All About Full-Time Maids

[poison]

kiasimom:

Dear Posion and carebear,


I will advice you to consider seriously if you are planning to get a Myanmar maid.
You have to talk to her to ensure that she can understand you.

Language is the biggest barrier.
If both of you cannot communicate, it will be difficult to entrust the whole household chores to her.

So please consider carefully.

Thanks kiasimom, but i think i'm really left with not much choice, my agency only offers myanmar & filipinos & due to certain reasons, i can't change to other agency. & these filipinos are getting on my nerves, wad can i do?? :idea:

[peapot]

Hi Poison,


I have a Myanmar maid for 3 years. Before this was a filipino maid. Compare both, I think Myanmar maids has traits that fall between a filipino and an indonesia maid. They can’t speak well but they certainly can read. So, if there is any doubts, write it down and ask her to read.

The black face part mentioned by some mummies, I would have to agree. Like filipino maids, they also want off days and handphone. Only indonesia maid don’t mind. That’s why I said they fall in between filipino and indonesia.

If you are looking for myanmar maids, interview them and asked how many years they are willing to work in Singapore. Their usual answer is usually 3 to 4 years. The real answer is actually " I want to work only 2 years and after that I want to re-enter Singapore as S-pass holder and worked as a salesgirl or nursing aide" This is especially true if the maid is a university graduate. They can get jobs easily as MOM can approve their work permit even when they’re still in Singapore as long as they have found a potential employer.

My current Myanmar maid did just that. She outsmart me by telling me she wants to extend for another 2 years. Then I paid for her passport for $300. She only worked for me 1 year and already went for her job interview while she is still working for me as a maid. She is applying for a waitress job in a Chinese restuarant. So, imagine I have to deal with her when I m back from my Hongkong trip. So, you see maids who has off day really knows her way around.

Sometimes as working moms we are at the maid’s mercy. We can’t send them packing just like that because there’s no one to help look after the kids. I also wish I can just fire her straight away and send her home but I can’t because there’s no one who can help me care for my child during the transition period. This period can take 1 week to 1 month!! Do we have so many leave? To be frank, sometimes I can understand why certain employers will lay hands on these maids. Although I know its morally wrong to do it, but these maids can be a pain in the neck. I always tell myself, "ren, ren"

[poison]

NicHei:

Just to share on my experience on Myanmar maids over the last 2 years


1st maid - came during my pregnancy. she was a staunt Christian, refused to eat the food at my mum's place. get tired very easily. cannot look after my dd... and cry easily... Homesick all the time..want to call home everytime and will cry at each call... at my mum's place, she will stand at the windows and stare. sometimes will cry.

2nd maid - transfer maid. Quite ok. but she is young and playful. too many people in Singapore. Cooked up a story and got her brother to get her a HP, when I have already told her no HP allowed. But I still kept her, as overall she was ok and I am lazy to retrain and my dd was ok to her. She wanted to be transferred after her 2 yrs with me, as she wanted off days, which I am not comfortable with that. As I still cannot really trust her.

3rd maid - new maid from Myanmar.... my worse maid of all. Claim to be 23 but was actually 21. Attitute problems and not willingly to learn. Dun even make the effort to play with my DD and she knows tt her main job is to look after my DD. Claim that her hand is painful and refused to do anything. Told me that her hand is painful and cannot wash clothes. Sat at her bed for 3 hrs without moving even when she see me doing the housework. Worse, told the agent tt she can only sleep at 1am and wake up and 4am.. Oh my god..... she sleep even early than me and does not need to look after my dd at night. Send her back to agent after 1 week, although on the 2nd day, she already say she want to go back. Could not get back my agent fee on this also.. Haiz

Overall, I agree with poison, communication is really a problem with Myanmar maids. And it really depends on individual luck... I have given up on Myanmar maids and reverted back to Indoesian maid now.

Poison, try to get Myanmar maids that stay near to China, as some of them can understand chinese, although they cannot speak the language. Wish you all the best in getting a good maid.

Good maids are really hard to find and the agents are all one of a kind.

Hi, I am not sure which part is nearer to china? Btw, any other things to look out for like age, marital status? I mean from experience which are the ones that can ne train faster without alot of attitiude or problems?

For me, I think filipinos, young - very vain & wants to find bf or part-time jobs fast cash, old - serious attitude problems ~ overall... unless u r very lucky, do not get a filipino maid...

[peapot]

H! Myanmar maids from Shan state can speak chinese. Actually quite difficult to find myanmar maids that are above 28 years. Alot of bio-data I saw starts at age 23 onwards. I would say 90% of the bio-data are 23 and 24 years old. I think 30 years old and above account for only 10%. Not sure why. One of my friend tell me because myanmar maid do not like to work as maids. For these young girls, they are here to get the exposure and find other types of jobs. Her explaination actually fits my current maid description. When i hire my maid, she was only 23. So, you may wish to think about it and hope you find the information useful.

[peapot]

By the way, I also don’t like filipino maid. which is why i ended up with Myanmar maids. Sigh!

[kiasimom]

A small tip to share.

Do buy a language dictionary for communicating to your FDW.

I bought 2 each time.
English to Indonesia
Indonesia to english

Depending on your maid’s nationality.
This is especially useful when you have difficulties conversing.

You just need to flip to the required word and point it to your maid. This way, she will understand and you
Will be able to pick up the language too

[tamarind]

My SIL has a Myanmar maid. This maid says that she does not want to listen to any nagging by my SIL's mother-in-law. If the old lady starts to nag, the maid will leave.


I cannot believe that maids can be that fussy.

I myself cannot afford to be that fussy in my job !

I think there are good maids and bad maids, regardless of the nationality.

Communication is definitely most important. The safest bet is to employ a maid who has worked in Singapore for at least 3 to 4 years for one employer only, in a family that speaks the same language as yours. Forget about those with working experience in Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc.


I am too lazy to use a dictionary My Indonesian maid has 6 years of working experience previously, and she can understand me perfectly.

I read somewhere that it is possible to bring in a maid from China. If you are really keen, you can try sourcing for one and write to MOM for approval.

I strongly urge employers not to take any maids who has less than 2 years working experience for one employer. Although some employers will argue that they have this type of maids who turn out to be good, not everyone is so lucky. Nowadays maids are so choosy, because they know that they can find new employers easily. If all of us only employ maids with at least 2 to 3 years of experience, then maids will not dare to be so fussy. Otherwise look for a maid who has no previous working experience and train her.

Hopefully employers can work together to improve the situation.

In fact, the best way to employ an experienced maid, is to insist on speaking to her ex-employers. We have so many problem maids, because employers simply believe in what maids and agencies say.

Taiwan employers are smarter than us. Maids who have their contracts terminated and sent back to their own country, will never be allowed to return to Taiwan to work. That is why we don't hear so many problems with maids in Taiwan. I hope that MOM can have this rule too.

[kiasimom]

Hi tamarind,


I agree that our gahment should take Taiwan as a reference.

In Hongkong, the maid is not allowed to transfer to another employer.
They have to leave Hongkong and re-apply to enter Hongkong if they want to work as a maid again.

With such rules, the maids are really appreciative and cautious.
Unlike in SG, they can change us as and when they like without imposing any penalties.

We have to attend lesson for the 5th replacement maid, how about the maid?
Do they have to be counsell by MOM if they change more than 4 employers a year?

Come on gahment, please be fair.
I have to say our gahment has indirectly condone the maid’s misbehaviour.

[Andaiz]

tamarind:

Taiwan employers are smarter than us. Maids who have their contracts terminated and sent back to their own country, will never be allowed to return to Taiwan to work. That is why we don't hear so many problems with maids in Taiwan. I hope that MOM can have this rule too.

[/b]

Ahhh.....Tamarind jie, you hit the nail on the head...the problem isn't with the degenerating quality of maids, it is with the fact that the floodgates are open to them even if they play punk, get sent home...can rest and enjoy Christmas with their family, then re-surface here with another agency. God help unsuspecting employers like us.

When I sent HRH back, my agency told me that they would not take her back as an applicant but cannot guarantee that any other agency wouldn't.
If this is so, she can re-enter even without changing her name (a method you've posted on your blog).

Kiasimom jie, I'm not one to like handouts from the gahment nor blame them for every wrong thing but this time, I really have to agree with you that the gahment is to be responsible for the arrogance of the helpers nowadays! :stupid: :stupid: how to increase population like that...mummies on this forum are already too stressed with their domestic helpers, and not being able to find proper infant care/child care...

Are we truly at the maid's mercy? I can't agree with you FTWM more...

[kiasimom]

Hi Andaiz dear,

Good morning to you!

That’s why we can only pour out our complains here and hope other employers can benefit from us.

To employ a maid, " At your own risks :!: "

I certainly hope my current one ( 3 months now ) can keep up with her performance