Myanmar maids

[hquek]

Go to peninsula plaza. They have everything burmese. Buy calling cards from there, give longer airtime. The ones from our regular providers just too ex for them to call home.


My helper goes to one convenience shop in that building, 3rd floor I think with yellow signboard. They run a remittance service. They charge few dollars for the fee and probably recoup via the exchange rate. Dont think western union has remittance service to that country…at least not 2 years ago.

[piyobaby]

Thanks hquek…the regular telco charged very high like $10 for 23mins kinda thing so trying to ask ard for alternatives. Western union does remit to Myanmar now but I’m comparing the service fees to help her save abit if possible.

[hquek]

Ya. Those cards sold at peninsula give more bang for the buck. Remittance also cheaper but I guess the rates should be very bad. Your helper will need her relative exact name. Cant recall what other details needed.

[Coolkidsrock2]

Western Union may be a safer bet in the sense that the maid just need to produce her passport at her home country to collect the money. Risk of spelling error in the name is low as it is based on passport name.


The risk of her using the name of someone else is spelling error in the name so that she may encounter difficulties in withdrawing her money, though am not sure how stringent the name check is.

My maids are not highly educated and they had no prior experience with the banking system and not sure of the spelling of the name of the recipient.

[hquek]

Western union did not provide remittance service in myanmar…not two years ago. There is an informal system that works well. So far my maid’s family had no problems collecting their money…they live in the countryside about three days bus journey from yangon. I dont think western union would have set up anything there. Btw they supposed to provide names in myanmese, not english. Think most should not have problems.

[piyobaby]

hquek:

Ya. Those cards sold at peninsula give more bang for the buck. Remittance also cheaper but I guess the rates should be very bad. Your helper will need her relative exact name. Cant recall what other details needed.

Geez....sound like quite a handful to find out since hiring a helper is totally new to mi. Din help that though she is ex-Sin, she knew nuts abt remittance as her ex-employer does it for her in her absence.

[piyobaby]

Coolkidsrock2:

Western Union may be a safer bet in the sense that the maid just need to produce her passport at her home country to collect the money. Risk of spelling error in the name is low as it is based on passport name.


The risk of her using the name of someone else is spelling error in the name so that she may encounter difficulties in withdrawing her money, though am not sure how stringent the name check is.

My maids are not highly educated and they had no prior experience with the banking system and not sure of the spelling of the name of the recipient.

I supposed it make not much difference as most likely they remit the funds to a next of kin e.g mother in her case so producing passport for withdrawal might be out of the picture?

[piyobaby]

hquek:

Western union did not provide remittance service in myanmar...not two years ago. There is an informal system that works well. So far my maid's family had no problems collecting their money...they live in the countryside about three days bus journey from yangon. I dont think western union would have set up anything there. Btw they supposed to provide names in myanmese, not english. Think most should not have problems.

From WU website, it seems that they provide pretty good tracking system & notification once the named party hv collected the money. Singpost is one of their appointed agent which happened to be near us.

Do we need to check in particular where their hometown is & how accessible it is for the next of kin to collect the money. Does ur helper remit every mth then since it will take the family such long distance traveling to Yangon? That the remittance service you hv mentioned previously rite? It's also important to use a reliable service lest their hard earned money fly out of the window!

[hquek]

Hi piyobaby,


you can check if WU offers remittance to Myanmar now - rules may have changed. But for my previous Indo helpers, I felt the charges were a bit high.

I went with mine to Peninsula plaza for first few times, thereafter, she can go by herself on days she request for off (supposed to be no off days, but we will let her go if she asks).

The names have to be submitted in myanmese. i was initially worried if it is reliable. That shop is a provision shop with remittance services and so far it has been working out well. Her dad was able to collect the money within days - at least I never hear complaints. I faintly recall it costs only few dollars for the remittance charge (was agog because used to WU’s tens of dollars).

Yes, I think it may help to know where her family is located - she should know if the place is easy for her family to collect money. My helper had to take 3 day bus ride from her hometown to yangon. I think her family will faint if they had to go Yangon to collect the money she send back. So far, it is at some village/town near to them; and her family will call her once they get. There was some hiccup initially but it turned out well (can’t recall details).

[piyobaby]

Thanks hquek for sharing, think for first few remittance, I will bring her there just to make sure things are in order. Subsequently will ask her to do it herself since she insisted on having off day.


I have not checked on her chores for quite a while and she is starting to cut corners in her work. Unfortunately for her, I spotted them by chance & got her to repeat the chores. Need to talk to her on her black face & the scheduled chores not completed. :slapshead: