All About Full-Time Maids

[sky minecrafter]

Yup, agency service fee has already increased

[starlight1968sg]

After 2 years of service, if continue with the same helper, do u give a payrise and how much? Tks.

[sky minecrafter]

starlight1968sg\" post_id=\"2012012\" time=\"1610548778\" user_id=\"14025:

After 2 years of service, if continue with the same helper, do u give a payrise and how much? Tks.

Hi! A fren was sharing her pov - in good times, she'd increase S$100/month; in these times (even though she's not that impacted), she'd drop to an increment of S$20/month

[starlight1968sg]

Tks sky minecrafter for sharing.


My current one is a Filipino, getting $650 and 2 off days per month. She looks after my father who has limited mobility.

I do hope she can continue with this pay, after all any payrise has an impact on our finances (siblings are sharing the cost …)

[lee_yl]

starlight1968sg\" post_id=\"2012012\" time=\"1610548778\" user_id=\"14025:

After 2 years of service, if continue with the same helper, do u give a payrise and how much? Tks.

During this period, I would rather offer a bit more than to get a new maid. If you engage a new maid, you are liable to pay for her SHN of approx $1400. I think an increase of $50 to $100 is a reasonable amount

[doodbug]

My current Filipino helper is getting $700 a month, all Sundays off.

She also received $500 bonus in December, and she receives red packets for CNY and birthday,
Hmm I don’t plan to increase her monthly salary.

[doodbug]

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2012038\" time=\"1610579695\" user_id=\"17023:

starlight1968sg\" post_id=\"2012012\" time=\"1610548778\" user_id=\"14025:

After 2 years of service, if continue with the same helper, do u give a payrise and how much? Tks.

During this period, I would rather offer a bit more than to get a new maid. If you engage a new maid, you are liable to pay for her SHN of approx $1400. I think an increase of $50 to $100 is a reasonable amount

It is very expensive to get a new maid nowadays, especially with Indonesia disallowing maids to bear agency costs, SHN and all. Not to mention the wait time involved. Transfer maids are in high demand I think.

[lee_yl]

doodbug\" post_id=\"2012066\" time=\"1610594903\" user_id=\"13281:

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2012038\" time=\"1610579695\" user_id=\"17023:

[quote=starlight1968sg post_id=2012012 time=1610548778 user_id=14025]After 2 years of service, if continue with the same helper, do u give a payrise and how much? Tks.

During this period, I would rather offer a bit more than to get a new maid. If you engage a new maid, you are liable to pay for her SHN of approx $1400. I think an increase of $50 to $100 is a reasonable amount

It is very expensive to get a new maid nowadays, especially with Indonesia disallowing maids to bear agency costs, SHN and all. Not to mention the wait time involved. Transfer maids are in high demand I think.[/quote]Yes, and those you mentioned are probably not the worst nightmare.

I booked a new maid in February 2020, and only until 9th or 10th Jan 2021, my new helper finally arrived in Singapore!

The agency did ask me to just randomly pick one from his pool of transfer maids but I am worried not all transfer maids are good. My MIL had dementia then and if I picked a problematic one, my life would be even more miserable isn’t it?

Initially, govt waived the cost of my new helper’s SHN but the whole thing dragged and dragged and starting this year, govt decided to only waive for the low income families and now we are suddenly $1400 poorer, lol.

Now I pray hard that my new helper’s swab test can pass on her 14th day of SHN, which is sometime next week...

[doodbug]

Actually, I’ve only had two helpers since my kids were born.

The 1st one worked with me for nearly ten years. And when she left, I wanted one ASAP, so I took a transfer maid, who has been with me for four years now. She is super grateful to us as she transferred out of an employer who did not feed her enough and did not pay her wages promptly. My helper gets access to all food in my fridge (all fruits, cakes, anything she wants, seafood etc), and she has put on so much weight she is the biggest person in the household now!
All helpers seem to go through periods of ‘need money for family emergencies’ - we have seen and heard tons of examples. My current helper borrowed money from us once in the past four years - still acceptable to me. But I won’t entertain frequent requests for salary advances.
The advantage of transfer maids is that you can see, speak to them etc, to decide whether or not they are suitable. I much prefer those who have working experience in Singapore and I don’t have to teach things ground up from MRT station to bus stop, to NTUC to provision shop and what not. No time and no patience, and I don’t know what they don’t know. So I prefer someone who can hit the ground running. I guess I am not particularly fussy.

[Estéema]

starlight1968sg\" post_id=\"2012037\" time=\"1610578054\" user_id=\"14025:

Tks sky minecrafter for sharing.

My current one is a Filipino, getting $650 and 2 off days per month. She looks after my father who has limited mobility.

I do hope she can continue with this pay, after all any payrise has an impact on our finances (siblings are sharing the cost ...)

@ Starlight
For a relatively new girl, she is expensive! Typical for Filipinos.

I had one replacement after discovered Indo maid was not just lazy, can’t cook, lying & don't want to learn basic housekeeping duties & looking back, I guess I was fortunate. She stayed with my family for 3 contract terms. She was grateful & applied herself well after being ‘rescued’ fr a family of 9 adults & her previous eyer got her out of home to avoid in-laws friction only returning home past dinner, rendering her having to clean house & laundry till late into the nite. So, it worked for both my family & herself coz we treated her like family.

Thereafter, had changes after changes of helper fr both Indo & Philippines - stealing, self-entitlement, can’t take instructions & poor communication.

Eventually, fr my mission trip to Mynmar, I decided to help girls fr orphanage who can’t go beyond their studies to find work in SG. My family need them, so I figure as our society age, we’ll need them too. Managed to learn which State in Mynmar typically can find suitable ones. It seems CHIN State hv a regulation for kids to compulsory study both Burmese & English. Most fr this state are either Christian or Catholics. I’ve mobilized one girl fr Irrawaddy for a frd and my Mynmar helper inform that those fr this area hv not much exposure to modern living & poor without good living condition so will not know the need to keep clean floor or bring in clothings fr the rain, etc. everyday we learn.

I’ve Mynmar helpers for last 10+ years. Similarly sponsored each of my previous Mynmar helpers for haircutting courses & one to take her A Level exams & she left to do Uni in Mandalay. We did hv one Mynmarese who cldnt fit into the family & ive nvr offered anything to help upgrade her. Current one lives cooking, tho she had nvr stepped out of her country when she first came to SG & our household. She had nvr lift a finger to cook when she lived with her mum. My family very blessed with her culinary skills & she knows what dishes MIL likes & will dish out. We sponsored her weekly haircutting course hopefully to provide her with a skill for her future. She’s been with us for 2 contracts now under $600 with weekly off-days & hv no wish to return home for now. Yes, we gave her year-end bonus as she had applied herself well & also trying to provide her pay aligned with those pinos’ pay. Glad I don’t hv to handle attitude & entitlement problems.