All About Full-Time Maids

[kanyaramesh]

Anna Ng:

I got my first maid last week. On the second day she was asking me whether can she call back home as that day was her's son birthday, so i let her call back using my hp. Yesterday my confinement lady told me that the maid was asking whether can used her hp to call back home again. What should i do? should i buy him a phone card? free or deduct fr salary ? if i pretend don know about this, i also worry that she got \"home sick\" and wanted to go back. Any suggestion?

I gave my maids one phone card a month(free) until their loan is paid up. After that they buy their own phone cards.

[hquek]

hi anna ng,


I let my maid call home once when they just arrive (though agent say not to cos they will form habit). Ex maid was very zi dong - keeping the calls very short, so I usually let her call back once every few months on my charge. current maid thinks nothing of making phone porridge, so after one long call, I got her 1 phone card. After that card is used up, she has to pay for her own phone card.

I find that once it’s HER money, she will cut down a lot. When it’s my money, the card use up super fast.

If you want to be nice to your maid, no worries, but let her know that this is goodwill. don’t let her take it for granted else she will start taking bigger strides.

And btw, not sure about others, I find the stories my maid tell me very mind boggling. Once she had to remit money home. first she say her dad sick, then she say her auntie got cancer. I hear until my brain cramp and refuse to take what she say for real.

[janet88]

My agent once told me that maids are given $20 a month so that they can buy things like sanitary pads, toiletries and phone cards.

Once they use their OWN money, they will know how to treasure.

[Anna Ng]

kanyaramesh:

I gave my maids one phone card a month(free) until their loan is paid up. After that they buy their own phone cards.

You mean normal Singtel phone card for the public phone?

[Breadandmuffins]

[quote]And btw, not sure about others, I find the stories my maid tell me very mind boggling. Once she had to remit money home. first she say her dad sick, then she say her auntie got cancer. I hear until my brain cramp and refuse to take what she say for real. [/quote]

Just heard this true account of a maid with employer for only 6 mths ...one fine day told employer that child died back home and need to go back....employer very shocked and sad, so give her 4 digit sum(also a few hundreds from another relative) & send her home.....guess what, maid never come back. Employer tried to track her down but no one answer calls , also agent in her country said saw her with her child & she actually told the agent that employer ill-treated her...big time liar . Apparently, this is not the first time something like this \"happened\" to some relative back home & employer also give her some money previously...I think the maid must have planned this for a while already, assess how nice employer is, therefore do a \"small\" one first before doing a \"big\" one and disappear. Really terrible to use such stories to \"cheat\" employer of their kindness and compassion.

[janet88]

Breadandmuffins,

I always hear things like ‘my father very sick, husband need money for son to go to school, xxx go hospital no money’ etc etc. Maids are big time liars. It’s so hard to believe it when they are also big time actors.

[snowman.022851697]

I can’t agree more with that statement. My maid has the audacity to tell my mum that I took one of my mum’s clothes “to give to my girlfriend”, when all the evidence is pointing to her. And guess what, i got scolded.


Mainly they use excuses to get what they want… ));

[Hiccup]

My male colleague was also cheated by his Indian maid. Said son fell off from a building and asked to go back to see him. Indian maid joined his family for less than 3 months. Asked to loan $1,500. Went back and never come back again. He was not convinced when we tried to dissuade him, stubborn actually, until reality sets in.

[Hiccup]

[quote]I can't agree more with that statement. My maid has the audacity to tell my mum that I took one of my mum's clothes “to give to my girlfriend”, when all the evidence is pointing to her. And guess what, i got scolded.


Mainly they use excuses to get what they want... ))[/quote]
My maid (at that time was about one month with me) blamed me when I asked her why she cut my lotus flower. :x She said \"mam cut\" in front of my face. If I cut, why should I be asking her. She then blamed my mother and my husband for cutting it. What a liar she is. From that day onwards, I take what she said with a pinch of salt.

[janet88]

snowman.697:

I can't agree more with that statement. My maid has the audacity to tell my mum that I took one of my mum's clothes “to give to my girlfriend”, when all the evidence is pointing to her. And guess what, i got scolded.

Mainly they use excuses to get what they want... ));

My maids are super big time actors and liars. Can you believe mine tried to sow discord between my mother and I ? :x That maid is super idiotic...maybe she can succeed if it is not my mother. As if I won't clarify matters with my mother.