KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

Dear All,

I have hired a indonesian maid 2 months back and now suddenly she says that she does not want to work with us. I am looking for another maid. I have shot listed few bio data's of maids who have worked for few years in Saudi/Kuwait. The maid agency says that if i need good and reliable maids,then i should hire the ones with saudi/kuwait exp. It would be very helpful if some of your experiences are shared .is it correct they are better or should i hire a fresh maid from indonesia?Kindly advice.

Hi, Amona7.

Mine are ex-Saudi.... hardworking, resilient and reliable, always smiling, no handphone chatting before 9pm, no Facebook, return home punctually at 6pm every off day.... most importantly, no problem getting along with anybody.

This is just for your reference, am not sure are all ex Saudis the same pleasing, as much as I would like to give credit....

Mine from Saudi too. After all the 3 ex maids from Philip. Yes i m impressed with this present helper. Hard working. Smiling face, no complaints,no frills and eager to help. I m quite surprised too.

I don't speak from experience as I have never hired a maid with Saudi experience. Nor do I know anyone who has one. However, from press reports etc I think that over there they are confined to the house (after all women, not just maids, do not have the freedom to go out on their own). Also seems it's common for them to be ill-treated by their employers.
So if they can tolerate that and fulfill their contracts there, I guess most of them should be good (at least at the start, before they get influenced by the other maids here)

My ex-maid worked in Saudi.
I read news some maids had harsh lives in Saudi, some even sexually abused.
This FDW gave me the impression she was well treated thus, didn't feel being employed in Spore is better.

lousy-mom wrote:How do you feel about Ministry of Manpower (MOM)?

Has MOM done its part to protect the interest of Foreign Domestic Worker's (FDW) employer who is merely a household, commoner (salaried employee) drawing monthly salary, not operating an organisation or company?

Has MOM been very pro-maid? Too concerned and friendly to FDWs, the imported manpower, assumed to be lowly paid and poorly treated in Spore?

Is MOM very pro-agency? What regulations did MOM set to provent us from paying high non-refundable agency fee and maid-loan?

When was the last time you see MOM said no to source countries unreasonable request? Example minimum salary, maid loan to be borned by employer, etc.

What regulation was set to prevent our FDW insurance from becoming zero refund value once FDW is employed for more than 181 days, in your name? Regardless she's housed in agency, runaway maid or truly a bad FDW.

Is there a MOM sub-portal for all FDW's employers to load a job description of their preferred FDWs - for better job matching and prevent maid agencies & FDWs from running away from responsibilities, feedback on FDW's conduct, reasons for transfer/repatriation, etc.

Did MOM stand up to help employers who encountered bad FDWs or Employment Agencies? Which association or free-of-charge govt body has been set up to help distressed FDW's employer?

Can you identify the policies that are fair to us, the FDW's employer?

Can you tell me in what ways MOM has treated us, the citizens (employer of one FDW, not a highly paid salaried employee) better than FDWs?

Does MOM know we are not rich, most live in small HDB unit and unable to provide single room for FDW's privacy?

Is this how a government body shows its concern to citizens? Ignore FDWs' employer, let them fight for own survival? Face the harshness? Let middle income citizens continued to be bullied by source country and maid agencies' terms .... not forgetting FDW's personal demands of a desirable employment?



If above happens to your child or somebody close to you, will you clap hands and encourage maid/agency to do more? Why MOM and activists just keen to protect FDWs and pretend they are so kind .... like a saviour but ignored what employers are facing?

My maid is ex-Saudi. She is quite good. Attitude is good also, doesn't chit chat on the phone and very down to earth.

I had an ex-saudi maid 3 years back..

Very experienced helper, that after her 1 year contract, she started telling us wat to do instead! More like a housekeeper den a maid.. even suggested how my uncle's maid should have her choice of cold drink etc during a dinner together..

Of coz, other than tat.. she did manage to keep the house clean in her OWN WAYS.. muz check frequently especially hidden spots.. she even cooked a feast for tea time spotted by my mum who did a sudden visit.. n the food were shared with helpers around our area.. I had a 1 year old kid under her care at tat time..

My current Phil maid is ex-Saudi.

She knows how to operate almost all appliances and can keep the flat clean. In terms of cleaning ability, I rate her as one of the best compared to my ex- maids. However, she is slow and likes to clean her way. If I try to show her another way that is faster and achieve the same effect, she will proclaim that not clean enough. Most time, I leave it to her to clean, just to avoid that long discussion. But sometimes, no choice, have to discuss with her to change method / schedule cos dangerous for kids to walk / run on wet floors or cleaning her way uses too much water / electricity. During these times, I feel like

Fussy with her food but she does not complain about food. For instance, if she does not want to eat a dish because it has an ingredient / vegetable / fungus that she doesn't like ( though I tell her that she can just remove it or don't eat it), she will just make do with vegetables. However, had to buy tinned food for her, otherwise she rather eat plain rice / noodles, cos noticed she won't take leftovers for lunch unless she particularly likes the dish. I don't cook for lunch.

Found out a few months ago, that her Saudi experience was to look after an autistic teenager and clean a few rooms in the house. There were other maids in the house to handle the rest of the housework, cooking and child minding ( family had 7 children ). I think her Saudi employer probably treated her very well and gave her a lot of flexibility, cos her main responsibility was to care for the special needs child. I also believe that my maid could have "manipulated" the Saudi employer cos there was once, she remarked that she told her ex-employer to hire only Phil maids and her employer listened to her!

Quite often, I do feel that she is trying to "manipulate" me by complaining that there is soooo much work for one maid. I made the "mistake" of reducing her workload a few times as a result. However, after I snapped and informed her that she could transfer or be sent home, if she feels that she cannot cope, she has been kwai kwai doing what is expected.

I think if want to hire an experienced maid. It is very important to find out in detail what were her responsibilities and particularly whether there were other maids in the household and their job scope. Sometimes, the maid tends to give a false impression to agent and prospective employers.

PS: I think my maid feels she is treated better in Saudi than here, cos her singapore employer "won't listen" to her.

I had an Indon maid with Middle East experience. Apart from housework, she had to help out at her employer's shop. If I understand correctly, it is a food catering business. As the employer's priority is her cleaning up at the shop, her housekeeping skill is mediocre.

For this maid, she is naturally lazy. She admitted that her father always scolds her for being lazy. Her family is fairly well-to-to and her father has workers working on their plantations. In terms of productivity, she is seriously lagging behind the workers. She attempted to run rings round my mum but was unsuccessful. Only stopped such nonsenses after a few attempts. A lot of "never do but say do" incidents.

Although a Muslim, she was caught red-handed with Kurobuta pork in her mouth. Told me her cheek swollen because she had a fall. Thought it was funny and told her to spit and the slice of pork came out. She was fully aware it was pork as food is labelled in my household.

KSmom8 wrote:My current Phil maid is ex-Saudi.

Fussy with her food but she does not complain about food. For instance, if she does not want to eat a dish because it has an ingredient / vegetable / fungus that she doesn't like ( though I tell her that she can just remove it or don't eat it), she will just make do with vegetables. However, had to buy tinned food for her, otherwise she rather eat plain rice / noodles, cos noticed she won't take leftovers for lunch unless she particularly likes the dish. I don't cook for lunch.

PS: I think my maid feels she is treated better in Saudi than here, cos her singapore employer "won't listen" to her.

I think maids from Saudi or Dubai are not really badly treated. All those maid abused news were just smoke, just like Spore. Activists like to blow up news of bad employers. Not many keen to educated others we are victims, there are really bad maids in Spore.
Read this:
The pampered maids of Dubai
As more families move towards hiring househelp for their day to day lives, the necessity to treat maids with dignity is becoming more important than ever.

From flat screen TVs to satellite packages, access to the pool, in-house parties, WiFi connectivity, and designer clothes, some housemaids live the high life, while their employers speak up against reports that most maids are subject to abuse by their employers.

Suniya, a 24-year-old from Thailand, has been working for a French family for the past three years. Unlike some of her peers, Suniya earns Dh2,500 (if my conversion is correct, it is S$851/month) a month, plus benefits. "I get two days off each week, an annual ticket back home, all meals, and then some stuff my friends don't.

"My employers gave me a flat-screen TV with a link to their satellite channels, access to WiFi in the villa and their old laptop. Plus I get a bonus each Christmas and Easter," she says. Her room in the family's three-bedroom villa in The Springs has new furniture which she was allowed to choose.

In nearby Dubai Marina, another maid admits to living it up. Working six days a week for a British family with two young children, Indira's job is one that she best describes as a dream come true. "I wake up each morning, get the kids ready for school, and then have the entire day to do as I please. No one keeps an eye on me or monitors my goings by the minute. As long as the house is clean and dinner ready on weekdays, they are happy. Moreover, on weekends, we go to the beach as a family, and when my employers go on short holidays, they are happy to leave me home alone, with full pay, knowing that I would never abuse their privilege. My ma'am often gives me the clothes that don't fit her any longer, and most of them are really nice brands from shops like Debenhams and Zara."

While Indira may well be living out her dream, her employers have their side of the story. Requesting not to be named, they say they got lucky with someone as reliable and trustworthy as Indira. "We can leave jewellery and money wherever we want to, and never have to worry about anything. Plus, she's amazing with our children. She deserves every bit of her bonus and whatever add-ons we can afford," says the couple.

"This is the woman who looks after our children in our absence," says Kapil S., a Springs resident. "I would do whatever it takes to keep her happy. If it's a BlackBerry she wants, it's a BlackBerry she'll have," he says of the birthday gift he bought her two months ago.

Crimes by housemaids
According to Dubai Police statistics, about 665 crimes were committed by housemaids in Dubai in 2010, of which 305 were absconding cases.

"I'll never understand these figures," says Mirdif resident Rainn W. "My maid, if I even dared call her that, is perhaps one of the most important people in my life. She looks after my husband and me, she loves our dog to bits, she takes care of the house as though it was hers, she does the groceries out of her own pocket… A woman like that is a treasure. She's the glue that holds us together. We do what we do because she takes care of all the other stuff that would otherwise weigh us down. In exchange, what's the least I can do to show my appreciation, besides vocalising it? I see to it that she has everything she needs. She has her own plasma TV with all the Filipino channels, I share my laptop with her, she has the freedom to call anyone home whenever she wants to, and I'll go out of my way to entertain her guests. She never needs to ask, only inform, when she wants to use the house for a little party of her own. We'll get out of her hair for that evening. I can't afford to pay her a large salary but I make up with everything else that I can. The key is for her to realise that she's a part of our family. Personally, I would take offence at someone calling her my maid. It's her house as much as it is mine," says the lifestyle counsellor who admits to paying for her maid's flight tickets every time she wishes to travel anywhere, not just within the stipulated period.

According to the UAE Labour Law, it is the liability of the employer to fly the maid into the country and, after two years of employment, provide a return ticket to her home country. While for some it's too much to ask, a few go over and above the requirements.

Take the case of Gloria, a Filipino maid for a Chinese family. "Every time they go on holiday, I go too. I keep the two children entertained at night when my employers want to go out for dinner or see the nightlife of the country. In the daytime, they pay for all my expenses, including some personal souvenirs. None of the other maids I know get the same privileges," she says.

The demand for Western expat employers is high among maids in the UAE. At the time of applying it is often the maid who interviews the family to see if their lifestyle, salaries and social habits meet her requirements. Expats are spoiling the maids and creating an inbalance in Spore FDW market. They should be banned from employing FDW in Spore. To be employed by expat is every FDW's dream. They can afford to throw money and caused those who really need a FDW, treat them as per MOM policies but not Expat terms to suffer and absorb maids' nonsense.

"It's no surprise these maids are looking for Western expats to live with," says Rainn. "Due to their cultural background, these expats would probably have fewer children, smaller families, would not make their maid work to the bone and would probably be more generous with their wages."

In 2009, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) had reported that "most maids in Dubai are educated to lower secondary level, speak English as a second language and receive wages ranging from Dh700 to Dh1,184 monthly [in 2009]". Fast forward to 2012, and the asking price on online websites is drastically different. Most ads which list desired compensation begin at Dh2,000, going up to Dh3,000 a month and beyond.

Rosamund, a Filipino maid who works for a Belgian family, earns Dh3,000 a month in exchange for being a 24/7 backup to the family. "I look after the kids, cook, clean, wash, iron… and in exchange, I get paid well. I get a bonus every time I go on holiday. I have an internet connection. I can have friends over in my room and we can use the swimming pool. I can go out whenever I want to, as long as I inform my ma'am a day in advance so she can make arrangements for when I'm not there."

Her employer Jaan says, "Honestly little things like a TV in her room, internet, allowing her friends over, swimming in the pool… all that is nothing compared to how easy she makes our life. When I read the horror stories about the abuse some maids suffer or the crime they inflict on their employers, I'm not surprised. What else can you expect a person to do when their employers can't even treat them with basic human dignity?"

The demand for Western expat employers is high among maids in the UAE. At the time of applying it is often the maid who interviews the family to see if their lifestyle, salaries and social habits meet her requirements.

So it became our fault for not being a rich and generous employer to give whatever FDW wants?
I have been given the impression this is how activists and maids view us. When we don't pamper them and give them a great life, it is our fault that they don't treat us well. Nothing wrong for maids to do nasty things to us to get what she wants and how she want to work with us. Is it right for maids to take advantage of employers, think we owe them a good life? Maids thought expat terms are the norm but we deliberately short-changed them.