All About Full-Time Maids

[DesertWind]

LKVM:

DesertWind:

Anyway, since my 2nd maid came back, no need to look for new maid now!

Thank god... you are lucky DesertWind... on the other note havent seen you around since some time...

Hi LKVM,
Thanks! Yes, very busy on the home front recently. Furthermore, I now got to \"fight\" with my boy to use the computer. Guess who win? :razz:
I will say this is a good break from ksp finally able to detox from Post-GE 2011! Ha...ha...ha...! :imcool:

[Funz]

Hi, just need to check, my maid will be going back for home leave in Sept. I was checking with my agent and was told that since she has been on home leave before, her passport would have been stamped oredi so just buy her the air ticket and she can go back and then come back again without problems. KTKLN not withstanding.


Is this correct? Need to confirm so that I can get her air ticket. So far, I think the cheapest is via silkair to Surabaya. Departing early Sept and back early Oct, air fare is $563. Is that about right?

[DesertWind]

Funz:

Hi, just need to check, my maid will be going back for home leave in Sept. I was checking with my agent and was told that since she has been on home leave before, her passport would have been stamped oredi so just buy her the air ticket and she can go back and then come back again without problems. KTKLN not withstanding.


Is this correct? Need to confirm so that I can get her air ticket. So far, I think the cheapest is via silkair to Surabaya. Departing early Sept and back early Oct, air fare is $563. Is that about right?

Hi Funz,

The air-fare seems a bit ex. to me! I usually book Batavia Air to go to Semarang and recently for my 2nd maid, booked Air Asia to go to Jakarta. For Air Asia to Jakarta after plus, plus, plus only came up to about SGD300!

Silkair quite atas airline too. Why don't you try using Air Asia or Batavia Air? Both can book via the internet and pay online using paypal/visa. Which of these airline to use is dependant on the flight schedule to Surabaya. You can go online to check flight availability first then decide!

As for your first question, I am not sure I understand. What is KTKLN? For the maid to return, the most important is she must have a valid Singapore Work Permit and passport not expired. As for the Indonesian ID card, if she don't have, can get it at the airport only need about 20 minutes!

[Funz]

Thanks Desertwind.


KTKLN is the Indo foreign worker ID card. That yah we know can be done at the airport.

For Indo maid I believe for them to come back after home leave, they must get their passport stamped by the embassy here which we have done the last time she went back.

Will check the other 2 airlines. Thanks again.

[jennleeong.045113gmail.045113com]

Hi,


Need some enlightening ...

1-We renewed the pp for the fdw n the embassy has a sticker in her ppl that is showing our Singapore address n this will prevent them having to pay some kind of fiscal tax when they come bk from home leave. Is that true?
2-this new ruling of the KTKLN, is this something on top of that SG address sticker in the pp?
3-I read in the forum that the KTKLN can only be applied in Indonesia? So meaning we dun hv to bother to go down to Indo Embassy here to apply for anything, right? Just let her do the application during her home leave in Indo?

Thanks for yr help

[jennykhots]

It is in their "blood" somehow that the Ind. maids can only be a B class. Fil. maids are definitely A class. As most of them came from Kampung, they do marketing at their streets since they can afford a fridge and not forgetting that most of them very little education. My Ind. maid has been with me for 7 yrs, I will be renewing her again for another year and as long as she can still work, we will keep her. I do not install cameras but I do everything based on trust and genuine care. She gets an off day every mth since 3 years ago. Although last month, she did ask for an extra off per mth which I rejected as my 2 kids are in P5 & P3. But I agreed to an extra 4 off days per year which is reasonable as she can takes them on PH or during when we go on hols. She will do her weekly air con filter cleaning, towel, bedsheet change besides her fantastic ironing & cleaning chores. But I always need to ask her : " where’s the shopping list for grocery?" Also, she won’t check the food stocks if they are near expiry. In short, she cannot be fully independent, luckily I am a part-time working mum, otherwise I do not know which corner of my house might have rotten food or my fridge has pungent smell. Maybe it is just their culture not to have a habit to do a list . Or its our lifestyle to stock up a large variety of food stuff from ready made sauces to chocolates that confuses her? Since we are the masters of the household, we will just have to be the dictator and leave with some minor hiccups.


With regards to MIL or mother issue, I ve learnt that unless the maid comes into the household whereby the elderly is already the PR of your family. Otherwise if she is just a weekly or adhoc visitor, I think we shld tell her to zip her mouth. The poor maid has to wake up at 530 and retire at 9pm or even later , I am sure it is only humane if she fails to smile or answer you sweetly when you asked her to do certain chore on certain days. I have told my mum(she is a weekly visitor btw) upfront that I will not change my maid no matter what unhappiness she has with my maid, in summary, ain’t all old folks are the same? Full of complaints? They like to complain about maids especially because they are the next best person who is inferior in status to them. And it is like the "favourite" topic among their gang. Also, can my mother guaranteee me a better new maid?

Lastly, I love my maid like a sister, I will buy her sweetdates for her fasting period, buy muslim food such as cow lungs, kueh kuehs, & even go library and loan books on her behalf, let her watch TV every Saturday for an hour, etc . Of course she loves my kids too…

Hope the above helps with those who are caught in between maids and MIL or mothers

[jollyme]

hi Funz,


I bought my helper's ticket via Jetstar (travel on Value air) for less than S$250 for return ticket to Surabaya. Ticket includes a 20kg check-in baggage allowance to & fro. You may wish to check out their special promotions at http://www.jetstar.com.

Cheers.

[jollyme]

hi [email protected],


Like to share something i read in printout on how to apply for KTKLN in Indonesia.

In order to get the KTKLN card in Indonesia, FDW need to produce 4 documents:-
1) Pasport (Her passport)
2) Visa Kerja (work visa)
3) Kartu Perserta Asuransi (KPA) (participant card insurance), my helper said she can get this in Indonesia
4) Perjanijian Kerja (PK) (Employment agreement). You may get this done, free of charge at the Embassy in Singapore.
They will print out 2 copies, one for employer and another for your helper.

Hope this helps.

[jennykhots]

Hi tamarind,


Can I tag along with some queries :

My maid’s WP & passport will be expiring in Oct, Can I do both at the same time i.e passport & KTKLN card? Is this KTKLN a one time thingy, i.e. if my maid doesn’t want to go on home leave on this coming DEC, can she use this KTKLN for next year’s home leave (DEC2012?)

As for the employment contract can we draft our own employment contract to save time (getting it from tbe officer)? Any advise on the contents besides stating Salary, off day, length of employment?

thanks

[mlim650]

Hi,


My maid of 1.5 years keep borrowing money from me and my mother. She would ask my mother for a $100 loan and than on pay day I would return the money to my mother. Before her one year is up she told me that her father is ill and wish to go back to visit him. I paid for the airfare.

She just borrowed 2 months pay from me (pay till Sept) last month and now she is asking to borrow money again citing that her mother needs knee surgery.

If I advance her pay and she wants to go home citing that her mother is not well there is a possibility that she may not return since she has advance enough pay to worth her while.

To say the least… she is not a good helper. But because of personal reasons I cannot dismiss her.

BTW, her contract expires March 2012.

Any advice? Thanks.