All About Full-Time Maids
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We are thinking of that too......
Maid is a new addition to the family and has to adapt to the family lifestyle. However, in our case, we adapt to her schedule.
She eats at specific time. Once I got up in the middle of the night to get her breakfast just in case I'll forget in the morning. Once I have to rush home from work just to get her dinner on time. Once I have to call our neighbour to buy her dinner because no one can reach home in time to buy hers. I can't call home because she doesn't understand what I say. We don't allow her to cook because she doesn't know how to use stove. We also didn't encourage her to buy herself because we are afraid she will lost her way. I'm thankful my mil will get her lunch else I don't know how to deal with her 3 meals per day.
Today, when I reach home, she is sitting there watching TV without even checking out who comes back or goes out. I wonder what if stranger gets in, or child gets out, will she knows?
I wonder if is because we are too nice to her or not nice enough.
pirated:
just return her to the agent and get an Indo or Filipino maidashana:
Our burmese maid................
She was all docile and meek on her first day greeting everyone with a smile.
On day 2, she responds enthusiastically and positively with a yes to everything we ask her to do. We left her unsupervised assuming she knows what to do which later we realized she doesn't understand a single word at all.
She doesn't even understand simple English like \"Cannot\", \"wash\", \"no\", \"wait\".
She doesn't know how to use the home appliances.
We have to rely on body and sign language to communicate. Oh boy, that is tiring and time consuming.
On day 6 onward, she doesn't smile or greet us. I'm not expecting her to bow to everyone to say good morning, afternoon and evening or greet us with a mega watt smile with each eye contact. We are simply transparent to her. She doesn't even bother to look at us when we talk to her.
Our family members work different timing and came home at different time of the day. She stays in the living room and when we reach home at the door, she doesn't even bother to look or help with our stuff. She just turn her body facing the opposite direction reading her book. Don't even bother to look.
She sleeps at 9pm and we have to vacant the living room for her to sleep. We have to switch off the lights, do all the dish washing, prepare next day meals and throw rubbish ourselves while she sleeps.
She eats at specific time on the dot and we have to adapt our schedule to fit her timing. She is very aggressive to show us she knows what to do when we want to teach her our way of doing.
It gets very tiring. I just spent 10 mins trying to get her to bring the basket over. She doesn't understand \"Bring\", \"take\", \"come\", \"here\", \"there\", \"kitchen\" and most importantly \"basket\". She doesn't understand english words of shapes, colors, materials... IT IS VERY EXHAUSTING TO GET HER TO HELP.
We wanted a FDW to help us with the chores and baby, and now it seems we have to take care of and teach another baby.
don't waste your time and emotion -
Anyone overcome the communication barrier can tell me how? Anyone can recommend a dictionary or phrasebook in both languages? The cost and place to get it?
I think is fair to give her a chance after we are able to sit down for a good talk on our expectations. Although I have no idea if is going to lead us somewhere… -
ashana:
she is just having a holiday in your house, 3 meals provided, so shiok!Anyone overcome the communication barrier can tell me how? Anyone can recommend a dictionary or phrasebook in both languages? The cost and place to get it?
I think is fair to give her a chance after we are able to sit down for a good talk on our expectations. Although I have no idea if is going to lead us somewhere....
send her back lah! -
just a thought…
everyday, I walked past some construction sites, seeing the foreign workers, work under the hot sun, sweating away, working hard to build the new mrt line and also a flyover…& they are working till late night almost every night, as they were trying to complete the mrt line sooner…
on off, if my kids are with me, I will tell them to look at how hard these workers are working for us, building convenience for us…
I told them…we have to be thankful to these uncles who left their families to come and work so hard for us…
ok, my point is, foreign domestic workers seems to think they ‘deserve’ a lot of priviledges! before even putting much or any effort in their job!!
compared to the construction workers, they are having very good life!!
basically, I think they are NOT thankful to get their job as foreign domestic worker, thus not willing to learn,not willing to work…
then why come?? sigh…
(NB: we went maidless since march coz granted special request for maid to go back 1 week, but she did not come back as promised…though caught us in a big fix, but still thankful for her service for past 3.5yr with us…but still feel disappointed…) -
Thanks for the input.
We told the agency to inform maid there is no room for her. Although we didn't get her a proper room which we feel apologetic too but I don't think her sleeping condition is bad or a lack of privacy. She sleeps like a log and didn't even notice baby cries at night. We sort of made an effort to make her sleeping area as comfortable as possible within our means. We get her two 5 tiers drawers (that sort of act like a partition), a comfortable foldable mattress, pillow, bedsheets, 1 blanket, a fan She doesn't need to push the sofa back to position in the morning as the space is made specially for her. I don't mind to sleep there myself either.
Think will try to get that dictionary soon. Hope is helpful to both.wahjinsong:
Hi Ashana
Please do not feel offended that I sincerely coment and suggest the followings for your and your family's benefits:
1) Sleeping conditions : According to MOM's rule which is mentioned in the EOP course we attended , employer shall provide \"acceptable acoomodation\" for maid. Maid sleeps in kitchern , next to toilet or in sitting hall without privacy is not acceptable to MOM.
This is what happened to my neighbour's Filipino maid who had to sleep in the sitting hall coner with a L-shape 4-seater sofa and a 4-drawer metal cabinet Connecting the corner of the sitting hall every night to form a so called \" Sleeping area\" (The next day, the sofa would be reinstated to the original position). The Filipino maid refused to sleep there on the very first night of reporting work but my neighbour insisted that the maid must sleep thate saying that \"No seperate room\" is avalable for her.
The next day, the Filipino maid told my neighbour that she could not sleep the whole night before and did not want to work there but to return to agent. My neighbour actually has a empty bedroom \" but used as a \"Study room\" while another bedroom is solely occupied by her 12 year-old daughter alone. My neighbour got very mad and \"packed up\" the Filipino maid took her to the agent in Katong Shopping Centre where the staff also told the maid to give sometimes to adjust herself and be flexible. A few days later, the agent called my neighbour that the maid had run away from the agent's office to MOM. My neigbour was called to MOM where MOM officers told my neighbour that the kind of sleeping condition in her sitting hall \"was not acceptable\".
My neighbour cleared up somethings in the sitting hall to create space, went to IKEA, bought and fixed up a set of 'ceiling-to-floor curtain' with metal railings installed on to the ceiling (like those in hospital wards), changed to an Indonesian maid to solve the problem. You may wish to consider this solution or something else;
2) Go buy a Myanmar-English-Myanmar dictionery from Peninsula Plaza ( Very thick one, around $25) for your miad to check up & build up her vocabulary...Buy some writing books for her to write down every new word leant..If you want to tolerate , be pateint to train her for at least 6 months to one year like some forumers here have mentioned . But this can be quite impossible & tiring for you and your family members who are working till night ? My family , friends & colleagues' expereinces in employing Myanmar maids is that \"Fresh ones\" 90% failed due to problems communicating in English which severely affect thier ability to work and provide help to you but rather becoming a \"Great burden\" for us..
I could really immagine how exhausting & frustrating you can be. If training by your self & family members is not possible, you should seriously & quickly return the maid to your agent and replace with an \"Ex-Singapore\" Myanamr maid ( If you still want ot consider Myanamr maid only) who has been trained by a few other Singaporeans, and as such, almost most of them have \"Bad Employment History\" like some contributors have mentioned above. The so called \" Bad Employment History\" would actually turns out to be \"Blessings in disguse\" ! This is based on the feedbacks of my colleagues who have jokely said that as they employed ex-Singapore Myanamr maids who can all under \"Simple English words\" and even have acquired some cooking knowledges form their ex employers. My collegaues indeed enjoyed the \"fruits of trainings \" by the maids ex employers and their maids all settled down with them well.
Jinsong -
Your maid dua you go holland. Good for you to decide to go on without a maid.
cool_hi:
just a thought...
everyday, I walked past some construction sites, seeing the foreign workers, work under the hot sun, sweating away, working hard to build the new mrt line and also a flyover..& they are working till late night almost every night, as they were trying to complete the mrt line sooner...
on off, if my kids are with me, I will tell them to look at how hard these workers are working for us, building convenience for us..
I told them..we have to be thankful to these uncles who left their families to come and work so hard for us..
ok, my point is, foreign domestic workers seems to think they 'deserve' a lot of priviledges! before even putting much or any effort in their job!!
compared to the construction workers, they are having very good life!!
basically, I think they are NOT thankful to get their job as foreign domestic worker, thus not willing to learn,not willing to work..
then why come?? sigh..
(NB: we went maidless since march coz granted special request for maid to go back 1 week, but she did not come back as promised..though caught us in a big fix, but still thankful for her service for past 3.5yr with us..but still feel disappointed..) -
When maid problem arises, people are quick to jump to conclusions that is due to employer going for the cheapest solution to employ maid, providing substandard living condition and ill treating maid. Or you are just not being kind enough.
Maid is a occupation. Is a job like you and I do for a living. I have no idea what makes people regard maid is a job for the poor or less privileged. The job entry level is low but that does not mean it is a shit or low class job. Is not an easy job because it requires someone with really high EQ and mental agility to multi-task, it is definitely not a brainless job that anyone can perform. Being a housekeeper is no joke okay!
We as employer are not any way higher class than the maid. We just paid to get an extra helping hands to do the things WE ourselves always do. We also wash toilets, scrub floor, clean windows, cook, do laundry OURSELVES before we employ a maid leh and that is on top of a full time job. We employ maid just like a company increase headcount due to overload of work. We don’t increase headcount to purposely create extra work to make our money worth leh.
facepalm
And where got so many heartless employers?! Where got so many naive and faint hearted maids? Regardless the driving reason, you know how much courage is needed to leave hometown to another country to work on a 2 year contract terms with that huge amount of loan to pay? Not a decision like eat Mac or BK for lunch loh. -
How does no. of off day has to do with the maid leaving the job without prior notice?
wahjinsong:
Hi cool-hi
If your maid did not contact and inform you of her reason of not coming back, then she is outright \"irresponsible\" and taking your \"Kindness for granted.
She has worked for you for 3.5 years , I wonder you have granted her any off-day, especially after MOM's weekly off day law came into place since last year, 1st Jan 2013? If not, she may have secured a new employer (Introduced by her friends, so called \"sisters\" as maids like to call their relatives or whoever \"sisters\"), and she may just come into Singapore again later to work for this new employer who has poarched away your expereinced maid by granted her off days? My maid told me this is the tactics used by maids without off days or not enough off day (?? how many is enough is now for them to decide not us?? ) after the weekly day off laws has been implemented by MOM.
I hope I am wrong ... -
ashana
MOM’s SIP instructors has filled maids head with all sorts of ideas that they can change employer anyhow, any time. They don’t have to pay for their airfare.
You don’t need to justify your made up maid sleeping space, blah blah to any of us employers. We all understand.
It’s the maids that don’t understand. They expect to come here provide the same kind of service back home yet make 10 times the salary with free food and lodging.
I had experience with 2 Myn maids, they are the worst…blur blur…slow slow…slow…compounded by their poor English. Yet…my 2nd Myn maid after her loan paid up, she could speak good English… ask for phone and off days, use my husband laptop, my laptop etc…can justify her actions very well and can tell lies with a straight face even after being caught right handed. All sorts of network in Singapore, sister coming to work in hotel, cousins working in departmental store and restaurants.
House maids is not a traditional job for them, unlike Indonesians and Philipinas.
She is already behaving like a brat already, just watching TV when you come through the door and not helping at all. What does she do every day in your house? -
st2:
Send her back on your own and cancel the work permit online. Period.ashana
MOM's SIP instructors has filled maids head with all sorts of ideas that they can change employer anyhow, any time. They don't have to pay for their airfare.
You don't need to justify your made up maid sleeping space, blah blah to any of us employers. We all understand.
It's the maids that don't understand. They expect to come here provide the same kind of service back home yet make 10 times the salary with free food and lodging.
I had experience with 2 Myn maids, they are the worst...blur blur...slow slow..slow....compounded by their poor English. Yet....my 2nd Myn maid after her loan paid up, she could speak good English... ask for phone and off days, use my husband laptop, my laptop etc...can justify her actions very well and can tell lies with a straight face even after being caught right handed. All sorts of network in Singapore, sister coming to work in hotel, cousins working in departmental store and restaurants.
House maids is not a traditional job for them, unlike Indonesians and Philipinas.
She is already behaving like a brat already, just watching TV when you come through the door and not helping at all. What does she do every day in your house?
Treat the cost as lesson learnt.
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