All About Full-Time Maids

[HappyAvon]

Hi Winth, thanks for sharing on the camera thingy. Will check with Singtel on the charges. I agree if you could do away with a maid will be the best soloution to all the headaches and frustrations. However, for my case, I really do not have any helper…my in-laws are all in MSIA and my mum does not have the capabilities of taking care of children. My girl has been in 1/2 day childcare when she was like 22 months.

[winth]

Hi HappyAvon,


You’re most welcome! I think most couples have no choice, then they get a maid. Don’t think anyone likes to have their privacy intruded…

I’m very lucky to have both my parents and in-laws ‘snatching’ to look after my kids. Almost quarrelled with my in-laws when we decided to let my mother look after my kids. Even my father was upset that I chose my mother instead of him.

[Hermes]

I am also not good with knowing how to counsel them.

First maid : fillippino does not do what we ask her and I have to be around in the house and she will do housework.Quality of housework is superficial.I just delivered my first baby and only when my antennae is out,she move abit but house very dirty.We send back to agent.Maid used to have exp with babies in Saudi.
Second maid : younger filippino,more compliant but guess she got tired of all the housework and hassel of my few months old baby things,she got homesick.She tried to hide away some money n eventually sent back to country
Third maid : burmese from United Channel Employment from Katong level 2.Agent very rude and bad attitude after we paid full maid loan and agency fees.Extremely pro maid as their boss is a burmese expariate.This maid very stubborn and lazy and cannot work independently.I have to " babysit" her to ensure she does her housework well.Sometimes,she don’t respond when I talk to her or ask her.Agent said if baby fell down not maid fault,cannot blame these maid.If maid forget to turn off tap or make some ice,cannot blame them cos they are poor and have no money eat.I give this maid seafood,fish,veg,meat but she selectively eat veg.Few times did not wash our clothes n very superficial in mopping floor or other housework.Utensils still stain with sauce or food after washing for 5 months.I am tolerant to her for 5 months because I am tired of changing maids.But we give up this maid cos everyday babysitting and watching her is tiring.Worst,her attitude is horrible around 4-5mths with us.
Fourth maid : a replacement from United Channel Employment. Has skin disease and has bad smell.We keep clear of baby from her.Attitude is horrible too as when I tell her about what she does wrongly,she keep saying " no,no" " I don’t know" " not me".I give up teaching or talking to her about anything else.She does not feed,bath,help to put baby to nap as after telling her how to,she just come back to tell me baby does not wish to sleep.Cooking,sterilising bottles are done by us too.We go out with baby without her,even to supermarkets.Agent this time round does not answer my calls.

Conslusion :
Agent said burmese maids are obedient and hardworking and it is not true. Their pride and stubborness is the silent type compared to filippinos who throw their temper. Even with timetable, they will find excuse saying forget to do. I resort to installing a webcam. My son going to childcare and we rather spent the money on getting him a good school.FDW are not short term or long term solution for us. More pros in getting filiippino if you have babies or young children cos they are more flexible and english is better than Burmese who think as highly as themselves like some filippinos but actually cannot communicate and do what we ask them to.Very poor english and you can vomit blood when u ask them do something diiferent from mopping or washing dishes.Although burmese maids will say yes yes to you when you ask them they understand what to do, they do something else weird after.
For babies and younger children families, please do not risk having them around.For the work that the 4th maid is doing,a twiceweekly partimer can do her work and it cost lesser and cleaner.
We have to feed them with one pkt 3 in one coffee,3meals rice,complusory 8hours sleep daily,according to United Channel Employment agent and agent has the right to spotcheck our house to see that their maids are well off !!! As a mother and with looking after my baby,feeding,bathing,changing diapers,sterilising,cooking dinner,I even have to skip my own lunch cos burmese maids don’t how they have to cook meals for us!!!

I hope those employing maids can weigh carefully about having them about the pros and cons.

[HappyAvon]

Hi Hermes


Indeed u had gone through quite a no. of different maids and I trust it must be tiring for you.

I guess my situation was not that bad. My current Indon maid was the 1st maid I hired from Nations. She was working in Singapore for a year and was sent home. She is a good cook and always likes to explore my cookbook/receipes. Within these 2 years with us, she was well behaved and looked after my girl very well…my girl oso likes her very much. One weaknest about her is she cannot do housework well…but she is good with children and cooking…she wants to returns to get married and so I let her go. Yesterday brought her to Robinson Sale @ expo so that she could do some shopping and I even bought her a luggage and some snacks/stuff for her brothers in the Kampong. She was so happy…I guess sometimes we must really give and take lor…people management is not easy at times especially from different culture. No matter what, she did help me during these 2 yrs… I am crossing my fingers and hope that my new maid from filipino will not give me too many problems.

[Hermes]

We celebrated the 3rd maid birthday with a cake and eating at burmese restaurant.We paid her overseas calls to her sister in yangon. We give her off day during Burmese calendar new year when her contract is no off day.Tink all our efforts gone to waste on the wrong person who does not appreciate.

Recently the 4th maid refuse to eat at mother in law place cos she sort of got a tick off by my in law for pushing another toddler.well,what can I say.
:shock:

[en107rn.01056yahoo.01056com.01056sg]

Hi


It is not easy to please maid. Sometimes they keep on taking, thinking it is their right to get. Mine at first don’t even know how to say thank you or say sorry. Got to explain nicely to her that it is only polite to say thank you when she receive something & to say sorry if she’s done a mistake (rather than a long winded excuses).

I’m maidless at last. Mine just left 2 weeks ago after she serves her 2 years contract. She does ease of my burden, nice to my kids, does not steal (very important), does chit chat with neighbor’s maid but she done it in moderation. But the thing that I can’t stand is there is simply too much damage equipment, lost/ruin clothing, badly dented walls & full of scratches floor. The house looks untidy although it is clean. Now maidless, the house looks tidier.

[winth]

[quote]But the thing that I can't stand is there is simply too much damage equipment, lost/ruin clothing, badly dented walls & full of scratches floor. The house looks untidy although it is clean. Now maidless, the house looks tidier. [/quote]


Hi EN,

This sounds very familiar. You know, my house was actually tidier without the maid. Now, with the maid, everything's everywhere. My toddler managed to throw so many toys into the fountain than when there was no maid to look after him.

And when the maid is gone (in another 3 weeks' time), we will need to replace the electric kettle, the clothes hanging station, repair the tap and of course, buy more bowls and plates. Plus all the torn clothes she managed to destroy in just a few washings. :?

Having maids isn't so cheap after all. There's so much hidden cost inside.

[en107rn.01056yahoo.01056com.01056sg]

Hi Winth


I read your plight in the other thread. Everything is similar. She wants me to chit chat with her. She wants me to bring her out during family outing but we feel there is no need for her to assist us as we are capable to look after our on kids. Back when my kids were younger, we give up the maid & send our kids to childcare. I re-hire a new maid when our lifestyle change as my work consist of night calls & my kids can be very disruptive. Now that they are manageable, I dont have the need anymore. Hope everything will turn out well with you.

[Hermes]

Hi

Most maids come with expectation that they live like us,eat like us,use the things that we use.But they have to earn our trust and their keep before we can consider giving them all these fringe benefits as they are never written in the contract. My experience is that even after giving them these extras, they may not appreciate.It is like they are kings in our households,afraid they may take it out on our childrem or old folks someday and we live under their noses.I don’t believe in scolding cos afraid they take it out on my baby (even with our webcam,when damage is done,is there any use of them in jail?).

Please never and do not go to United Channel Employment at katong level 2.Their service is very bad and they are on the side of all their maids. :!:

[Piggymum]

lifestylelink:

ChiefKiasu:

Have you all seen this http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/content/maid-abusing-2-month-old-baby? I think the abuse is just about the worst I've seen. (Update - sorry... the videos were removed from youtube already.)


Here're my experience with maids:
Indonesian - Most compliant, hardworking, but lacks initiative and poor hygiene.

Myanmar - Very hardworking and willing to learn, but poor communications and lacks experience

Philippines - Reasonably hardworking, good comms skills, high initiative but with a mind of their own.

I have a myanmar maid, I like to add comment tha they have poor manners. Not sure if it relates to their poor communication.

My existing maid is leaving soon and likely to get another one from Myanmar. One potential candidate available and she can speak Chinese.

May I know which maid agency are you using? I have a Myanmar maid too. When I was looking ard for one, couldn't find one who can speak chinese. The current one is ok but need to educate on hygiene and manners esp her 1st mth here. English wise, can't speak much but can understand written English quite well.