All About Full-Time Maids

[twinkletoes]

KSmom8, if your relationship with the maid has deteriorated that badly, then it’s best not to inform her in advance. If you are working, you could tell her that you have lost your job w.e.f and will not have enough funds to support a FT maid. If I was in your shoes, I would pay her a month’s salary.

[esmummy]

You can not tell her before hand but bring her to the agency instead of the airport. Unless she has done something(s) really terrible that you think no other unsuspecting employer should have to suffer her, you can give her a chance to transfer. You bring her to the agency but be prepared to pay for her lodging there for 21 days (or 14, not sure) so that she can try to find another employer. Then maybe not so much I’ll-feeling?

[matrix0405]

KSmom8:

I'm considering terminating my Phil maid's contract prematurely and sending her home.


Her contract with me states that \" either party may terminate this contract by giving 7 days' notice.\"

:?: Any suggestion is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

If got young kids, send her back home before she do more damages. No point sending her to agent and pay for and be liable for her for another 14 days. 1-way Air tickets come to abt the same.

[lousy-mom]

chemistry:

matrix0405:

[quote=\"esmummy\"]Just a suggestion when considering someone as a potential helper: look her up in Facebook. You'd be surprised/shocked at what you find.

Sigh, these maid nowadays are not stupid. Like my maid, she used another name on FB. But i also not stupid, i have saved the url when she use her real name initially on FB. Her name can changed and change, but the url will never change.

Sometime, we have to close one eye too. As long as they dun go overboard, I will not stop her from using FB or phone. They are human afterall.[/quote]
My current Fil maid super smart. Before I employed her, I couldn't find her profile in FB. She used her real name (maybe she changed after joining my house), anyway, don't know what she did, I had a tough time searching and gave up. She doesn't comment online, she chat behind the scene... accidently saw she has 35 Chats when I went to kitchen one of the evenings. She simply left her mobile on the desk with her typing Tagalog halfway... she knew I don't understand Tagalog so very safe for her to text.

There are people who befriended her but seemed like restricted zone so I couldn't see any 'naughty' conversation, picture or BF. The info in her FB is extremely simple and dry. Didn't talk about personal life, communicate with her friends or family.

How to gain access without her knowing it is me? I'm not a FB user so to me, I find it hard to know what kind of person she is and be mentally prepared for the worst. I have a feeling she is trying to get hook up to Hong Kong thru FB. Trying to get out of my house and fly to HK for better job opportunity. Nobody dares to employ her in Spore cos she is a world record job hopper. Only silly me, the dumbest, thought she'll change for the better after I employed her ... so call last chance to claim that she's not at fault for sitting in the maid agency, unable to complete a 2-yr contract. Sad to say, she wants to be what she prefers, remain stubborn and prideful, blaming each job transfer as pure bad luck, nothing to do with her working attitude ... she manages me, not me. :stupid:

[lousy-mom]

matrix0405:

KSmom8:

I'm considering terminating my Phil maid's contract prematurely and sending her home.


Her contract with me states that \" either party may terminate this contract by giving 7 days' notice.\"

:?: Any suggestion is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

If got young kids, send her back home before she do more damages. No point sending her to agent and pay for and be liable for her for another 14 days. 1-way Air tickets come to abt the same.

I agree sending her home if she has no loan is CHEAPER and safer.
Most agencies charge $20 per day. If your maid (of any nationality) takes a long time to fish for her preferred employer, let's say she sat in the agency for 7 to 21 days without lifting a finger to work, physically not in your house, you are still liable to pay eg 21 days X $20 = $$420. After adding the non refundable maid agency fee from S$500 to $1800, levy and insurance, your damages is a lot more than you thought! If she gets into trouble when you kindly gave her termination notice, what if she did something very bad to you or your children, can you take it?

To make her feel better, maybe you can consider paying her for that 7 days notice.

Better to ask her to pack up and fly the day she's flying off. Too kind to let her call her friends or have chance to hide things or $ .... u bear the consequences. Up to you to decide, just a suggestion, a shield ... play safe than to regret. The questions: Can you afford to place your love ones at risks? Are you able to monitor maid during that 7 days? Do you trust her fully?

[KSmom8]

Hi Hquek, twinkle toes, esmummy, matrix and lousy mom, thank you for your comments and suggestions.


I don't intend to give my maid any advance notice. I will probably hire someone ( agencies use these professionals too ) to be present when I tell her, watch her pack and send her to the airport.

I will prorate her salary to the last day and note the amount on her payment schedule. Then will probably round up the amount to a full month's pay and note this additional amount as payment in lieu of notice. Get her to initial on payment schedule when she receives the money. I think paperwork wise this should be sufficient. Is there anything else I should add in writing? I don't want to give her grounds to complain after she has left my employment.

Yes, will also find an excuse for ceasing her employment, if she asks. However, based on the way she talks back and mutters tagalog under her breath, I would think that she will be very naive if she thinks any employer will tolerate her behaviour. I think she should be prepared to be sent back anyway, though I am still putting up a pleasant front ( for the sake of the children's well being and peace at home).

It is not possible to send her back to the agent as I understand that the agency has ceased operations. Also, she is so calculative, I'm sure she will take a long long time to find another employer. Not too sure whether any employer will employ her too. In the one year plus that she is with me, she has not learnt cooking ( always hide from kitchen when I am cooking ), can't remember how to prepare the ingredients for the various dishes, does not mind the children nor do any marketing by herself (cos I don't trust her enough). Basically, she has not picked up any additional skills in my household and lacks the initiative to learn.

[st2]

If notice is served, in your case payment in lieu, you don’t owe her any explaination. "We no longer need your services, thank you" would suffice… Assuming that there’s nothing she can say, or promise to change etc. that will lead you to consider keeping her?!


At the end of the day, the truth is we no longer trust this person to stay in our house to take care of our things and our loved ones. Even if we didn’t have to pay her, we still wouldn’t want her in our home anymore, right?

Why did it come to this? They know why…trust me, they know. Have we not explain to them the way we want things done, is there not an agreement they have signed? It is my house and my family and I can’t leave. The are the hired help, if they are no longer a help, they have to go.

Say as little as possible to her so that she will not have a chance to use what you said to her against you or to twist your words. It’s good that you plan to hire some professional to send her off.

[KSmom8]

Thank you, st2! I agree with you.


There's probably nothing that she can say or do that will make me change my mind. I also don't think that she will ask for a reason, she should know the reason.

Just making sure that I do the premature termination right, when the time comes, don't want any problems later on.

:thankyou:

[KSmom8]

I used to advocate Phil maids cos all my previous Phil maids had a good working attitude and pride in their work. The Indo maids, however, were immature ( discovered one was under aged subsequently - which explained a lot ), either stole and / or lied.


When a relative advised against employing a Phil maid after I sent my 2nd Indo maid packing when she feigned illness, I brushed it off. Now I have come to realize that Phil maids who came to work as maids ten years ago are vastly different for the current Phil maids now.

I intentionally picked a Phil maid in her late thirties with children, thinking that she will be serious about working to support her children back home. I wasn’t keen on Phil maids who were in their twenties who might be here for the experience or holiday. I was so wrong in my thinking, or perhaps I’m very unlucky.

My current Phil maid’s family owns a plantation and has little "luxuries" like a washing machine. She says that she needs to work to support her children but seems to spend a lot on phone bills and shopping ( judging by the way she uses her phone and her shopping on days off ). I wonder why she came to work as a maid at all.

[clioclio]

When i sent off my Indo maid about 1.5 yrs ago I was horrified and angry that I had to pay for her boarding and food while she 'holiday-ed" at the Boarding House up to 21 days. Counting the cost altogether, it was almost equivalent to a month’s pay, without having to work at all.


I went online to check one of the Budget airlines for a promotion air ticket back to her home town (Jogya) --it cost me less than $100 one way. Thankfully the date of departure is about 7-10 days from the day I sent her to agent. When I bring her to the agency and told the agent and the maid that I will pay for her daily lodgings up till the day of departure of her air ticket. (I even showed the e-ticket to maid and agent)–told her, if she decides to be picky and don’t choose a new employer to be transferred, she’s going home.

Within 5 days she found someone. Thankful don’t have to pay for her free board/lodgings!