All About Maids travelling overseas

[3Boys]

ExpatMom:

When you go to the US, you will find that people do not have a maid unless they are quite rich (especially with the minimum wage laws).


On the other hand, there are plenty of services to help working parents. You can get a nanny that comes during the day or at night, but doesn't live with you. Unlike Singapore, there are tons of people willing to babysit (especially high school students who want to make a little extra money) since there is a big demand for babysitting services. However, they come to watch the kids-- not to clean your house or do laundry etc. Cleaning services are readily available, and most working parents put their kids in daycare or after school care (a full-time daycare in the US costs $900-$1200 USD per month... and that's a daycare that doesn't even have to teach anything, just watches your kids for you).

But really, for the most part, people in America do their own housework after they get back from work. It's more economical than paying others to do it when you have to pay at least the minimum hourly wage.

I have to admit, I was pretty shocked to hear that maids here only get to take home $450/mo. It's no wonder there are so many people with maids as it is more economical to have one than it would be to have a bunch of services do these things for you. In contrast, in the US, a live-in maid can pull in as much as $25-30k USD per year.

I am sooooooo tempted to make a comment here, but shall desist for fear of being pummeled into the ground by irate maid-loving SG mums.......

[tamarind]

[quote]I have to admit, I was pretty shocked to hear that maids here only get to take home $450/mo. It's no wonder there are so many people with maids as it is more economical to have one than it would be to have a bunch of services do these things for you. In contrast, in the US, a live-in maid can pull in as much as $25-30k USD per year.[/quote]
Please note that the foreign maids who work in Singapore are unskilled workers. I have encountered maids who cannot cook, cannot clean, and cannot even take care of babies or toddlers. I even had an ex-filipino maid who claimed she had university degree, but could not communicate in English to me. Do you think that these maids deserve anything higher than $450 a month ?

Please bear in mind that the quality of maids here is very different from those working in USA.

[LOLMum]

tamarind:

[quote]I have to admit, I was pretty shocked to hear that maids here only get to take home $450/mo. It's no wonder there are so many people with maids as it is more economical to have one than it would be to have a bunch of services do these things for you. In contrast, in the US, a live-in maid can pull in as much as $25-30k USD per year.

Please note that the foreign maids who work in Singapore are unskilled workers. I have encountered maids who cannot cook, cannot clean, and cannot even take care of babies or toddlers. I even had an ex-filipino maid who claimed she had university degree, but could not communicate in English to me. Do you think that these maids deserve anything higher than $450 a month ?

Please bear in mind that the quality of maids here is very different from those working in USA.[/quote]
:goodpost:


not everyone follows the minimum wage in usa. there are thousands of mexicans (the worst treated people) and other foreigners getting peanuts for the work they do (especially the domestic workers and labourers).

[nms1]

ExpatMom:

When you go to the US, you will find that people do not have a maid unless they are quite rich (especially with the minimum wage laws).


On the other hand, there are plenty of services to help working parents. You can get a nanny that comes during the day or at night, but doesn't live with you. Unlike Singapore, there are tons of people willing to babysit (especially high school students who want to make a little extra money) since there is a big demand for babysitting services. However, they come to watch the kids-- not to clean your house or do laundry etc. Cleaning services are readily available, and most working parents put their kids in daycare or after school care (a full-time daycare in the US costs $900-$1200 USD per month... and that's a daycare that doesn't even have to teach anything, just watches your kids for you).

But really, for the most part, people in America do their own housework after they get back from work. It's more economical than paying others to do it when you have to pay at least the minimum hourly wage.

I have to admit, I was pretty shocked to hear that maids here only get to take home $450/mo. It's no wonder there are so many people with maids as it is more economical to have one than it would be to have a bunch of services do these things for you. In contrast, in the US, a live-in maid can pull in as much as $25-30k USD per year.

You have to put their salaries in perspective. I am in the process of recruiting someone for our telemarketing team in Manila - she is a graduate and a very smart lady but her on-target starting salary will be less than SGD900/month. If you look at it like that, $450 a month with room & board included is not so bad.

[loosetootht]

I agree with Tamarind. The nannies in US are of a different breed.


I lived in US for 2 years. I had a live-out Chinese nanny. I paid her 2K USD a month (no choice - minimum wage).

We had the best 2 years of our lives. She did my marketing for me at 400am everyday at Chinatown so that we only get to eat what's in season and freshest. My freezer was empty as she believed we should have the freshest from the market for the day. She planned the menu for us for our whole time there. She is trained in both Western (beef steaks, lobster bisque) and Chinese (authentic Shanghainese, soups and broths) cooking. She did a dinner party for my friends (20 pax) all by herself (marketing, cooking, prep) - we had salad, prawns, steak, pasta. Even right down to washing up. No help from me. Food was presented fine dining style - with fruit and vegetable carvings!

She was a great disciplinarian to my child. She loved my child with her whole heart and i believed she would have put herself in the way of an oncoming truck for my child. She neither scolded or hit or cajoled my child. She had the old school Chinese way of raising kids. My child was most disciplined and well behaved under her.

She completed all her housework (laundry/ toilets/ floors) during the 2 hours my child slept (PM nap). She had never once let my child oversleep as she believed that it would disrupt her sleep physiology for the night.

In the late afternoon when dinner is cooking on the stove, she gave my child informal mandarin lessons (oral and written, and mind you my child was only 2 years then). She had the work ethic of a good Chinese woman and she did not hesitate to transmit her values to my child. My child left US speaking the most perfect Mandarin.. I am finding it hard to hold on to it today.

When she left for the weekend, (she had a weekend job and never had a day off for the decade she was in US), she would prepare trays of food, all seasoned and ready for me to chuck into the microwave or oven. So as to tide me over the weekend.
When i returned from work early some days and attempted to do any tidying of my home, she took it as an affront to her capability. She would never allow me to lift a finger in my own home as long as she was still around. Her fav line was \"xiao jie, ni qu xiu xi (please do go and rest)\"

She stayed for as long as we needed her even after her stipulated working hours. She never demanded any overtime pay.
She never ate a morsel of food in my home despite repeated invitations. She always came with her own packed lunch. She made clear the boundaries between employer and employee. Not me.

Is there anything wrong with her? The only thing we could think of was she loved us so much (me and hub) she tended to nag us a bit.. about our careers, our dressing, right down to how we invest. Also she made parenting a little too easy for us...

I hope fervently that i would find help like her again (i have moved home to SG). One thing i learnt: 2K USD is too little to pay for close-to-perfect help like her. And $450 is too much to pay for some of the unskilled maids we get today.


So do give some of the US nannies a chance and try them out. Who knows you may end up crying over a Chinese woman like me? (my hub's fav joke since coming home)

[tamarind]

Hi loosetootht,

Thank you for sharing. I am sure that every mommy dreams to have a nanny like the one you have in USA. I would pay her half my salary if she works for me !

[loosetootht]

Hi Tamarind


I did pay almost half of my salary but no regrets!
Today i pay only 450/ month and everyday i struggle with my maid (s).

I read your blog on singaporemaids alot and i thank you for your time and honesty in sharing with all of us

[tamarind]

loosetootht,

You are welcome

[LittleAunt]

I have booked a tour package to go to Korea and I’m thinking of bringing my Indonesian domestic helper along as an incentive trip for her. However, the tour agent has discouraged as they claimed that the process of visa application is very troublesome. On the other hand, my domestic helper has claimed that her friend’s boss brought her friend to Korea and the visa application was easily.


Anyone brought your Indonesian domestic helper to Korea before? Would appreciate if you can share your experience.

Thank you very much

[yuanyuan mama]

Hi,


There are certain conditions apply and required documents to be submitted from both the maid and maid’s employer. If you could fulfill their requirements, don’t think it is that troublesome.

Tour agent cannot apply, maid employer must apply in person. You only need to make 2 trips (provided that your documents are complete) to the embassy (1) submission & (2) collection, according to my friend. You better check with the Embassy.