Myanmar maids
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Fattymum… Maybe theres some hope for yr mynmar now that u hv " enlightened" her, mynmars can be rather blur and easily swayed initially as they are not exposed to the world till they are out frm their country, a lot has been misrepresented to them before they came in. My previous mynmar was told that everything is free before coming to spore, food lodging etc… and if she does not like her employer or the job she can transfer but she was not told that she has to incur extra loan… think u should highlight that to yr maid. A transfer does not guarantee that she n the new employer will be happy with each other, besides she has to start all over again, getting to know the job n most important she has to get to know what the employer wants. So, she better know what to expect especially with her high salary and her limited knowledge of english, employers expect better standards.
Nowadays I see quite a lot of employers taking transfer maids on a temporary basis and neither the agent nor the maid know it. I hv friends that couldnt wait for their maid to arrive and took any rejected maid siting at the agency.
I blieve it takes a bit of time but see how it goes and hopefully she will see the light. I agree its so tiring to change and start all over again with a new maid that may not work out.
Btw, is it true that there are less biodatas for Indons today cos my agent mentioned that the Indons are still negotiating with spore? Seems like there are a lot of filipinas instead now. -
Hi Moonee,
Yes I better remember to highlight it to her… I don’t know what her mynamar agent told her so far. But she came with a lot of stuff like toiletries and even umbrella… Her English is still not too great but as long as the family understands her and vice versa, can’t ask for more.
From your description of the Burmese helpers, she is a lot more mellow and listens to instructions. But still needs a push and reminders to do certain chores. As for keeping her area clean, that needs another reminder ESP her own toilet.
Indo bio data are much lesser than before. Whether the two countries’ authorities are negotiating, I am unsure. But most maids are trying to come in with the new loan/ agency fees of at least $1k. This is a hefty price for us to pay for the quality of maids now. Easier to take Filipino helpers if u can keep up with their craftiness. Coz indo maids of late are no different once they come here for a few months and mix around. As they are here to yak on their phones and make friends, the choice is not to take the indo or take a cheaper option of hiring other nationalities.
They said that the maids rather go to Taiwan or HK for the higher pay. But there are cons going there. They can’t transfer if they don’t like the work or family. They can’t speak Mandarin or Cantonese which is very frustrating for them and the older folks. I heard that in hk, the maids will be asked to leave the house on Friday and only come home on Sunday evening. The maids will share a room betw 4 of them using their own cash every weekend. This is especially so if the living premises of the employer is very small and everyone is home for the weekend.
Sigh!! I pray that I can go maid less after my youngest girl is older. It has been a vexing road from the 1st maid hired 7 years ago til today. Not really worth the stress, to be honest. -
My friend said her agent told her Hari Raya Puasa Aug 19, so the Indo side, agents, maids etc are starting fasting tomorrow and they probably will only start things going after that. It seems their systems etc are still not in place yet, even though they have been talking about all these changes on exporting maids in the last few months.
My aunty’s myanmar maid’s brother got a job in Singapore 8 months ago, so she has been coming up with all these excuses to want off days to spend with her brother, she will tell elaborate stories and even play my aunty against her daughters to get off days telling them that my aunty agree and vice versa when no one has agreed for her to off day that week. Her contract is no off day, no hp. -
Hi st2,
How irritating… I tell u all these new maids get corrupted by the old birds here. We can say no Hp and off day to them, after loan period over all sort of nonsense and requests start popping out. They want the chance to get out of their country and poverty so much that they would lie through and through.
Even with this maid, I have made it clear to her that if I know of any wrong doing on her part, I will not utter a word. I will just get ready a ticket for her to go home. I hope that will put her on her toes.
Best to get their agent to speak to them… Agents have a way to deal with these sort of excuses coz they have seen it all. Problem with me is that I can be very pissed off at them at the slightest reason but super soft hearted to their plight. I need to find a balance between these two faults and deal with with a fair and firm hand. -
Hi Fatty Mum
The last month with my myanmar maid, she really pissed me off so much that I keep a log of all her mistakes and her signature. I write down the date, time, mistake and ask her to sign. She work for me for 6 months then, all the daily chores she has done, she can still make mistakes. Almost everyday, there’s an entry in the log.
I kept a journal of her whole 7 months working for me, this journal I don’t show her though. I think the reason she tried to hack my laptop was to see if she can see this journal.
That’s right…so irritating when they agree to no hp, no off day contract…when loan paid up, they want hp, because sister, brother… cousin …aunty, uncle coming to sg, must contact. Then comes the asking of off day. Must meet, very important to meet to collect this, pass this and that. I’m not joking and not based on 1 myanmar maid hear say.
My aunty’s maid tell elaborate story about how important mother’s day is in Myanmar, must have off day to shop with brother to buy some special present to send back Myanmar for their mother.
My myanmar maid also can tell stories, the stories they tell are like fantasy and so bullsh#*…nonsense…I get so tired listening to them and they can actually look you straight in the eye and expect you to believe it. Every time I confront her, she has a story to tell.
They just have to follow instructions, to clean and keep everything clean, can’t even do this. When my feet touch the floor, I pick up or reach out for something, it’s very annoying to find it dusty or oily…what’s the point of have a maid and the house is still dirty. -
st2… are u sure ur mynmar maid wants to spend time with her brother or her boyfriend… better try to check that out.
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Fattymum… thanks for the info on indo maids, I guess my agent is right about the limited biodatas. He mentioned that most employers are holdin onto their maids and his transfer maids are really "hot" right now. He feels that the situation will be more stable in 6 mths time.
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Hi st2, let me check with my helper if there s such thing as mother’s day there… I feel that Moonee may be right… Not brother but boyfriend she knew while here…
My DH had a shock yesterday when I told him that some maids hold smartphones and have Facebook accounts. They then take photos of the houses they worked in and post it on Facebook for the world to see. How dangerous it can be esp when we go away…
Transfer maids are not to be touched with a ten foot pole… I rather make do with part time nannies or cleaning ladies while waiting for the chosen helper to come. They are transferred for reasons more often due to some wrong doing or unsatisfactory work performance. If they are so good, employers would hv held onto them at a certain cost and compromise. I never believe agents that tells me maids finished contract and looking for a fresh start with another family. More like employers not keen to renew contracts, maids no choice hv to look for alternatives. Which employer prefer to change her maid if they are really good? Even when maid 's performance slacks, some employers still keep them on. My boss will never sack me if I am good and diligent at what I do. -
Hi moonee and Fatty Mum
It’s my aunty’s maid with the brother, according to my cousins (aunty’s daughters), they saw him with her and they are sure it’s really her brother. She’s been with my aunty 1 1/2 years. Housekeeping is still so bad, hygeine is still poor, floors are still sticky.
All these younger generation maids, internet savvy, got facebook, especially the phil maids.
My myan maid tried to hack my laptop. -
Fattymum…Oh yes, not only smartphones, some come in with laptops too. Most are filipinas, on off days, they go down to internet cafes to chat.
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