All About Full-Time Maids

[POA Teacher]

millie:

Can I check whether your helpers take afternoon naps? As I am working during the day, I only found out my helper has this requirement when she stayed with my mil while we were away on vacation.

Mine takes a lie-down. But don't know whether she actually sleeps.
As long as her work gets done, and there are no young kids/ elderly that need her supervision, I think it's perfectly ok.

[Power Puff]

We are relocating overseas soon and have been told our maid cannot follow us on a permanent basis, much as she’s a great help to us. Her contract ends about 6 months later. We are likely to transfer her to our parents. Would that mean she would be under a brand new contract with weekly day off? We’ve explained that she’ll have to complete 2 years under the new contract before she is given her airticket and 15 day salary. However, if she prefers to work for our parents under the old contract terms (with 1 monthly day off), she’ll get paid holiday back home 6 months later when contract ends. If she chooses to renew her contract with them, she will then be entitled to weekly day off. Or are our parents as new employers supposed to let her have her weekly day off and grant her paid holiday 6 months later, even though she has not completed her contract with them?


In the event maid doesn’t agree to transfer to our parents, I suppose her options would be: 1. return to the maid agency or use another agency to transfer to another employer 2. find new employer without going through agency 3. return home for a while, before coming back to S’pore or going to another country to work 4. return to home country for good.

Can anyone please enlighten me on what the above options’ costs would be (on her part and mine)? Is it a must for me to pay for her airticket if she chooses Options 3 and 4? I don’t mind but am concerned that it would be difficult and costly for her to start the job search process all over again if she wants to come back to work again.

Thanks!

[jacsplace]

I don’t know about the transfer, but generally if the maid chooses to terminate the contract and return home, then she should pay for her own air ticket.

[straffan23]

I am not sure about MOM rules, but wouldn’t it be most ideal if she just continue employment (under your name) but just change the place of residence / work (your parents)? This way, WP, Insurance, etc is still valid for a further 6 months. After which, she can sort it out with your parents to see if she wants to continue, or how many days leave (even if you get a new one you would have to give them the leave days… )

[nms1]

Power Puff:

We are relocating overseas soon and have been told our maid cannot follow us on a permanent basis, much as she's a great help to us. Her contract ends about 6 months later. We are likely to transfer her to our parents. Would that mean she would be under a brand new contract with weekly day off? We've explained that she'll have to complete 2 years under the new contract before she is given her airticket and 15 day salary. However, if she prefers to work for our parents under the old contract terms (with 1 monthly day off), she'll get paid holiday back home 6 months later when contract ends. If she chooses to renew her contract with them, she will then be entitled to weekly day off. Or are our parents as new employers supposed to let her have her weekly day off and grant her paid holiday 6 months later, even though she has not completed her contract with them?


In the event maid doesn't agree to transfer to our parents, I suppose her options would be: 1. return to the maid agency or use another agency to transfer to another employer 2. find new employer without going through agency 3. return home for a while, before coming back to S'pore or going to another country to work 4. return to home country for good.

Can anyone please enlighten me on what the above options' costs would be (on her part and mine)? Is it a must for me to pay for her airticket if she chooses Options 3 and 4? I don't mind but am concerned that it would be difficult and costly for her to start the job search process all over again if she wants to come back to work again.

Thanks!

If you transfer her to your parents then it will be a new contract so will come under the new terms & conditions. The issue of the holiday is a tough one so I think it will be a matter of negotiation. Would your parents be willing to allow her to go back for 2 weeks after you leave for overseas then she can come back on a new contract with them?

If she doesn't agree to move to your parents I would give her the option to look for a new employer given that you are terminating her contract early.

[nms1]

straffan23:

I am not sure about MOM rules, but wouldn't it be most ideal if she just continue employment (under your name) but just change the place of residence / work (your parents)? This way, WP, Insurance, etc is still valid for a further 6 months. After which, she can sort it out with your parents to see if she wants to continue, or how many days leave (even if you get a new one you would have to give them the leave days.... )

However, under this scenario you would run the risk of getting on the wrong side of MOM as this is technically breaking the rules as you will be on record as her employer but you will not be in the country. You could try checking with them - anonymously!

[mwchua]

Power Puff:

We are relocating overseas soon and have been told our maid cannot follow us on a permanent basis, much as she's a great help to us. Her contract ends about 6 months later. We are likely to transfer her to our parents. Would that mean she would be under a brand new contract with weekly day off? We've explained that she'll have to complete 2 years under the new contract before she is given her airticket and 15 day salary. However, if she prefers to work for our parents under the old contract terms (with 1 monthly day off), she'll get paid holiday back home 6 months later when contract ends. If she chooses to renew her contract with them, she will then be entitled to weekly day off. Or are our parents as new employers supposed to let her have her weekly day off and grant her paid holiday 6 months later, even though she has not completed her contract with them?


In the event maid doesn't agree to transfer to our parents, I suppose her options would be: 1. return to the maid agency or use another agency to transfer to another employer 2. find new employer without going through agency 3. return home for a while, before coming back to S'pore or going to another country to work 4. return to home country for good.

Can anyone please enlighten me on what the above options' costs would be (on her part and mine)? Is it a must for me to pay for her airticket if she chooses Options 3 and 4? I don't mind but am concerned that it would be difficult and costly for her to start the job search process all over again if she wants to come back to work again.

Thanks!

Sent you a pm. Thanks.

[Power Puff]

Thank you for your kind suggestions. My maid has just informed us that she would like to work under our parents since she’s familiar with them (plus much less housework coz they live in an apartment as opposed to my house, garden and super active kids!)


We’ve checked with MOM: As our family is not physically in Singapore, our maid cannot simply move over to another household because she’s still under our employment and we are liable for her. We’ve been advised to transfer her to another employer instead (in this case, we’ve asked our parents to take over since she’s familiar with them). In addition, it is up to our parents and maid to negotiate the terms of employment. She’s choosing to stay under the current terms of 1 monthly off day and returning to home country in 6 months’ time (that’s when her 2 year contract duration would be up, if she’d continued under us). Our parents will draw up a new contract with the weekly day off after she returns. In any case, we’re likely to write a letter to MOM to explain the reason for the transfer in case other future employers ask why she did not complete her contract with us).

In the meantime, although my Indo maid is not perfect and I get annoyed with her at times, I’m thankful for her help. My previous Fil maids gave me a lot of grief and did not complete their contracts.

[POA Teacher]

Power Puff:

Thank you for your kind suggestions. My maid has just informed us that she would like to work under our parents since she's familiar with them (plus much less housework coz they live in an apartment as opposed to my house, garden and super active kids!)


We've checked with MOM: As our family is not physically in Singapore, our maid cannot simply move over to another household because she's still under our employment and we are liable for her. We've been advised to transfer her to another employer instead (in this case, we've asked our parents to take over since she's familiar with them). In addition, it is up to our parents and maid to negotiate the terms of employment. She's choosing to stay under the current terms of 1 monthly off day and returning to home country in 6 months' time (that's when her 2 year contract duration would be up, if she'd continued under us). Our parents will draw up a new contract with the weekly day off after she returns. In any case, we're likely to write a letter to MOM to explain the reason for the transfer in case other future employers ask why she did not complete her contract with us).

In the meantime, although my Indo maid is not perfect and I get annoyed with her at times, I'm thankful for her help. My previous Fil maids gave me a lot of grief and did not complete their contracts.

I suggest that you give her that letter, when she leaves your parents' employ.
I doubt that MOM would bother to explain to potential new employers why she got transferred. You could also send them a copy, but I expect that it'll get tossed into a bin.

[KSmom8]

POA Teacher:

Power Puff:

Thank you for your kind suggestions. My maid has just informed us that she would like to work under our parents since she's familiar with them (plus much less housework coz they live in an apartment as opposed to my house, garden and super active kids!)


We've checked with MOM: As our family is not physically in Singapore, our maid cannot simply move over to another household because she's still under our employment and we are liable for her. We've been advised to transfer her to another employer instead (in this case, we've asked our parents to take over since she's familiar with them). In addition, it is up to our parents and maid to negotiate the terms of employment. She's choosing to stay under the current terms of 1 monthly off day and returning to home country in 6 months' time (that's when her 2 year contract duration would be up, if she'd continued under us). Our parents will draw up a new contract with the weekly day off after she returns. In any case, we're likely to write a letter to MOM to explain the reason for the transfer in case other future employers ask why she did not complete her contract with us).

In the meantime, although my Indo maid is not perfect and I get annoyed with her at times, I'm thankful for her help. My previous Fil maids gave me a lot of grief and did not complete their contracts.

I suggest that you give her that letter, when she leaves your parents' employ.
I doubt that MOM would bother to explain to potential new employers why she got transferred. You could also send them a copy, but I expect that it'll get tossed into a bin.

Perhaps you should also ask your maid to sign and agree on 2 sets of the letter....just in case there are disputes in future. Keep the other original with you.

My Fil maid also giving me lots of grief especially with the CNY cleaning. With all the stress I am getting, am seriously thinking of cutting her hongbao to token sum only. Don't think I ( not maid ) can last till the end of her contract.