All About Full-Time Maids

[DesertWind]

peapot:

She will know how to ask for things like gloves to protect her hand while washing clothes.

Hi Peapot, because my mum-in-law and part-time help has a habit of using gloves when washing dishes/toilets, I actually asked my maid to use it too but she refused! :roll: I thought she should use in case her hands got problems from all the detergents and then who got to pay for her medical fees? Moi !!

[Funz]

Breadandmuffins:

Hi Tamarind


JUst wanted to share with you that getting a maid with 4 years experience in Singapore for one employer may not be the best option. They will have certain habits from the other household and will have more demands such as using HP. My first and current maid is just like yours and is in the 7th year with me. She was ex-Singapore for 4 yrs before I got her in 2004. She was just like the way you described your maid and we treated her just like the way you did so as mentioned in your blog. For the last 10 mths, I am having so much problems with her using her HP(till midnght, also in the day) that I feel like sending her back phillippines. We had spoken to her at least 4 times already. Now she carries her HP on her such that I cannot check at all and delete all the call logs. I am a SAHM with 4 young kids.

I would definitely hesitate to recommend her to another mummy now even though her work is good and she is honest and reliable.

If her work is good, she is honest and reliable and she is paying for her own mobile bills and it does not interfere with her work. Then cannot ask for much more oredi right.

My maid was also ex-singapore with 1 employer for about 4yrs. She has been with me coming 5 yrs now. And likewise, I have no major issues with her. She has her own handphone which I do not restrict her usage as she has shown me that she knows where her priority lies.

[DesertWind]

Si Si:

Just want to encourage you to continue to be vigilant and after one and a half year still like that,...that means she is :celebrate:

Hi Si Si,

Yes nobody is perfect. After 2.5 years she is asking for more day off and hinting about pay increment. Especially after she met and discussed with other even more experienced maids (7 to 10 years). Came back and told me the pay is no longer like in the past. I can actually ignore it and act blur but since she is a good helper I chose to increase her pay mid-year!

[DesertWind]

[quote]Congratulations....as long as both of you can work well together, that is the best. But just to echo the other voices in this forum, do be aware and careful (whilst counting your blessings). :imanisland:[/quote]


Thanks for the advice hquek and all mummies!
Yes, I will be careful. My boy sleeps with me at night as I do not want to over-tax her with \"night duties\" too. I also told her even as she is going out, do not get involved with lending or borrower money from other maids. Also do not get too caught up with own or other's problems such that it affects her concentration. Any other precautionary measures that I can take? Suggestions will be appreciated!
:celebrate:

[DesertWind]

auntieM:

Happy for you DesertWind.. ...so lucky

Thanks AuntieM,
I do feel blessed and grateful!

[hquek]

DesertWind:

Yes nobody is perfect. After 2.5 years she is asking for more day off and hinting about pay increment. Especially after she met and discussed with other even more experienced maids (7 to 10 years). Came back and told me the pay is no longer like in the past. I can actually ignore it and act blur but since she is a good helper I chose to increase her pay mid-year!

I'm sorry to say that the general rule of thumb is that once maids get together, they will compare and start to think their life is not as good as it should be. That's why I don't bring my ex-maid out to other pp's house.

For my ex-maid (current one less than 2 years), I only changed her salary at end of contract. It's alright if you feel she is worth the money.

Just be aware. I heard story about a maid who was with family for 10 years...they trusted her implicitly, and she repaid her trust by cleaning out their valuables on the day she went back home. 10 years of relationship spoilt like that....very sad.

[peapot]

hquek, just curious why you call your current maid "ex-maid"?

[Breadandmuffins]

Hi Funz


Just wanted to let you know that there are things that we may not know especially when we are out of the house. And the hp is a very distracting gadget and will definitely affect their work. Eg, if she talked till midnight, she would get up late even though she retired to her room since 9-9.30pm the night before. As a result, she became increasing impatient with the kids and was scolding and naging at them. As a SAHM, it is very irritating to hear and see her scolding the children. Also caught her talking for 50minutes with 3 kids running in the house. She was not llike this a year ago. We looked back and concluded that the cause of it is the HP. Do be careful that your kids interest is not their priority once they talked. As a very hands on SAHM or "maid" who does not even have any time to chit chat on the phone, and sharing the workload with her, I find it unacceptable (e, I will bring the kids out so that she can do housework/cooking without distraction only to find out that she spent time on the phone.) BTW she is allowed to talk after she retires to her room but should be in bed by 11pm.

[jennykhots]

Hi Tamarind,


I think Filipino maids are more modernised, my sis-in-law’s maid wears the earpiece while she’s doing houseowork(looks as if she’s in some big business). She also spends 70% of her salary on HP bills, apparently chi-chatting with her husband in the middle of the night. After her 2 years, she had literally earned nothing. So she came back after 2 months of home leave and came back to work for her again, of course without the earpiece during working hours & have cut down on her phonebills.

As I always mentioned, treat a maid like a child, which is your 5th child, have a talk with her,
1. how much of her salary does she wish to save at the end of her 2 years ? 10% or 70%
2. allocate proper break time for her, just like a normal employee, eg cleaner who may be on a 12 hr shift but have a few short breaks.
3. we understand their loneliness & yearn for their love ones. Perhaps, involve her in watching the TV with the kids so that her mind is not focus on messaging or whatever.
Since she is an honest maid and one that get along with your kids, you should work the things with her slowly, just like asking a child to cut down on logging on to facebook. It takes time to see the results.

[moonee]

[quote]Any other precautionary measures that I can take? Suggestions will be appreciated!

:celebrate:[/quote]Never leave valuables or money around, they may be trustworthy for years but there may come a time when they will yield to temptation.
my relative had her indon for 6 yrs and quite honest, came the 7th year, watch and 600 bucks missing, maid was missing too and was caught at the ferry terminal by the cops. My relative didnt know till the cops called her home. The length of time with a maid does not necessarily mean that they will remain the same forever. We may treat them as family but they dnt see it that way. No matter what, they are still an outsider and they know it.