All About Full-Time Maids

[Jav]

Hi,


Just sharing my experiences on maid selection.

Selecting maid is just luck and nothing but luck!

Over the years I learn that it is only suitable for me to employ maid with some experiences as I can’t afford to train them from scratch. So, my requirement must be an ex-Singapore maid. Then I would want the maid to provide me with the contact number of their ex-employer for references.

We would then call the previous employer and check on the maid’s attitude. I am just looking out from the ex-employers to tell me whether they think the maid is clean or not, in the sense whether honesty standard is there, the rest like cleanliness, etc maybe secondary and subjective. I would put a lot of weighting on the feedback from the ex-employer.

I have done that a couple of times, and I get my current maid based on that protocol, her previous employer said they have nothing to complain on her and the first reply was oh…. Her yeah…… she is alright! And it turns out that she’s a real excellent with kids and cookings, just that cleanliness must keep one eye closed.

Some employers told us their maids were not honest, stealing things, mix around with boyfriend, found pregnant, etc.

But then again, it could all be pure luck!

[mathsparks]

Jav:

Some employers told us their maids were not honest, stealing things, mix around with boyfriend, found pregnant, etc.


But then again, it could all be pure luck!

Totally agree that choosing maids depends on yr luck..even after you've interviewed them face to face/over the phone, seen the resume, watched the video...
Have had my share of good/bad/in between ones..the ones with boyfriends too..
One maid would fetch my girl home from kinderland, drop by the NPP to chit chat with her boyfriend.

Another sneaked out frequently through the back door, leaving the back door unlocked. :x How did we find out? The hospital called early one morning to tell us that our maid has fainted on the bus and was sent there. She's been partying all night.

Then there's another who locked my girl in the bedroom coz she refused to nap.

Yet another who has left us called me recently to tell me she's found a good employer who lets her take a day off every Sunday and she sees her boyfriend every Sunday. That's why we don't hire ex-Singapore maids.

[Busymom]

rico:

thks tamarind! i juz worry that the custom officer(indonesia) will disturb the maid.

I think safer to also check whether your Indon maid need to pay exit tax when leaving Bintan, can't remember how much that would be, but have the impression that the sum is not small...

[tamarind]

Dear all,

My blog has been criticized by expats who think that most Singaporean employers do not treat their maids like humans.

http://singaporemaid.blogspot.com/2009/08/about-my-maids.html

Scroll down and read the comments.

I know that many Singaporeans treat their maids very well, and the expats are making very unfair judgements about us.

Please help to drop a comment and prove that they are wrong !

[Rio]

Hi,


Antbody keen to bring in your own maid?

I would like to recommend my ex-indo maid who went back to Indo to get married. Now she wants to come back to Spore to work. She has been a good worker, as such, I would like to help her find a employer without her paying such heavy commission to the agency. She has worked 5 years with me, and prior that, has previously worked 2 years in Hong Kong.

Pro : Very cheerful personality, never show black face, never talk back, very clean, thrifty, not greedy, hardworking, very pleasant looking, petite, dun eat much, and very afraid of cold (will never switch on air-con and also why she cant work in HK cos of the winter), speak cantonese, understand simple Mandarin & English. Dun really like to go out, sometimes 2 months then take 1 day off.

Con :
1)At time, can be slow in her work cos she is very careful. Example, she wants be make sure the kitchen is spotless, and so will spend time cleaning.

2) Small size, about 42kg

Other than the above 2 that my mom keep complaining, I do not have any complaints about her at all during the 5 years with me.

Anyone keen can drop me a PM.

Thk

[mrswongtuition]

tamarind:

Dear all,

My blog has been criticized by expats who think that most Singaporean employers do not treat their maids like humans.

http://singaporemaid.blogspot.com/2009/08/about-my-maids.html

Scroll down and read the comments.

I know that many Singaporeans treat their maids very well, and the expats are making very unfair judgements about us.

Please help to drop a comment and prove that they are wrong !

Because they only read about the 'bad sheep' amongst us. They do not know of the good employers.

I don't care if they want to say anything because I know I'm good to my maid and my maid knows it & appreciates it

[tamarind]

mrswongtuition:

Because they only read about the 'bad sheep' amongst us. They do not know of the good employers.

I don't care if they want to say anything because I know I'm good to my maid and my maid knows it & appreciates it

mrswongtuition,
The general image of Singaporean employers are so bad, that there are many government rules which are very unfair to us.

For example, if a maid comes to work for me and after 3 days, she says she wants to go home, I have to pay for her air ticket !

I have heard of cases where the maid was found to be ill on the first day of work, she had the illness before she arrived in Singapore. Somehow she still passed the medical checkup. Employer had to pay thousands of dollars for her medical bills !

[tamarind]

Any Muslim parent here ? I need help about some matters regarding my Indonesian Muslim maid, can you please PM me ? I only need to ask some questions to clarify about something.

[bobianah]

This is the first time I’m looking for a maid and I’m feeling a bit stressed.

Tamarind, thanks for your very imformative blogs. I read some of them…the bad maids are indeed very scary!
Has anyone got any experience with Myanmar maids?
Any maid agencies to recommend?

thanks in advance

[cmm]

My maid will be going on her first day off this coming Sunday. She'll be spending her day off with her cousin who has worked here for a number of years as a maid.


I've heard of many horror stories of how maids pick up bad behaviour from other maids on their days off, so I'm rather anxious about it. Much as I prefer otherwise, I believel it's beneficial for her to take time off work to recharge. Would appreciate any advice on do's and don'ts on this.

Also, as my maid has never ventured out on her own before, I'm concerned that she may lose her way getting around....

:?