<font color="aa00aa">lili</font>, book ur spa treatment today!!! hehehe i sound like one of those bloody advertisement.
well, if u show clara "that way", she may feel stressed. and stress on a baby manifest in discomfort, fussiness, clinginess and ill-health. that in turn makes you more resentful.
so......go pamper yourself kae? sit back and relook at life with ur little one ina different light.
phildough. I just got a maid when almost about to give birth to my #2. I try to ans ur questions but i can't ans all heee.
1)what is the estimated cost now of hiring someone from ph versus indo, taking into account salary, levy, agency fee, monthly food, increase in household ultilities
<font color="0077aa">the major diff in PH and Indo is NOT the money. coz Indo one with experience can still be more exp than a PH one WITHOUT experience. Levy is standard for moms with kids at $170 a mth, already subsidised. agency fee for us not very exp, think if i not wrong less than $400, once off sum. my maid's (Indo) salary is $350 because she dun want off days (minus $20 if she has off days). as for monthly food....hmmm...depends on if u cook. for us, we only cook for my boy, the adults usually tabao on weekends. as for weekdays, if my parents are here they may cook on some days and eat out on some days. so for weekends if u tabao for her, its only about $3-4 more per meal which equates to $12-16 per weekend and at most $80 more per mth (counting only weekends). on weekdays if ur ILs are with the maid then they have to settle her meals. if they regularly cook, then just slightly more ingredients (not much), if not just tabao for her.</font>
2)transfer fee (if any)if i need to change to another one
<font color="0077aa">HHmmm.....I sent back an PH maid before after she was with us 2 mths, coz of slight attitude and big issues with my MIL (so yes your concern on disagreements with MIL is VERY valid). It depends on agency, i get free change of maid for 2 times i think. if i not wrong. BUT, if u dun like this maid u must decide whether u wanna let her stay in the agency (max 2 weeks) to fnid another employer, or you wanna send her back. if you let her stay, u still paying for her meals at the agency for that 2 weeks. if you send her back home, u have to pay for her airfare UNLESS its HER who wants to go back. Otherwise, it depends on how individual agencies handle this. its best u ask from the individual agencies.</font>
3)number of times i'ld be allowed for changing a maid
<font color="0077aa">Mine is 2 times i think. but hor, if u change 3-4 times within a yr (i think), MOM will call you down for a counselling and u may be blacklisted if you change say 5 times.</font>
4)your agency and if you'ld recommend it. <font color="0077aa">Yes I wld recommend my agency but can you PM me?</font>
5)her leave and your payment of salary arrangements with maid
<font color="0077aa">my maid say herself she dun want off days, she has no friends or relatives here for her to meet anyway. i give her cash $350 but i keep in an envelope for her which i show her every mth. i am going to open an account for her then do internet transfer everymth.</font>
6) remitance arrangements
<font color="0077aa">it was simpler than I thought. we just do it at a nearest post office. most post offices have Western Union. just register with ur IC as member, bring down her work permit and her mom/hubby/reciever bank account details, address and name, then you can remit oredi.</font>
7) hidden costs from agency.
<font color="0077aa">This is not really "from" agency lah, but u have to buy her insurance (health insurance or running away/getting preg insurance) which costs a little money (sorry i dun rem how much), have to send her for 6mthly health checkups etc.</font>
<font color="0077aa">Another thing u have to note is, if u get a new maid, you have to pay for her airfares and misc cost to get her here. but u deduct this from her salary monthly. the agency will teach you how. if you get a transfer maid who is oredi in SG, u can see her in person before deciding, but u have to pay her "debts" for her to the agency. this "debts" may include her remaining balance she owe the agency (ex employer transfer that debt back to the agency when he returns her) + the amount she needs to pay everytime an employer returns her (for my side its $400-$500, very poor thing for the maids). again, this sum is slowly deducted from her salary, so its ok.</font>
8) hidden costs from day to day that adds up
<font color="0077aa">if she sick, u have to pay her clinic bills, her phone card bills (but you can arrange to have her pay this but for me i pay for her lah, i usually give this to her as birthday or xmas present). if she sleeps in her own room, and the fan is on then electric bills. you gotta teach her exactly how to wash her clothes as she uses water (in their country its free) like nobody's biz so more water bills, gas stove sometimes on very big, so gas bills also increase. stuff like that.
also, her birthday or hari raya, if u happy with her work, wanna give her angbaos. once in a while buy clothes for her (not exp ones lah).</font>
thats all i think....hope this helps.
