All About Full-Time Maids

[nms1]

We have probably been lucky as I have had 4 transfer maids - one came from a friend and the other 3 we selected after interview - and they have all been great. Unfortunately 2 of them left to go to Canada so we’ve had to change a few times.


One key in interviews is to ask scenario based questions e.g. don’t just ask "what dishes can you cook?". Ask that then when she claims to be able to cook chicken curry, ask her to explain how to do it.

If you have a baby ask how she would prepare milk or bathe the child. If you have your mother or m-i-l in the house, ask how she will handle it if you ask her to do something one way then the m-i-l says the opposite. They are all very good at agreeing with you if you ask whether they can do something or not.

I usually also ask what their current working day is like - what time they get up, what they do, how they organise their work (i.e. are they given a schedule or do they do themselves).

I usually ask my daughter to ask one question (she’s P1 now but has done it since Nursery!) - it’s usually a silly question but it’s good to see how they respond.

[Chu Liu Xiang]

SMH FOREST:

Anna Ng:

my second one also a transfer maid. We interview her face to face, told her clearly her's roles in front of the agent. After a week she requested for transfer as she don like children. In this case, how can i apply so called \"maid management\" to her as what CLX stated?

Same for my case... took a transfer fili maid... interviewed her face to face and told her that her main chores are housework, but she'll need to help manage my kid when we get ready for work etc. Came for a week, she had ZERO interaction with my kid... end up i was rushing and late for work that week... when I confronted her why she didn't even try to talk or smile at my kid... she cried, fussed, and wanted to go back to agency... saying she cannot handle my kid. Are such characters of the helper \"detectable\", available in their past history, so that we wouldn't blind hire???

Think most of us who have been thru \"bad\" cases, will know the answer very very well.

You should prepare yourself better before taking a transfer maid. I suppose this is not your 1st hire? If thats the case then as an experienced employer you should be in a better position to select the maid you want. You must have missed something.

:roll:

[hquek]

I'm so obviously missing something. Anyway, guess my agent did me a service when she recommended them. Only thing is that I do hear her placating other clients...so there must have been some duds. Else I would have strongly encouraged Anna Ng to go to her.

[DesertWind]

cool_hi:

Yup! I also brought BOTH my kids, 2yr old son & 5yr old girl to agency together, with hubby & my mum, & after we interviewed the maids, while we clarify certain issues with agent,we will try & my mum will help us observe how the maid handle/mingle with our kids..from basic things like how they carry them/talk to them etc, can roughly gauge whether ok or not..& whether our kids feel at ease with them or not..

but of course, if the maid can really act very well, we can also be fooled la,but I think it's better than nothing lor.. hope what I share is helpful
Good luck!!

Wow, good work, cool_hi! I must learn from you so that in case in future (touch wood) I need to hire again to look after children! It is really a good thing you have both the old and the young with you when you go interview the maids! In this case, it is very fair to both side as they can get to see each other and know what to expect already. Better decide at the agency rather than after that, lots of problems!

You really help to minimize bad choices and optimize good choices. Everybody takes the effort to go down to the agency is really \"nan de\".

I previous said before I HATE choosing maids and it gave me tremendous headache ended up still cannot decide. That is largely because I was ALONE. My mum refuse to come with me (although the maid is for her) and my dad home-bound. Good thing my hubby was at least with me can provide a second opinion. Otherwise, I think I am quite capable of picking up a totally unsuitable person just in desperation!

BTW, my mum always emphasize we must ask the maid properly whether they are willing to look after old folks or children or not. Why? Because if the maid is not willing, then we cannot force them! I use to think my mum is silly because how can we let the maid choose? They have no choice must do whatever the employer told them! But now I think this is certainly very important indeed! So I asked my agent to explain in great detail the job scope to the maids and ask for them whether they are willing first. One Phil maid reject us immediately saying it is not her priority to look after old folk. She prefers to look after children. OK, felt sucky to be rejected by a maid, but better now than too late!
:skeptical:

[Chu Liu Xiang]

LATEST NEWS ON INDO MAIDS!!


Supply of Indonesian domestic helpers to be cut?


SINGAPORE - A recent media report - quoting an Indonesian official - has claimed that the Indonesian government is set to allow its citizens to work as domestic helpers in just four countries: Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

But responding to media queries, Singapore's Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said yesterday in a statement that it was \"unable to comment as we did not receive any official notice of this matter\". \"We are seeking clarifications from the Indonesian Embassy,\" the statement added.

The Indonesian Embassy could not be reached for comment on the report, which was first carried on Wednesday by Antara news agency. The report was picked up by Bernama.

The report quoted Indonesia's director-general of labour placement Reyna Usman, saying that the country's Manpower and Transmigration Ministry \"has conducted a comprehensive evaluation of countries as destinations of Indonesian domestic helpers\".

The ministry had studied the destination countries' policies on the protection of Indonesian migrant workers and the \"fulfillment of their normative rights\", the report quoted Mr Reyna as saying. He had added: \"Based on the results of the evaluation, we have come to the conclusion that only four countries can be categorised as destinations of Indonesian domestic helpers.\"

However, Indonesia's Overseas Workers Placement Agency head Jumhur Hidayat told MediaCorp that what the Indonesian authorities are discussing - as part of an amended law on migrant workers - are actually plans to open representative offices in the four countries mentioned, to assist their citizens working there as domestic helpers.

Maid agencies here told Today they would be surprised if Mr Reyna's remarks were authoritative. Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore) president K Jayprema said: \"We would have been informed if something major like this came up.\"

According to industry players, Indonesia is currently Singapore's biggest source of foreign domestic workers (FDWs). And the Republic - which is already facing a supply crunch - could face a massive shortage of FDWs if the report turns out to be accurate.

According to Ms Jayprema, out of the some 200 new FDWs who enter Singapore each day, seven in 10 are Indonesians.

Indonesian maids are popular here as many elderly who cannot speak English are able to speak Malay, JL Employment Services director Joanne Lee said. While maid agencies can turn to other sources such as the Philippines, Myanmar and India, Ms Jayprema doubts if \"these countries can cope with the demand\". ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SUJADI SISWO

http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC110930-0000294/Supply-of-Indonesian-domestic-helpers-to-be-cut?

:yikes:


Indonesia is just trying hard to make things difficult for S'pore. There's even talk of cutting off the gas supply following Malaysia's style of threats by cutting off the water supply.

MOM, besides collecting levy, should look into the lopsided maid distribution here. In fact, they should have a quota set for maids from each country so that we're not at the mercy of others. Cambodia is another maid source that our gov can look into since there're Cambodian maids working in Malaysia. Well.....it all depends on the bilateral relationship between S'pore and Cambodia



:xedfingers:

[Anna Ng]

Chu Liu Xiang:

SMH FOREST:

[quote=\"Anna Ng\"]my second one also a transfer maid. We interview her face to face, told her clearly her's roles in front of the agent. After a week she requested for transfer as she don like children. In this case, how can i apply so called \"maid management\" to her as what CLX stated?

Same for my case... took a transfer fili maid... interviewed her face to face and told her that her main chores are housework, but she'll need to help manage my kid when we get ready for work etc. Came for a week, she had ZERO interaction with my kid... end up i was rushing and late for work that week... when I confronted her why she didn't even try to talk or smile at my kid... she cried, fussed, and wanted to go back to agency... saying she cannot handle my kid. Are such characters of the helper \"detectable\", available in their past history, so that we wouldn't blind hire???

Think most of us who have been thru \"bad\" cases, will know the answer very very well.

You should prepare yourself better before taking a transfer maid. I suppose this is not your 1st hire? If thats the case then as an experienced employer you should be in a better position to select the maid you want. You must have missed something.

:roll:[/quote]
oh! i am the one who made mistakes, should feel sorry to my 2nd maid because of ME she got to transfer. :stupid:

[Chu Liu Xiang]

Hi All


Just to share

There're 2 methods to select a maid.

First method is tikum tikum or by chance or luck or whatever you want to call it. Some succeeded but many failed.

Second method is a scientific way and that means a systematic approach in the hiring of your maid. The HR of outside companies is definitely not going to tikum tikum by employing you, right? They've procedures in the hiring and screening of you starting from defining the need of your position in the company, your duties, responsibilities, reviewing your CV, interview, induction, training, promotion, punishment, rewards, career development.........exit interview etc. Even though procedures are there it's still not with its weaknesses since nothing is perfect.

However, as explained in my share analogy earlier on page 658, by comparing the 2 methods if you want to select a proper maid then you'll need to adopt the 2nd method so as to reduce the hassle, frustrations, time and energy spent in going over and over the hiring process.

A mix of the 2 methods is, of course, the best approach as explained below.

To get the proper hire depends on 3 parties - employer, agent and maid.

A good agent who can make good recommendations which, even using the 1st method, can get you the proper hire.

A good, sincere and willing to work type of maid can be your proper hire even without a good agent.

Lastly, some posters' positive approaches used like bringing the entire family along to screen the maid, asking specific and problem-solving questions regarding the job (not general questions) to test the maids etc. can be adopted too.

Note that if Indonesia really cuts off the maid supply (as in my earlier post) then don't you think it'll be wiser and smarter for employers to adopt a scientific approach (+ a bit of luck) then totally depending on luck (which doesn't work in most cases) in selecting a proper maid?

:imcool:

[hquek]

hi clx,


Thanks for expounding on your magic formula…but then, your suggestion

"To get the proper hire depends on 3 parties - employer, agent and maid."

A good agent who can make good recommendations which, even using the 1st method, can get you the proper hire.

A good, sincere and willing to work type of maid can be your proper hire even without a good agent. "

Very true. If only there is a scientific way to get a good agent, a good sincere & willing to work type of maid. Dun talk about agent, if the maid is good and sincere to work, I think many of employers here won’t be banging their heads trying to think how they can inspire the maid to work (rather than cry, or do her own things).

[Anna Ng]

thanks hquek

[Chu Liu Xiang]

hquek:

hi clx,


Thanks for expounding on your magic formula...but then, your suggestion

\"To get the proper hire depends on 3 parties - employer, agent and maid.\"

A good agent who can make good recommendations which, even using the 1st method, can get you the proper hire.

A good, sincere and willing to work type of maid can be your proper hire even without a good agent. \"

Very true. If only there is a scientific way to get a good agent, a good sincere & willing to work type of maid. Dun talk about agent, if the maid is good and sincere to work, I think many of employers here won't be banging their heads trying to think how they can inspire the maid to work (rather than cry, or do her own things).

Good agent...yes yes yes....I've read of postings here and elsewhere asking for recommendation of good agent. I believe many good samaritans have indeed recommended good agents here and elsewhere, no? Many have good agent recommendation through word-of-mouth from their friends/colleagues/relatives. The problem here is that many are 1st time posters while others don't follow the postings daily. That's why the question of asking to recommend a good agent always pops up.

As regards the maid no interview (same as outside companies) can tell a person whether he/she is honest, hardworking, sincere, not telling lies etc. So don't ask these during interview neither ask for recommending a maid with such qualities. Normally, no employers would want to give up a good a maid unless the situation demands it like e.g. a good maid may be taking care of an elderly but once the elderly passed away then the service of the maid is no longer required by the family. Another example would be a good maid taking care of children. One day the family would give up their good maid once they realize that their kids have grown up and are capable of taking care of themselves. The maid service is no longer required then.

In short, an interview can't determine the character and attitude of a person. Interview merely discusses the education, qualification, experiences, aptitude, duties, responsibilities, salary commensuration etc for a job.

Thats the reason why I said the best method is still a combination of the 2 methods i.e. approaching it in a scientific way through systematic hiring plus, hopefully, a bit of luck on your side. Let's say 95% of your hard work and 5% of good luck.