All About Full-Time Maids

[ChiefKiasu]

Our Indon maid who has been with us for 2 years will be returning home for good...

[Moderator's note: Topics merged.]

[mintcc]

agree, that maids are also human. It's only natural that they need to talk to others from their home country.

I don't think the maids will actually not talk to people even if you order them not too anyway, especially to maids of our neighbors or other maids they meet when they are left unsupervised while we accompany or kids for enrichment. I will advise them not to talk to strangers telling them it is dangerous for them as there are a lot of bad people out there. A few months back my maid lent money to the neighbor's maid and could not get it back as the neighbor sent their maids back ...I used it as an example of why she should not lent money to or mixed too much with other maids.

But sometimes, them talking to trustworthy friend's or relative's maids might be useful too. One of my ex maids reveal to my relative's maid that she has a lover in Singapore which confirm our suspicion of her before sending her back to the agent.

[winth]

Sianz man, got to handle all these nonsense... Work and Home life already cannot balance well liao, still got maid problems...

Now, I don't even want to bring her out anymore. Better let her sleep at home and sit around with nothing to do, than imagine all those troubles when we bring her out. Somemore, when we bring her out, it is out of pure goodwill to her.

I don't think the maids will actually not talk to people even if you order them not too anyway, especially to maids of our neighbors or other maids they meet when they are left unsupervised while we accompany or kids for enrichment.

I second that, my maid told me that her 'friend' said that her employers are 'stupid', tell her don't talk to other people. But obviously, she didn't even take this as an instruction.

Has anyone got a security camera installed at home and how useful is the equipment? Wld appreciate any comments

We bought a Linksys camera, and had this connected to a D-Link router. Different brands, end up got connection problems. We cannot view the video from our laptops from the office. But if we use our laptop from home, we can view it (from home, but what's the point?). And you can always call up their customer support to help. That time I tried to ask, the customer service told me, bec the brands are different, they cannot help as configurations are different.

So from my experience, if your router is D-Link, you should buy a D-Link security camera.

Somemore, this linksys camera spoil liao, after like 2 months. We won't be going through the 'getting camera fixed', since I'm sending maid home soon.

My friend has one from SingTel. For this one, she needs to dial in to view, so there will be connection charges (like per call basis). But it seems quite good and she's happy with it.

[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.

[EN]

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]

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.

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.