All About Full-Time Maids

[baong]

Hi Lynn2,


I don’t exactly get your question… But normally this is what I do. If the agency is new to me, I’ll definitely make a trip personally to the agency to see :

1. If there are a lot of transfer maids sitting around/busy doing ‘cleaning’ in the agency. Its not a good sign if there are a lot of transfer maids sitting around, cause its shows that the agency probably did not do a careful job to match the maids to their clients. Pretend that you wanted to get a transfer maid and count how many are there. If there are more than 3, I usually walk out of the agency after a polite talk.

2. Talk to the agent. Well, do you feel you have been served? Did the agent bother to ask you what you need the maid for? If I am not comfortable talking to the agent or I feel that I have not been ‘served’, I usually walk out as well. Make sure the agent is really aware about your needs and make a short-list of their bios for your consideration.

3. Ask if they/someone from their company travel personally to the country to short list the maid for their agency. If they do not do that and say that they rely on their counter parts to provide them the maids’ info. I will walk out too, as I feel that these kind of agencies do not deserve my money. See they don’t even bother to evaluate the maids that they are marketing, do you think they are serious in helping their clients?

Yes alot of stuffs are online now and its really convenient to click and view and make a phone call to purchase but there are still certain things that I think cannot be replace by the virtual way.

As for the selecting of maids, if the agency fits the above 3 criteria, I usually rely on their recommendation/short listed bios for my decision. I hope I help answer your question.

Hi icycandies,

Actually I am not aware about this room for maid rule. But if MOM doesn’t allow that then I guess you are taking a risk if you let your domestic helper sleep in the living room. What if MOM found out about it?

[peapot]

Hi Baong,


I took your advice and went around insearch of more bio-datas. Still searching…

Icycandies,

Actually I don’t think you need to tell anyone about the sleeping arrangement. Its not that you "intentionally" let her sleep in the living room but is restraint by the lack of space. If the maid is happy working for you, I don’t think she will go to MOM. You can try explaining it to the maid and let her be mentally prepared.

To be honest, I have a similar problem. I wanted to install a spy camera in my daughter’s room and this is also the same room that my maid sleeps in. I too worry the maid may turn around and says that my husband is a peeping tom.

[mrswongtuition]

peapot:

To be honest, I have a similar problem. I wanted to install a spy camera in my daughter's room and this is also the same room that my maid sleeps in. I too worry the maid may turn around and says that my husband is a peeping tom.

I have CCTVs all over my house.

My agent's advise: get it in BLACK & WHITE that there IS a camera in that room to monitor your baby & it is not to invade your maid's privacy. She's not allowed to change in the room. Get it translated into Bahasa Indonesia also & ask your maid to sign before she starts work, preferably at the agency with their staff as witness.

[tamarind]

icycandies:

Hi everyone,

I am a newbie in terms of hiring maid.

My main concern now is that I have no extra room to let the maid sleep in. I stayed with my parent in law and my sister in law in a 5 bedroom. The 3 bedroom are all occupied. There is no way my teenager sister in law is going to share her room with the maid.

I have check with the agency, and understand that MOM ruling don't really allow maids to sleep in the living room. Is this a real concern? I have my 2nd baby coming along in march, so I really need help.

There is a change in the Security Bond conditions :
http://singaporemaid.blogspot.com/2009/10/change-in-security-bond-conditions.html

That we should provide acceptable housing to them.


MOM did not really say that maids cannot sleep in the living room. The keyword is \"acceptable\". I suppose it is up to the maid to decide whether it is acceptable. Speak to the maid first and make sure that she is OK with the arrangement, and may be you can give her some incentives to make it up to her. Do you have a bomb shelter ? If you make sure that it is well ventilated, then it may be acceptable too. If you are going to move to your own place in the future, you can also tell her that it is a temporary arrangement.

[icycandies]

Thanks baong, peapot and tamarind.


My hse wont be ready until 2 more yrs, by then I am not sure if she will be still wait us. The plus point is I will be handling the toddler and the newborn on my own at night and she can have a good rest sleeping in the living room. I can lights out for her when the time to rest had come.

Will definately stress on this when I interview the maid.

[kiasimom]

I have a love hate relationships with maid.


I have a maid since the day my son is born 9 years ago.

To date, I have about 10 maids working for me…
My current maid is only with me for 2 months. Just this year alone, I have changed 4 maids, not that I am a fussy employer, just that maids nowadays are so diffferent.

I don’t see the commitment and responsibility in them anymore. They will just ask you to send them home or the agency over the slightest reason.

Although I am a SAHM and I can live without a maid, I still feel the need to have one so that I can spend more time with my two children.

With the maid doing the household chores, I can spend all my time on the children.

Yes, a maid is tricky to have but as in all investments, there is always a risk involved.

[Joy]

Can I check with mummy here, anyone employed maid from west java, eg lampung or lombok etc and what is your experience with them.thanks

[kiasimom]

Joy:

Can I check with mummy here, anyone employed maid from west java, eg lampung or lombok etc and what is your experience with them.thanks

Hi, I do.

Be prepared that you have to be very patient with them and they cannot understand English well. Unless you can speak Bahasa pretty well.

I used to have Indonesian maid when my children are younger but now as they get older, a Filipina maid is better for communications.

[titank]

Hi All,


Anyone tried Myanmar Maid? Are they really as blur like sotong? Those who had before care to share?

[kiasimom]

titank:

Hi All,


Anyone tried Myanmar Maid? Are they really as blur like sotong? Those who had before care to share?

My sister once had a myanmese maid.
It depends individually. Some can speak simple english and some speak simple mandarin.

I will compare them with indonesian maid. So not really blur like sotongs.