Hi Low Family, Jme,
Congrats on yr no. 2!
Hi Justme,
Re maid, besides them speaking diff language, filipinos and indos and myanmars, to me really not alot of difference. They are all foreigners and will need time to adjust to our culture and hygiene levels. Some agencies told me filipinos are smarter and better at looking after kids, indos better for old folks, etc. but I think its really its the individual's character, experience and attitude that matters. Just like we can't generalize that all Singaporeans are kiasu or hardworking. My ex-filipino maid who had 7 years working experience here was very good at taking care of Jade, everything very auto-pilot, but keep lying to me, using my cosmetics, had multiple boyfriends outside, always on her handphone, come back 3-4 hours late on her off-days, etc. until I couldnt take her nonsense and changed her after 6 mths. Changed to a new indo maid and she's better than my previous maid, very hardworking and takes initiative. She doesn't have off-days so I don't need to worry abt her extra-curricular activities. But I have to be very patient with her, teach her every single thing from washing hands to folding laundry. Initially she didn't know much English also but she's a fast learner and now very fluent, even know some mandarin words!
But ultimately, looking for a maid is really like lucky draw! The bio-data at the agency may not be true as no one vets it, they may lie abt their past working experience in their own countries, etc. so really you're just looking at the person's face and see whether you like her or not. Even their age also may be falsified in their fake passports! My friend's indo maid admitted to her she was only 19 whereas her passport said 23. Coz our govt impose a min age of 22 to work in Spore. According to my maid, very easy to get fake passport in Indo :/
Think in yr case, agree with Em that Indo maid is better since communication is key. If your mum is there to supervise the maid, you may consider getting a new maid and train her from scratch. Those experienced ones have old habits that die hard. But if you're leaving her at home alone, especially with babies or bed-ridden old folks, an experienced one would be better.
Sometimes you are lucky and get a really good one. But there are bad apples as well. Must be prepared to change if even after a few months you find that she's giving you more trouble than help. Some agencies allow you to change unlimited times for free so go for those better so you're not stuck by the agency contract if your maid is lousy. If you're looking for an agency, alot of mummies on this forum recommended Crislo at Bukit Timah Shopping Centre...their rates are comparable and they allow unlimited changes. I signed up with them for my new indo maid, their service was good.
Wah write so much liao...I can go on abt maid topic forever..better stop now...hope this helps you!
