All About Full-Time Maids
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cody:
i heard the cheapest rate is about $220 in 2008. there is an agent in lucky plaza level 4 charging this amount. the agent only makes $20 which means phi embassy charges $200.liuhao:
i learnt from other forum that the large amount of cost for exit pass can be saved if you have the phillipine embassy stamped contract. this is a contract that states that maid salary is at least US$400. it's required when you do maid passport renewal in Singapore and must also be provided to apply exit pass. so if your maid has done the passport renewal before, you or the agent should have this contract. it's important. most of the cost for the exit pass is to pay the phi embassy to obtain this stamped contract.
however if maid has never done passport renewal before, this contract does not exist, because nowadays maid normally entered singapore using travel/holiday purpose and round trip air ticket to fool the Philippine custom, rather than the working purpose to save cost. the return ticket will be canceled later once maid landed. legally by right, they should not work as maid but once they are in singapore, they are not under control of phil government. but the phil embassy will catch you when maid needs to do passport renewal (that is for working purpose, cant escape cant fool) because this stamp contract is required for passport renewal.
correct me if i am wrong.
Thanks liuhao
you're right ... most of the expense of getting that exit permit goes to the phil embassy for getting that contract.
i was told that some employers tried to save cost by doing the application on their own, and almost all of them failed.
like noobparent suggests, i will just kiss my $280/290 goodbye by letting the agent handle it. -
cody:
Wah!well, that $1k is just an approximate.
here's the breakdown:
Air Ticket $530 (can be cheaper if you book waaaaay in advance)
Exit Pass $290 (done thru a maid agency)
Insurance $50
That sums up to $870 already.
Plus i typically give at least 1 month bonus upon completion of each year of service .... definitely crossed the $1k mark already.
:!:
That is certainly ex indeed for a maid home leave! If I had ever considered hiring from Phil, this definitely kills it!
I let my Indo maid go home every year for past 3 years already. First 2 years we book Garuda air at about SGD430 per ticket and I already found it ex. Got to go embassy for passport etc. but cost minimal such that I cannot remember how much.
This year we use Batavia Air and to my great delight and relief, booked online myself, air-ticket only SGD280!!
So happy so much savings!
Didn't know so costly to get Phil maid, if that type of cost I don't think I can afford to be very generous with my maid ie. bonus etc....
:celebrate: -
cody:
i called MOM enquiring if i can renew her work permit, say now.
the officer says CAN but it means that i will be bringing forward the expiry date from Dec to Aug.
ie renewal for 2 years means her new work permit will now expire in AUG 2012.
WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?
I asked the officer for the rationale behind it, and she offers a perfunctory \"MOM policy\". Argh ...........
Yah, happened for me too. Maid contract expiring in Sep and I want to let her go home leave one-month earlier hence got to renew by Aug. Work-permit will expire earlier in Aug too going forward!
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Hi TimmyOwner,
How long has your maid been with you? My maid with my 3 yo DS since birth too and he prefers her during the day because he is very used to her and she gave in to him and know how to play with him. Recently when she went on home leave, for first 2 days he was not used to me and was angry and asked \"Where?\" ie. where is my maid?
After that OK.
But my DS is definitely quite clear who to look for what. For eg. daddy is the driver and for going out, he definitely will \"prefer\" daddy. For night DS sleep with me so DS will definitely look for me and push maid away during bedtime. (I refused to let DS sleep with maid as I think then they will become TOO close for my comfort). Nowadays I think my baby is growing up because he wants mummy to clean his back-side for him after he poo and mummy to bath for him (not the maid). I will clean and bath him whenever I can like on weekends.
I just not comfortable with what you said about the \"politics\" your maid has/is playing. If I put myself into your shoes, I will consider changing maid at an appropriate time ie. when the child goes to P1 or K1 or whatever \"major turning points\" to break the attachments as painlessly for the kid as possible.
Best regards.TimmyOwner:
Dear all
Appreciate your opinions/ comments about maids.
I got a maid to take care of my children 'cos my husband and I are both working. My maid has been with my DD and DS since they were born.
1. My children likes the maid alot, to the extend that they prefer the maid to feed them, tuck them to bed, etc over mummy and daddy sometimes. But my children also love their mummy and daddy. How old were your children before they grew out of their maids and love mummy and daddy the most?
2. My maid is generally ok, although sometimes she show us \"bochup\" face. She likes to play politics abit with my relatives. I overlook small matters as long as she does not go overboard and takes good care of my children. I am afraid that as my toddler age children grows bigger, she may try to manipulate them against mummy and daddy. Did that happen to your children? E.g. maid don't want to wash car or something and tell your children mummy and daddy treat her badly, and the child is angry with mummy and daddy, and ask her parents why they bully the maid?
3. There were some incidents in the past where my maid did some wrong things to my relatives and me. She has since apologised for what she did. I accept her apologies and want to move on. Any of you have maids who commit wrongs, and your family forgave her, and decided to carry on with her?
Thanks for your opinions. -
Hi Dessertwind,
Thanks for your reply. Yes, I think of doing that too. When my child goes K1 or P1.
Right now DD is very happy everyday and loves everyone, although she likes the maid best.
My only prob is that when my DD is big enough, her younger sibling is still young, and attached to the maid, so I have to wait for all my children to be big enough, and that will take at least 7 years…
Govt always encourage Singaporean parents to have more children, but really, it’s very difficult for us, because of child care concerns. If I work, I have to worry who takes care of the children. Not everyone is blessed to have grandparents willing to take care of grandchildren. One solution is childcare, but in UK countries where the birth rate is higher, the maternity leave can go up 1 year, with employment laws to protect the mother. At least at after 1 year old, you feel better about committing your child to full day childcare.
We still don’t have that kind of pro-family, pro-children culture in Singapore society and among local based companies. So I think it’s very difficult for the birth rates to increase very much. -
TimmyOwner:
Timmy, i agree with you ..... there's just not enough being done for mothers to encourage procreation, or worse, for married couples to start a family.Hi Dessertwind,
Thanks for your reply. Yes, I think of doing that too. When my child goes K1 or P1.
Right now DD is very happy everyday and loves everyone, although she likes the maid best.
My only prob is that when my DD is big enough, her younger sibling is still young, and attached to the maid, so I have to wait for all my children to be big enough, and that will take at least 7 years...
Govt always encourage Singaporean parents to have more children, but really, it's very difficult for us, because of child care concerns. If I work, I have to worry who takes care of the children. Not everyone is blessed to have grandparents willing to take care of grandchildren. One solution is childcare, but in UK countries where the birth rate is higher, the maternity leave can go up 1 year, with employment laws to protect the mother. At least at after 1 year old, you feel better about committing your child to full day childcare.
We still don't have that kind of pro-family, pro-children culture in Singapore society and among local based companies. So I think it's very difficult for the birth rates to increase very much.
Can't commnet on the maid situation as it hasn't happened to me, but Dessertwind has a good point ie to change maid at a major turning point.
Good luck! -
hey, i have a questions to ask all of you :
what would you do if you suspect that your maid stole your money in your cupboard, which you already told her not to open. but this is only suspicion cos you can’t prove it. but this maid is a good maid, can cook, clean, look after your kids, love your kids, and you like her. what would you do? -
keep quiet and put some more money in the cupboard and install a hidden camera, pointing to cupboard...
KoalaMummy:
hey, i have a questions to ask all of you :
what would you do if you suspect that your maid stole your money in your cupboard, which you already told her not to open. but this is only suspicion cos you can't prove it. but this maid is a good maid, can cook, clean, look after your kids, love your kids, and you like her. what would you do? -
liuhao:
keep quiet and put some more money in the cupboard and install a hidden camera, pointing to cupboard...
quite a good idea. but how to install a hidden camera? how much does a hidden camera cost? on the other hand, other than this suspcion, this maid is good. if it proved that she really steals, means you have to send her back?? -
good camera is quite expensive. here are some:
http://www.eurekaplus.com/products.html
if you need maid in the long term, investing a camera may be worthy.
i wont hire a maid who steals no matter how good is she...KoalaMummy:
quite a good idea. but how to install a hidden camera? how much does a hidden camera cost? on the other hand, other than this suspcion, this maid is good. if it proved that she really steals, means you have to send her back??liuhao:
keep quiet and put some more money in the cupboard and install a hidden camera, pointing to cupboard...