All About Full-Time Maids

[MdmKS]

My IL’s maid requested to go home after CNY, with a "bagful" of angbao from relatives of the big family.

[Blobbi]

shine_fs and peapot, the maids don't care about the $$ one lah. Their thinking is very short term, dunno why.


Usually after the \"I didn't do it\" comes the \"you never teach me this way\". Aiya, 4 years with me already - which variation I haven't taught? LIke for the New Year hot pot, can she cook the leeks a few minutes before hand. Out comes her \"You never teach me this way last year?\". Xian. Remind her also useless, so I say, \"this year different can?\" Same with the curry, the various dishes which we cook often. Dunno why got selective amnesia! :stupid: :stupid: :stupid:

[Blobbi]

Tks for the listening ears, guys. Sometimes I just need to vent when all the old habits from my maid start to surface. At the end of it all, I’ll still keep her cos she’s quite alright otherwise and I need someone to help cos I’m working. Plus she’s really quite good with my kid and my relatives, and has good (selective!) memory when it comes to my son.


When I hired my first maid, I really had high expectations. Nowaways, I was telling DH, more than 50% ok, good enough liao. Less than 50%, just change the maid. This maid is around 70% most of the time, so aiya, close one eye lah.

[hquek]

hi blobbi,


Very true. In fact I had no expectations of maid when I first employed one…and then realised that I should lower even that when she first arrived.

My terms: agar she take in our feedback, dun give me black face all the time (couple of times can, she’s only human), and dun steal…I ok. Dirty house a bit, I can remind; dirty hands (ie stealing), I wun know how to trust.

[Blobbi]

hquek:

hi blobbi,


Very true. In fact I had no expectations of maid when I first employed one....and then realised that I should lower even that when she first arrived.

My terms: agar she take in our feedback, dun give me black face all the time (couple of times can, she's only human), and dun steal....I ok. Dirty house a bit, I can remind; dirty hands (ie stealing), I wun know how to trust.

That's so true, Hquek. Honesty is something we tend to overlook cos we expect it to be there. But kena only, I think I'll have deep-rooted complex after that!

I had some maids who took before, but very small things from around the house. So that's one more thing I have to be grateful for from my maid ...

[Si Si]

Hi there,

Could anyone please advice what are the terms for maids who want to continue working after 2 years without going home? Do we give them the cost of the airfares plus bonus? How much is bonus? Thanks much for your kind advice.

[KopiYing]

So funny when i read \"I will forget abt your salary\". :lol: This is really a good one.


Well, quality of maids really bad now. I just reprimand mine when i started my confinement. Told her I need to have proper rest during this period and she better now her job scope well.

Anyway she told us she doesnt wanna renew her contract. We manage to book air ticket which cost $85.50 only.

Will be getting new one in Jun. So who's changing maid?

[skunk]

lovekidsverymuch:

I agree I agree they really think short term so kinda like have short term memory loss problem!! :roll:

I'm not surprised many maids have poor memory, some might even suffer from poor brain function.

They grow up in impoverished areas, many did not drink DHA milk as infants, and did not eat alot of fish while growing up. How to have good brains? That, coupled with possibly bad genes, make for a nasty combo. My maid too, often has that \"gong gong\" look in her eyes.

Many of them had sub-standard education, if any. Thus, from a very young age, their brains are not used to remembering many things. To us, a mere shopping/cooking/chores list is easy, but to them, it's a job of monumental difficulty.

I always remind myself of these two points, and I always tell my wife, not to regard them as our equals in intellectual capacity. This does not mean we look down on them or despise them, just acknowldging our differences factually, and treating them as such, mere manual workers.

I always tell my wife, \"if she is so capable, u think she will be our maid? All the good ones are already working for Susilo Bambang Yudoyono.\" :lol:

[Hiccup]

[quote]I'm not surprised many maids have poor memory, some might even suffer from poor brain function.[/quote]


But when it comes to lying, they never fail you. The other skill they have is good acting, so good till you don't know whether to believe or not to believe them.

[minnie2004]

skunk:

They grow up in impoverished areas, many did not drink DHA milk as infants, and did not eat alot of fish while growing up. How to have good brains? That, coupled with possibly bad genes, make for a nasty combo. My maid too, often has that \"gong gong\" look in her eyes.

Many of them had sub-standard education, if any. Thus, from a very young age, their brains are not used to remembering many things. To us, a mere shopping/cooking/chores list is easy, but to them, it's a job of monumental difficulty.

In fact some maids are quite street smart. Like my previous 2 filipino maids, both were quick learners and pretty smart, but both went to Norway after a 1-year stint with us. The 1st one even found another job in Spain using internet after 2 years in Norway (they only allow foreign domestic workers to stay a max of 2 years there).

My current one, also filipino, is not as smart and often drives me mad with lack of common sense. But my DH always says I should be clearer on my instructions and can't assume she'll know everything.