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Is maid expected to pay for the breach in contract?

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 1:46 pm
by yanton9
Hoping someone can enlighten a blur sotong, me.


My grandma's maid went back on home leave with contract still in effect (only fulfilled 1 year) Was in the Semarang airport on her way back to SG when she met encountered problems with custom (no KTKLN and no money to apply/pay for card/insurance) and thus couldnt come back.

Now due to KTKLN problems, she seems reluctant to come back - cut of all communication with us.

Key question is... If she decides to stay in Indo, is she expected to pay for the breach in contract? How do we go about this?


We have never had such problems and this is the second maid we hired for my grandma. Agency is not helpful as for everything else, they would ask us to refer to embassy. The KTKLN fix is also indirectly due to agency's ill-informed information (they seemed clueless about KTKLN)

Info on KTKLN: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/indonesi ... ds/449322


Please help )):

Re: Is maid expected to pay for the breach in contract?

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 4:00 pm
by bzmum22
What do you expect her to pay?
How are you going to get her to pay if she refuse to come back to SG and cut off all comms?

If she has left some money with you before she left, you cld probably deduct whatever you deemed she owed you from there.
Else, the reality is you just hv to swallow it all. I dun think there is anyway you can recover whatever from the maid.

Re: Is maid expected to pay for the breach in contract?

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 7:27 pm
by yanton9
thought so too, thanks.. cos i was reading in the other threads, maid that didnt want to come back told the employer that she will pay for the breach of contract, which left me wondering - how? and is it even possible. thanks for the reply anyway.. and yes, we do still have some money we held back as a form of assurance.

Re: Is maid expected to pay for the breach in contract?

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 10:51 pm
by Lynn2010
Good thing you have some of her money with you. Honestly, if she doesnt want to come back then so be it. She probably forgets that she has some money with you OR already has enough salary to deem 'enough'

I remember we used to have this Indon maid. We would deposit her salary into her bank account. Once she paid off her agent fee, which was abt 6 mth. She accumulated another 3 to 4 mth salary and told me she wanted to go home liao. For her, she was quite honest about it. She said the $1000 + is enough for her to build her house back home. Perhaps she met her KPI set by her husband. When I told her, "after spending the $1k+ for your house, you do not have any more money. Why dont you work for a few more months". Her reply was that if she has no money, she will work again

Re: Is maid expected to pay for the breach in contract?

Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 1:02 pm
by peapot
Hi Lynn

Most Indon maids are like that. They like to work to get just enough and then rest for a few months. When their money runs out, they come out to look for job again. This is their mentality. With this mindset, its hard to have maids serving the same employer for many years. So when you hear of maids who works more than 4 years for the same employer, people would gasp.

All my maids work for me 3 years only. Never ever once did any of my maid hit the 4 years record. The calculations are very simple. First 2 years of contract, maid actually only get real income in the 2nd year. First year goes to paying loan. So, they will extend one more year to get at least 2 years of real income. Armed with S$9600 after 2 years of work, they go back home they can build a house and not work for 2 years.

For Singaporeans, $9600 can probably only last us 2 months. So, I guess we better migrate???!!!

Re: Is maid expected to pay for the breach in contract?

Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 3:11 pm
by Lynn2010
wow.... one year say $5000. If we sell our house and move there, assuming we have about $500,000, we dont need to work liao. Can retire at the age of 35 and last 2 generations with the money. hahahaha - just joking

I know most Indon maids have this kind of mentality. That is why yanton9, i doubt your Indon maid is coming back liao

Re: Is maid expected to pay for the breach in contract?

Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2011 3:12 pm
by Kayelinht
I had experience before, they will not come back one. There is no way you can have a hold on her and our money is so big there, the one I had worked for a year and a half then went back for holiday and never came back. Also cut off all contact.

Re: Is maid expected to pay for the breach in contract?

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2011 1:27 pm
by yanton9
thanks for the reply all (: next time my family and i wont be so naive anymore..sigh...

Re: Is maid expected to pay for the breach in contract?

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 9:10 am
by Lynn2010
You are welcome yanton9.

I feel that you can only find really good one may be one in 200?? And if you get an ok one, that's already lucky. At one stage, i change 8 in 2 years!! Very tiring!

Re: Is maid expected to pay for the breach in contract?

Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 9:37 pm
by rkmommy
If maid leaves after 1 yr of 2 yr contract, what are they financially liable for? Thanks.