All About Full-Time Maids

[omgmum]

I’ve been reading the past 100 or so pages.


Systematic procedures for screening maids? Check. I interviewed this maid at my own expense. I asked her open-ended and scenario-based answers: what would you do if my girl starts bugging you while you’re cooking?; how do you cook your favourite dish etc. Perfect answers.

She was the eldest of 3 and her mum passed away when she was 11. I told her very clearly her working hours, the chores that she was expected to do. And because she was a married mother of one, i chose her over an ex- saudi arabian maid who did not seem to know how to handle kids and whose boyfriend had proposed.

I asked her in the interview if she had any friends here, and she said no. But after she came here, she let slip that she has a friend here who works for an expat family.

I suspect that she’s been talking to my next door neighbour’s maid and comparing workloads. The maid next door works for a retired couple who uses the place as an occasional weekend home, and all that she really need to do is to watch over the house and walk the dog. This maid is forever walking the dog, and chatting on her phone or with other maids from the neighbourhood. I’ve got quite a few expat maids here too, and i think she’s been chatting with them.

I don’t mind her chatting, but i really wish that she would have the cow sense not to compare and believe blindly what other maids tell her. I keep telling her that she already has one of the highest pay in the market for fresh maids- $420 With one sunday off, $450 with no days off.

But i guess the grass is always greener on the other side. No wonder she asked me if there are a lot of expats in singapore. Sigh! If i ever let her go, it would be to send her back to phi because i’m utterly fed up with being a stepping stone training centre.

[hquek]

hi omgmum,


I think your maid needs to be counselled by the agent. if she does not give you the slightest of respect as the employer, you are so not going to be able to tolerate the rest of her days here.

[omgmum]

Hi hquek, the last time i sent my ex maid to the agent, it was a farce cos the agent hinted that it was my fault for giving the maid too little work and for staying at home! The agent then told the maid to just take her time to do the chores! :stompfeet:


Which is exactly what this maid is doing now, taking her sweet time to do stuff! :stupid:

I think i should start making friends with iclebo or irobot.

I have no intention of letting the agent profit from my misfortune again!

If you don't mind could you pm me your agent? Just in case i want to get another maid? Thanks so much!

[beanstalk]

What if you tell her you can help her work towards her goal of working for an expat? That is, she must learn many dishes and do things properly during these two years, ie generally make herself thoroughly dependable and indispensable. She can then get from you a glowing reference, which expats tend to depend on when picking helpers. If she jumps ship now, she might not be able to cope later and might end up being terminated.

[omgmum]

Hi beanstalk, maybe i'll have to paraphrase your suggestion. Tell her how useful the skills will be for her future. If i tell her that makes her more attractive to expat employers, she'll prob say sayonara to me b4 a year! Damn foreign competition! :rant:


She's a sharp one and has already picked up some chinese and cantonese phrases in her short time here. Now when i talk to my mum about her, i have to couch my words so that she won't know i'm speaking about her!

What i really don't like is how she tries her luck with my husband when she can't get her way with me. That is sowing discord loh... Very, very manipulative, cos my husband and i had a huge row over this.

[omgmum]

Thanks hquek and beanstalk for your suggestions! And just to be kiasu, here’s wishing every kiasu parent here a merry christmas and a happy new year in advance!

[hquek]

Hi omgmum, will pm you my contact. Agree that yours is very sharp. You have to be careful that she don’t backstab you, eg telling embassy you don’t give enough food etc. do keep evidence of what you yell her and what you give her. Will be in your favour if she put on weight during her stay with you.


Also, I don’t see why you have to pay for her phone calls. I only pay for the first couple of times. After that, if maid is automatic or controls her calls, I pay, and happily. If she yaks and yaks, sorry, she has to pay for herself.

[omgmum]

HI hquek, thanks for the warning. Yes, i better make sure i keep my a?$ covered to make sure that she doesn’t backstab me! The pro is she doesn’t seem to be putting on weight, even though she polishes off 2 to 3 bowls of rice. In fact when she first came, she even tried to go on a diet cos she used to be v plump!


Just to check, did any of your maids receive newsletters from MOM addressed to them? Was really surprised when i got a newsletter from mom addressed to the current maid.

[hquek]

Yes, MOM sends them regular newsletter, and it’s addressed to their names.


Hmm, you may want to think to take pictures, video and the likes. Just be careful around such people, I’m wary if they turn around to bite, it’s just so not worth the time if they chose to malign their employer. One story I heard was friend friend hubby accused of rape by the maid. He was eventually cleared, but not before losing his job.

[contact12]

This is what I have learnt from my years of dealing with maids: be totally in charge and keep the husband out. One of my former maids commented that she preferred to deal with my husband as he was the nice guy and I was the fierce one at home; that really freaked both of us out. After that incident, we agreed on a division of labour.Even till now, my husband rarely talks to the maid and instructions will be given by me.