All About Full-Time Maids

[bluebellas]

autumnbronze


Interestingly, my first maid also "changed" after meeting her "aunt" and started making demands…

[autumnbronze]

bluebellas:

autumnbronze


Interestingly, my first maid also \"changed\" after meeting her \"aunt\" and started making demands...

Hi bluebellas,

It was fortunate that the 1st maid only picked up those habits. She was never demanding. Because she started work with us way before she met her \"aunt\", she had already established a relationship with us and was like family, in a way.

The irony is that on the way to the airport, when I asked her if she was going to continue to be active on fbk, she admitted that it is very expensive to surf the Internet in Indo, so very unlikely.

[cool_hi]

HI, my mynmar maid goinf bk in mid-nov, for 3 weeks home leave..

1)work permit expire on 2nd dec 2012, need renew..but coz passport expire on 1st sept 2013, so her work permit can only renew till 1st aug 2013(1 month before passport expire) right??
2) & her passport, I can't renew now, coz has to be <6 mths to expiry date, then can renew right?

3) so after i renew her work permit(which should start from 2nd dec 2012to 1st aug 2013), she can go home visit(16th Nov-6th dec), & just show her new work permit card when re-enter s'pore right?
4) but MOM advised+reminded me to check with mynmar embassy on whether there is any special requirement/documents etc, when she leave mynmar to come back s'pore to work..in case, she is stopped by officials there, and cannot come back s'pore..
Tried to call embassy, can't get anyone to ans call yet..& even if anyone ans, very scared they may not understand my quiries/worse, anyhow ans
So would appreciate if anyone can share how is it like/anything to take note of, if they did allow mynmar maid go back for home leave, VERY recently..

Thanks a lot!!

[Mylittletrumpet]

Hi all,


I am quite new to handling maids as this is the first time I have a maid and she has been with me for almost a year. I wouldn’t say she is outstanding. Her performance is just so so but as long as she takes care of my DS well, I will give leeways.

It’s indeed true that maid will change after their loan is paid off and when they get their full salary. She has been yakking on the phone every night with her cousin exchanging stories and gossiping. My maid is always telling me that her cousin say this, her cousin says that etc… She also told me that this cousin of hers has a Bangladesh boyfriend. I didn’t have good impression of this cousin of hers.

Anyway, few mths ago I told her she is not allowed off days at least until next year and she agreed but recently my maid has requested for off day to go out with her cousin and friends and I Just want to know your thoughts about the timing of their off days (i.e the time she is allowed to go out and return home).

In the hope of enticing her not to have off days if possible, I told her before that I will provide toiletries for her as long as she doesn’t have off days (obviously this stunt doesn’t work). Actually I am ok with providing the toiletries but Just wanna know your thoughts whether you will buy toiletries for your maid’s use or are they expected to buy their own?

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts and advices!

[pinkybear]

For my experiences, I would say it depends on the maid.

For my old maid she didnt change after the loan finished. But changed after I gave her the phone.

For my current 2 maids,
- younger one does not change after the loan finished, works for 1 year
- older one started to slack after the first 3 months :rant: ... I still cant find a replacement yet : (

[DesertWind]

Once got handphone sure to "change". Or I will say it is different behaviour since now got chance to yak more hence learn more hence different behaviour.


Basic toiletries I supply ie. soap, shampoo, pads, toothpaste. By supply I mean she can also use the same as what we are using eg. dove liquid soap and the common toothpaste that is in the bathroom. Anything else she will buy herself eg. facial cream, papaya soap, cosmetics etc. Once got her salary maid can pretty much buy whatever they want.

As for off days, for my maid with no off days, we do allow them to go out during Hari Raya like the recent one. Any other time no promise since we already paid her. Timing wise, go out at about 9 or 10 am come back by 6 pm (latest for the one without off). For the one with off, come back by 8 pm since our family’s lights-out and lock-up is at 9 pm.

[coccomie]

Hihi,


I decided to transfer my maid after my boy start school. However, I am not very sure of the process, I need some help here!

1) Can she look for an new employer herself?
2) I can only release her to the new employer after I received the IPA letter with a transfer date?
3) I need to cancel her work permit after receiving the IPA?

Is there any other points I need to look out for?

Thanks in advance!

[Mylittletrumpet]

Ya PinkyBear/Desertwind, that’s what I mean lor. Last time I do let her use Hp at night but because she doesn’t have much money to top up her card everytime, she will control her usage. But now that she has her full salary, she can spend more on calling card, hence the yakking on the phone every night. But I think most maid will slack after a while, mine also. But Desertwind, you are really nice to provide her with Pad because right from the start, I told my maid that I won’t provide her with sanitary pad because I feel that this is something personal she needs to provide for herself. We have 2 bathrooms, me and HB will use the one in master bedroom and my maid will have the common bathroom all to herself so I will buy toiletries (shampoo, shower cream and toothpaste) separately for her because we don’t share bathroom.


She doesn’t really know how to cook, if she cooks, it will usually be fried rice or some simple one dish meal. She don’t expect her to do housework during weekdays except for mopping the floor only we are back home because she is taking care of my 1 year old boy.

We will usually bring my boy out in the early afternoon on weekends and return at night leaving my maid alone at home to do the housework but still, her cleaning is not thorough enough. She will request for her hp the moment we are out with my DS. Even if we do bring her out shopping, she will shop as well. Occasionally, we still have to wait for her when she buys her stuff. Am I too nice to her? But the one thing good about this maid is that she doesn’t have an attitude problem and can take instructions well and she won’t talk back if I reprimand her. But I am prepared that this will change once she has her off days.

Is it reasonable if I ask her to plan her own time to go out as long as she finishes the housework like ironing the clothes before she goes out?

[pinkybear]

Actually it was also my fault to give her hp and use our laptop. I did tell her off if I caught her ironing, using hp, cooking using hp, etc. She would listen and only used her hp after work (but would forgot at times). She would talk till 11-12midnight and yet she could get up at 5.30am to make breakfast for dd and send dd to take school bus.


She is a very good maid. Her chinese cooking is delicious! She would look at the cookbook and prepared the exact meal for us. She had to go home due to family issue.

I bought her everything that she needs. All her money was saved. She reads newspaper whenever she is free. :scared: She has an entrepreneur mind. She saved her money and set up Biz in Indonesia.

[DesertWind]

Hi littletrumpet,


For pads, I feel it is really up to the employers, there is not hard and fast rules or right or wrong. Just depends on circumstances lor. For our maids during the loan period of half a year, really no money hence got to supply most stuff, including pads. So when I buy for myself, just take another pack and give to her. But for my mother’s maid, don’t expect my mother to supply since she already menopaused…get what I mean? So for those maids looking after old folks, don’t expect ah ma to supply them with the pads hor…ke…ke…ke!

As for the timing during off days, it is better for you to talk to your maid and agree with her what time she wants to go out and what time you expect her to come back. I feel the time to go out can let maid decide (if it is not too early). For the time to come back, it is better for you to tell her what time latest she can come back.

My maid told me her friends will go out very early eg. 7 or 8 am and go back home at about 10 or 11 pm. It is unacceptable to me to come back so late hence my maid go out at 10 am and come back by 8 pm.

Sounds like you are treating your maid pretty well too!