All About Full-Time Maids

[SMH FOREST]

Hi Anna,


Hope the counselling for your maid works!!
I sometimes also hope the old maid will come back... cos' everything she can AUTO liao... although she still have her \"off-mode\"... but haizzz... let's hope :xedfingers: our current ones will wake up and get better!!

[Chu Liu Xiang]

Qoomum76:

Hi Ladies,


Have a question need your advice as this is first time I'm going to have a maid;) Supposed to arrive in 2 months time...
Check with you..do you let your maid have dinner with you?? We stay in 4rm flat with MIL and have 2 kids(1 3yo and 1 6yo)..The kids can eat on their own, but sometimes, the smaller one needs to be fed..
My MIL is very kind, she says maid is a human, must eat together..but our dining table so small leh..

Hi!

No hard and fast rule on this. In my case my maid (and ex-maids) eat with us as my family is small. I believe if you'll squeeze a bit the table should be able to accommodate another person.

Some families want to eat separately because they want some privacy within the family members.

Others, like the rich and powerful, will definitely not want the maid/servant to share the same table.

Hope this helps.

[Chu Liu Xiang]

Breadandmuffins:

peapot:

The part on rental is quite true. I know of a expat family who rents a room for the maid to sleep outside. I think in HongKong, the maid's rental room is also paid for by the employer. Actually philip maids like such arrangement.

Is this type of arrangementa against any MOM rules? I know maids are supposed to be working at the address listed in her WP card? What about where they stay? Like that, they can do \"other\" type of work after the \"official\" working hours?

To the best of my knowledge it's not permitted here otherwise maids will be allowed to stay out either by themselves or house in dormitories.

I believe MOM is aware of such cases which are far and few. They will not take any action unless it comes to the attention of the media which means the problem becomes widespread or something happens to the stay-out maid like an accident etc. The employer will be held responsible if anything happens outside to the stay-out maid.

:boogie:

[natsk]

I have been quoted $888 for maid agency fee (excluding insurance!!) Owner Mark Lim at WorldMark Maids said that he personally interviews and scans the maids, so if he says its good, its really good.


Anyone uses this agency? Can rec? I feel that $888 is REALLY EX, but we are willing to pay if his maids are really that GOOD. My current EM4 maid is really hopeless (although compliant).

Thanks !!!

[peapot]

That’s funny. I don’t believe you can tell whether a maid can work with just one interview. More like testing whether her English good or bad. I have also interview some staff before. During interview they perform very well but after you hire them, you realized they can be so different. Hence, I m more likely to believe what an ex-employer would say rather than agent. Hiring a good maid is still 90% luck. The balance 10% is whether she has body odor, whether she too chatty, has allergy, very religious etc

[hquek]

hi peapot,


understand. but then again, some employers are so eager to get rid of their maids they may also spin stories.

[Anna Ng]

mine is transfer maid. The ex employer told me that my maid got good memory and cook quite well. However i am very stress due to her poor memory and also lousy cooking. (i’ve shared these last few weeks in this thread). Different people got different expectation and needs, i think all depend on luck. My agent told me as long as you got a good feel with the maid then just take her, all the information stated may not true.

[hquek]

Anna Ng:

mine is transfer maid. The ex employer told me that my maid got good memory and cook quite well. However i am very stress due to her poor memory and also lousy cooking. (i've shared these last few weeks in this thread). Different people got different expectation and needs, i think all depend on luck. My agent told me as long as you got a good feel with the maid then just take her, all the information stated may not true.

That means we should interpret the strengths as weakness? or maybe that ex-employer has amnesia.

Yes I agree it all depends on luck, and expectations - although I'm sure some maids fail the expectations bit even if the bar was set at zero.

[jtoh]

Talk about misinformation given by ex-employers. One of my ex-maids' employers said she was very hardworking, very honest, always takes down notes for instructions. Sounds good right? Turns out she's mentally challenged, so very slow, cannot understand instructions, that's why must take down notes. Very hardworking but always does the wrong things, misunderstands instructions... :lightrod:

[hquek]

jtoh:

Talk about misinformation given by ex-employers. One of my ex-maids' employers said she was very hardworking, very honest, always takes down notes for instructions. Sounds good right? Turns out she's mentally challenged, so very slow, cannot understand instructions, that's why must take down notes. Very hardworking but always does the wrong things, misunderstands instructions... :lightrod:

but at least she's honest?