in the process and not all agency will side with employers, more often than not they tend to side with the maids. My current agency is one such classic example, keep repeating to me that it is impossible these days for maids not to carry hand phone which he emphasize times and again only after we sign the contract, what’s new.


We asked the current maid a lot of questions over the interview too and it does include ridiculous ones like "you have to sleep with ah ma and baby", "wat do you do when baby cry", "how do you cook rice". She is wif us for abt 2mths now and she is not too bad but too early to tell.

Good luck for your maid search.

[Qiss33]

Hi all, need your advice. Here's the clause of my contract with the employment agency (EA) regarding refunds.


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(1) circled in red: I think the \"period\" refer to the \"from the Agency within 1 Months\" (in clause 5.1.2) and not the \"within 90 days\" (in clause 5.1.1). If so, should I ask the EA to amend \"under clause 5.1\" to \"under clause 5.1.2\" for clarity?

(2) circled in purple: When I verbally asked EA whether the placement fees is refundable upon termination of contract (and we decided not to go for replacement), the answer is \"Yes\". The FDW's placement fees is 6 months of her salary. Hence, should I ask the EA to amend to \"based on 6 months of the FDW's salary\"? Otherwise, we will be short-changed?

Thanks in advance!

[POA Teacher]

Am not knowledgeable about this, but from reading the above extracts, it’s clear to me that something’s wrong. Para 5.3 is about returning the FDW to agency (which can happen only AFTER the FDW has been "placed to the employer", but Para 5.1 is about the period BEFORE the FDW has been "placed to the employer".


Wah!! how can the refund be based on placement fee of 2 mths’ salary, when the amount of the fee paid to them is many months’ salary.

The agency gave you a copy of the contract in advance? I tired asking for that before, but all agencies, except one, refused. Of course I took the maid from that agency. But that was years ago.

[Qiss33]

POA Teacher:

Am not knowledgeable about this, but from reading the above extracts, it's clear to me that something's wrong. Para 5.3 is about returning the FDW to agency (which can happen only AFTER the FDW has been \"placed to the employer\", but Para 5.1 is about the period BEFORE the FDW has been \"placed to the employer\".


Wah!! how can the refund be based on placement fee of 2 mths' salary, when the amount of the fee paid to them is many months' salary.

The agency gave you a copy of the contract in advance? I tired asking for that before, but all agencies, except one, refused. Of course I took the maid from that agency. But that was years ago.

Thanks for your response. I also find it contradicting hence I thought if the intend is to make reference to the period, then just point direct to the clause.

Yah, they have to give coz the employer is my grandpa (not at the EA when we went) while I'm the sponsor.

[TheAnswer]

Any reliable maid agencies to introduce?

[POA Teacher]

TheAnswer:

Any reliable maid agencies to introduce?

Hmmm, let me see.... what's the term for that?...ah, yes, it's \"oxymoron\"