KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

Advice needed and very much appreciated.

Just got an ex-sin indo maid for less than a week and asking for transfer.
Main duties - cooking, housework and and taking care of 2 schooling children.

Any suggestion on what to do.

Thx

You should ask her what is the real reason of transfer ? If legitimate ok else have to decide whether to send her home since she is not interested to work for you.

PHMummy wrote:Advice needed and very much appreciated.

Just got an ex-sin indo maid for less than a week and asking for transfer.
Main duties - cooking, housework and and taking care of 2 schooling children.

Any suggestion on what to do.

Thx

Doesn't the agency provide a warranty ?

Ex-sin for how long ? What's the reason for asking to transfer ? This is troubling

Oh dear, please do ask her what is her reason asking for transfer. If she transfers, the agency will load her with 2months MORE of salary (plus the ones she now owes for the employment with you). What is so bad that she wants to work for no pay for 2 more months?

happymum123 wrote:You should ask her what is the real reason of transfer ? If legitimate ok else have to decide whether to send her home since she is not interested to work for you.

Oh NO!!
If she got the maid through an agency, she should return her to the agent. Otherwise

But if the maid is really bad like stealing don't work etc I rather spend the money to personally repatriate her and cancel the WP with a report lodged. Nvm about the money : 为民除害

pirated wrote:But if the maid is really bad like stealing don't work etc I rather spend the money to personally repatriate her and cancel the WP with a report lodged. Nvm about the money : 为民除害

But not everyone can afford to lose several thousands of dollars.

PHMummy wrote:Advice needed and very much appreciated.

Just got an ex-sin indo maid for less than a week and asking for transfer.
Main duties - cooking, housework and and taking care of 2 schooling children.

Any suggestion on what to do.

Thx

Like others hv suggested, ask for reasons then decide which steps to take next.

Ex-Sin helpers nowadays cherry pick employers, not vice-versa.

Common reasons for ex-Sin maid:

1. House too big/garden too big/too many trees & plants to water and fertilise/ too many toilets/beds to make - YET you pay too little and refuse to hire 2 helpers
2. Too many cars to wash
3. Too many kids/occupants in the household that wear uniforms and office shirts (Ironing!)
4. Elderly / handicapped occupants (extra effort)
5. Stay-at-home M'am / MIL / Mom to watch her 24/7
6. Living environment not up to mark compared to previous master - sleep in living room/sleep with children/sleep in stuffy storeroom or bomb shelter/not allowed to watch tv/borrow your WIFI/use HP during working hours
7. Food rationing (not as generous as previous owner)
8. Language barrier (cannot communicate dialect with elderly supervisors at home)
9. Bratty children who leave toys/books lying around always or who like to bully her.
10.Fussy masters with OCD/bad temper or miserly masters who make her collect rainwater to wash toilet or forbid her from washing dishes under running tap
11. Need to travel to/fro in laws/parents place daily with the toddler/infant (ends up serving the other household and getting scolded by old folks)
12. No chance to go wet market/supermarket/shopping mall/restaurants with M'am cos masters always buy on weekends without her - no freedom/no breather - like being imprisoned.
13.Regrets not requesting for weekly time-off in lieu of pay (feels stifled in your small flat)
14. House too tiny - feels claustrophic and under watch by you 24/7
15. House too tiny and clean - feels paiseh cos nothing to keep her gainfully employed, instead makes her feel like she's idling and redundant
16. All kids are in Full-Day Childcare Centre/Student Care - feels redundant and keeps ironing for 2 straight hours to pretend to look occupied
17. All kids are old enough - feels redundant
18. Cannot cook your type of dishes/worse, forever gets criticised for her cooking by an elderly domestic goddess stationed at home
19. Asked by master to supervise young kids' tingxie/spelling/homework which is outside her jobscope.
20. You have too many pets at home that take up a lot of her rest time.
21. You have installed CCTVs all over your premises and she feels she has no privacy.
22. You throw too many house parties and bbq every week that tire her out.
23. She is not allowed to pray after working hours in her room.


Most ex-Sin Indon maids aspire to work for expats for higher income and less work/better welfare, compared to locals living in bigger houses/cramped public housing.

+++

I had 1 filipino helper who asked to leave after 6 mths. Another filipino wanted out on Day 3.

jetsetter wrote:

PHMummy wrote:Advice needed and very much appreciated.

Just got an ex-sin indo maid for less than a week and asking for transfer.
Main duties - cooking, housework and and taking care of 2 schooling children.

Any suggestion on what to do.

Thx

Like others hv suggested, ask for reasons then decide which steps to take next.

Ex-Sin helpers nowadays cherry pick employers, not vice-versa.

Common reasons for ex-Sin maid:

1. House too big/garden too big/too many trees & plants to water and fertilise/ too many toilets/beds to make - YET you pay too little and refuse to hire 2 helpers
2. Too many cars to wash
3. Too many kids/occupants in the household that wear uniforms and office shirts (Ironing!)
4. Elderly / handicapped occupants (extra effort)
5. Stay-at-home M'am / MIL / Mom to watch her 24/7
6. Living environment not up to mark compared to previous master - sleep in living room/sleep with children/sleep in stuffy storeroom or bomb shelter/not allowed to watch tv/borrow your WIFI/use HP during working hours
7. Food rationing (not as generous as previous owner)
8. Language barrier (cannot communicate dialect with elderly supervisors at home)
9. Bratty children who leave toys/books lying around always or who like to bully her.
10.Fussy masters with OCD/bad temper or miserly masters who make her collect rainwater to wash toilet or forbid her from washing dishes under running tap
11. Need to travel to/fro in laws/parents place daily with the toddler/infant (ends up serving the other household and getting scolded by old folks)
12. No chance to go wet market/supermarket/shopping mall/restaurants with M'am cos masters always buy on weekends without her - no freedom/no breather - like being imprisoned.
13.Regrets not requesting for weekly time-off in lieu of pay (feels stifled in your small flat)
14. House too tiny - feels claustrophic and under watch by you 24/7
15. House too tiny and clean - feels paiseh cos nothing to keep her gainfully employed, instead makes her feel like she's idling and redundant
16. All kids are in Full-Day Childcare Centre/Student Care - feels redundant and keeps ironing for 2 straight hours to pretend to look occupied
17. All kids are old enough - feels redundant
18. Cannot cook your type of dishes/worse, forever gets criticised for her cooking by an elderly domestic goddess stationed at home
19. Asked by master to supervise young kids' tingxie/spelling/homework which is outside her jobscope.
20. You have too many pets at home that take up a lot of her rest time.
21. You have installed CCTVs all over your premises and she feels she has no privacy.
22. You throw too many house parties and bbq every week that tire her out.
23. She is not allowed to pray after working hours in her room.


Most ex-Sin Indon maids aspire to work for expats for higher income and less work/better welfare, compared to locals living in bigger houses/cramped public housing.

+++

I had 1 filipino helper who asked to leave after 6 mths. Another filipino wanted out on Day 3.

very exhaustive list indeed, all sound very familiar

some were left out : sir/ma'am request for massage and such ......

happymum123 wrote:You should ask her what is the real reason of transfer ? If legitimate ok else have to decide whether to send her home since she is not interested to work for you.

She had asked not to be given a timetable even though I told her this is a guide for her housework. I had only emphasize that she must make sure to follow the fetching and sending timing of the children.

Although she agreed to the agency not to use the phone during working hours , after coming to my home, she told me she must use her phone and I cannot disallow.