Advise on Baby & Maid Exps

eileen10
hehe, you quote me ah...I'm just so fed up with all the maid's issues that my heart can't feel for them anymore so I rather spend the $$ on my precious one lor....
 


Eileen, yah lor, realize it will be a cost implication... dunno coz now still working full time so it might not work! but do realize the type of training the maid agencies give the maids are totally not suitable... even my friend's maid, iron until the trousers has 3 lines running down.
 
Patsy
When my maid first came, she took 1 hr to iron 2 shirt. she told me the "training" centre she go to in sg is the agent's house!!! She learn when she stay there for 5 days, doing the housework in the house! But my hb v detailed, pple can send maids here for training instead!! HAHA...
 
Hi mummies, now maidless, also sian about maid's matter..

My children's room have a dustbin, tot convenient for maid to use..and really convenient lor.. maid take advantages instead of empty the bin daily (only 1maid use wisely,4maids misused),maids keep the diapers in there till whole room smelly(at least 2-3days,only use for mid-nite diaper change 1pcs per nite..) so decide no more dustbin there.

Training: think should deduct from maid's salary for the training's fees.. just like us..when we want to upgrade,we have to pay to get cert and then only employed by company for our skills. Where on earth, paid to training and can leave any time we like, or not perform well still get paid??? I also want this type of work. Paid to get cert. without performing.. still dare to yaya papaya..

Tam, the one I mentioned, her WP just cancelled by her new employer.
 
Guess what mummies....my good maid of 4 months has decided she doesn't want to work here anymore because she is "scared" to look after babies and does not want to get over her phobia. More precisely, she doesn't want to be responsible if my girl has an accident in her care. In all honesty she doesn't really look after my baby because we have a nanny and when we get home from work we take care of our baby ourselves! She has never even bathed her once. But true to my word, I am not forcing her to stay and will repatriate her.

I do not believe in transferring maids because it perpetuates a bad work ethic. If a maid knows she can transfer she will be less likely to put in the effort to finish her 2 year contract and always look for greener pastures.

So there you have it, even maids with a relatively easy job think they can find a better employer.

Just so you all know, she's up at 7am, in bed by 9pm, has every Sunday off from 7am to 8pm or sometimes 10pm if she requests, she just needs to clean the house, do laundry and make baby porridge, she doesn't need to cook, we cater her dinner from Kim's Kitchen and she eats before we do. She has minimal childcare duties as we have a daytime nanny and my hubby is home until 12pm each weekday. In the 4 months she worked here, we gave her $100 extra bonus too.

What can I say....are there any maids out there who are willing to do a good job and finish their contract properly? I don't think so.

I've already shortlisted 3 maids from Netmaid and will start the process all over again tomorrow.

As Tamarind said, "do not be afraid to change maid".
 
Hi Tamarind,
Your blog and advise is excellent! I wish I can handle maids like you do. Here'my piece:

I have 2 filipino maids (yes, 2 headaches cos babies are small, 20 mths and 4 mths) and my first one was a transfer maid that's been with me for 9 mths now. Due to desperation I wanted a maid quick and took her from new agency although I did not feel very comfortable with the ways her eyes look and her over-enthusiastic behavior. Today, I just heard from my 2nd maid (whom is just with me for 1 mth) that she saw my 1st maid slapping my older boy's legs when he refuses to eat!!!

My 2nd maid has always been the quieter one and I knew it was cos the 1st one tried to create the impression for her that I trust her very much and she should listen to her too. Despite thorough orientation and briefing sessions, I dunno how my 1st maid still managed to boss the 2nd one around. Today, I viewed from my mobile livecam that my 1st maid scratched her toe then picked her fingers while feeding my son! She has also been babysitting him with tv and when I asked she just kept saying he wanted it. I knew she has a habit of lying and not owning up despite all evidence pointing towards her but today was the last straw. I told her I can only give her one more chance and stop doing things that she is not suppose to (amongst many more which I can't even make myself elaborate now).

Then, the discovery of her hitting my son came when I spoke to my 2nd maid gently, telling her the 1st maid is stubborn and often does things I do not like but she should not follow. The flood gate opened and she told me everything. Of how the 1st maid has been throwing away food that she doesn't like to eat, how she told my 2nd maid 'no need to clean the toys' when the work roster says that because such things I'll never know, how she has been sleeping in the afternoons(which still happens after I caught once and she said her menses came and she is not well)etc.

I am going nuts. I want to send her back. At the expenses of all cost. I don't care about paying money as long as she does not get a good time. The moment I think how gleeful she is cos she already finish her loan and has salary in the bank I get soooo angry.

Tamarind, is the only way to pay her tic and send back? I shouldn't even return her to agency in case she does more harm to other household with kids! It's so tough to be smiling at your enemy after you find out what they've done...
 
hi Ladies,

I see you are all fired up! precious_one, I'd love to take up that suggestion but I'm still working full time now, trying to finish a project 'sui-sui' before i leave. Since we are coming to the end of the year, can we let the setting up of the support group be something that we can all do for the new year?
I work in public relations and do know some pple in the media. I believe I can help with my experience. But like i said before, we first need to get organised, study the present policies, the present practices (as by the agencies) and also the cases that had happened (mummies all your experience, bad and good counts). Aft that work out how we want to push our case forward, also look at what we want changed, and how we can help change it.

What do you ladies think?
 
Hi aLL

After much complaint and finally I send my maid home last week before I set off for my tokyo trip.


Quite strange, my 2.4years old son does not even look for the maid...anyone share similar experience....

Anyway, realised my maid is full of lies...very pretentious....
 
Liana

Oh dear,am sorry to hear what had happened

Looks like we are in the same shoe now.

Do you shortlist maid through net or go down agency to shortlist?what about the rest of the mum?

I know of home service type but cost more.


I hate to pop down to maid agency....cos always like no biodatas or very old one....
 
Cindy,
I think your 1st maid think she is indispensable as she helps to take care two of your children. She has no more loan with you and its easy just cancel her WP and buy a one-way cheap ticket for her to go back home.

Liana, I dont know what to say about your case....it seems your maid wants a good life. This type of maid dont bother maintaining her, not worth to keep. My pesonal opinion, i dont trust Netmaid leh....heard bad experience about them.

Jo, your replacement maid not here yet?
 
Liana,
your maid seems to behave like a princess ah?! So good life and still complain. If I were a maid, I'd LOVE working for you! :D

My maid has somewhat similar duties as yours, except that my baby is taken care of most of the time by either my mum or my MIL, and she does the cooking. the maid is auxiliary, by the side help. BUT she is lazy! My mum is good at asking her to do many things, big and small...do this do that...but my MIL, ha! 'protects' her somewhat, by giving me the excuse that she cannot be trusted?! The fact of the matter is my maid is one of those who can be very good if she wants to (but she doesn't!). If we don't give her the 'opportunity' how would we know she can't do? Then in this case, she'll just take advantage of the situation and slack around the hse lor!
 
Liana,
your maid seems to behave like a princess ah?! So good life and still complain. If I were a maid, I'd LOVE working for you! :D

My maid has somewhat similar duties as yours, except that my baby is taken care of most of the time by either my mum or my MIL, and she does the cooking. the maid is auxiliary, by the side help. BUT she is lazy! My mum is good at asking her to do many things, big and small...do this do that...but my MIL, ha! 'protects' her somewhat, by giving me the excuse that she cannot be trusted?! The fact of the matter is my maid is one of those who can be very good if she wants to (but she doesn't!). If we don't give her the 'opportunity' how would we know she can't do? Then in this case, she'll just take advantage of the situation and slack around the hse lor!
 
Oh dear, Liana...there's hardly any new maids who are really here to work!

I am also maidless for now. If we can all do without maid, i am sure we all want that option. I like the life of maidless cos at least some sanity is being kept (altho the boys sometime drive me mad too). My kids also nvr asked for the maids everytime I change one.

CindyTan - yes you have to sent yr maid back! Another hopeless idoit!

Jo - i was abt to ask you how are you doing! So are you waiting for a replacement?

Nellu - yes let me know what sort of assistance I can provide. I am maidless for now, so wont be able to contribute much yet, but once i got myself organised, I can help as much as i can.

Anyway, did you guys read the night papers last night. The maid pushed an old woman when the old woman (the employer) found out that she went out dating with a man!

Another maid stole S$ 7000 from employer and got jailed 18 weeks..(i just skimped thru the details...hopefully i didnt misquote anything)

See these horrible maids around!!!! Argh.......
 
KC, I actually asked for refund(balance maid's loan) from Crislo after I return my Indo maid, but my direct hire Phil maid turn out so lousy, and Mic didn't do refund of the loan(keep on delay), so I get replacement from them again,even I'm really unhappy with their services. Think my new maid will come next month Dec. Now maidless for a week
happy.gif


The one I return, transsfered and also WP cancelled by the new employ, means that maid really jialat.
 
Cindy
I can understand your plight fully cos at one time I also had two filo maids. But in my case, the 2nd one was the manipulating one and it really caused 2 BIG HEADACHES for me. She even asked the first one to quit together with her at one stage. A lot of movies to watch at home with maids around. At first it was one filo and one indo but the indo one very very stubborn so she left. Then I thot getting two filos will be good so they could encourage each other, but the truth was that was the beginning of a disaster.
sad.gif
The filos very competitive leh, fighting for who should do what when the job was clearly assigned liao. All fighting to do less not do work. Damn horrible!

Liana
I also want you as my employer if I'm a maid. Do housework only, easy easy lar.

That's why I said how to say a maid is good or bad initially, yours took four months to show wayang. I don't know why a baby can be so frightening until the maid is so scared. Your maid knew herself that she is the careless sort and that's why want a blanket guarantee from you that she will not be punished if your baby has accident. Most maids want to be free of responsibilities, even if the house is not clean, it is not their fault. They are behaving like BIG TIME BEGGAR, i.e. get paid and not do anything right. Can't believe it myself either but in truth, it is happening to the new generation maids.

Wah, I very angry hor cos I spent so much $$ for the last two years or more and today still maidless....
 
ladies,
remember i said earlier that I was going to crack the whip?
Gave the maid a brand new set of rules, courtesy of Tamarind. (hope you don't mind I took some off your block!;)) Told her what and where are off limits. Told her that she had been super rude. All this done on Sunday night.
We'll be travelling up to msia to visit my FIL in 3 weeks' time. I shall see whether the maid gets into shape. If not, no trip for her.
When i officially stay home in Jan 08, out she goes.
 
Mums,

I found the article that eileen was talking about. It is in today's straits times and lianhe zaobao.

See the quote below. Really dunno what the lawyer was thinking! This maid is so bad!!

"In her defence, her lawyers, Senior Counsel Harpreet Singh Nehal and Mr Wendell Wong, told the court that Barokah had been struggling with her own infidelity.

More importantly, the offence was not pre-meditated, they said.

'It was a wholly irrational and impulsive act of a young, newly pregnant, sleep-deprived maid who cracked while labouring under a transient mental disorder,' Mr Harpreet Singh said."
 
Hi mummies,

Any of you buy calling cards for your maids? Do you get the Singtel Hello Card or are there cheaper ones available?
 
Pinktweet,

honestly, I learnt not to be too trusting and kind after handling my current maid. She was actually abused by employer. Ran to police and filed a report. Sent hack to agemcy. I needed a maid at that time. Wrote an appeal letter to MOM to take her in. She is a good worker except that she really has an attitude and bad temper. She is actually suppressing her unhappiness with us. My family and I resist the idea of sending her back to the agent despite numerous counsellings cos she loves my kids and is very clean. the final straw was when she answered back asking me what I want to do now after exposing the theft. I went to the agent to take her in and transfer her out cos she may click with me but might with another employer. Agent doesn want to earn her money. i think it is ethical. I am also scared of another tragedy. I am her 2 employer in 1 year. Now, cos agent thinks it is better not to recycle her and I want to send her back, I have to bear the cost of the air tix. I should have just sent her back before the loan is due and the maid will bear the 2 mths penalty. I see the cost as doing charity lor. I learnt if not suitable, just send back to agent. No need to be too considerate.
 
Cindy,
You made the right decision to send the maid back. Luckily you discovered early before she does more hurt to your boy.

If there are visible marks on your boy, and your second maid is willing to testify, you can report the case to the police. But this may cause even more headaches for you.

So the easiest way is to buy an air ticket and send her back. Employers are always at the losing end, we got to pay even though the maid caused us so much trouble.

It's good of you to care about other employers. But even if you send the maid back, she can still find herself a new employer in Singapore. But she will need to pay the maid loan again, so this serves as her punishment.

Liana,
Your maid has such an easy life, still want to leave ? So ungrateful ! Yes, don't be afraid to change maid. As long as our expectations are realistic, it's not difficult to find a good maid.

Jo,
She can still find another employer. It is a loophole in MOM policies that allow bad maids to recycle over and over again.

nellu,
Agree with your ideas about the support group
happy.gif
I will give you my full support.

Feel free to make use my blog
happy.gif


raisintan,
You mean you pay for your maid's calling card ? It's not necessary to do so. She should pay using her salary, then you don't need to care about which one is cheapest.
 
after reading ths posts, I m actually not alone! I am normal! hahahha. Anyway, I M expecting my new one in mid dec. If she still CMI (cannot make it), I will prob place my boy in a childcare instead of a kindergarten.
 
ribenagr8s
thanks for sharing your experience .. but if u send her back before her loan is fully repaid, who will bear her outstanding loan? By right, should be her, but what if she doesn't have the money to repay the outstanding loan? .. this area is quite tricky, as agency won't be so stupid as to bear the loan just to be ethical by not transferring her to another employer
 
Yes yes Nellu....i just read that same news today on ST and the same sentence that i puke is the same that you pulled out!

This maid is just looking after an elderly couple and some housework, and how sleep-deprived or over worked can she be? If she can have the energy to run out and meet men, i really doubt she is deprived of any sleep!

I actually dont believe that employers can make a maid work non stop. I wouldnt want a maid to for eg. wash toilet everyday and a car everyday cos i have to pay for the utilities at the end of the day...Unless the maid dont clean it good enough, then sorry, she has to do until meet my expectations. Some pple say chin chye...how to chin chye when once they know you chin chye, you cant expect them to do a proper job next time.
 
My maid has already finished her loan. thats why she so yaya papaya. I think she also wants to go back cos she really rod though she still has 1 yr to go.
 
Hi Pinktweet, I think Ribenagr8s will have to bear the outstanding loan in her instance if the maid has not completed her loan period. Thats why we say employers are always at the losing end...

My current agent practices is that pay the maid 10 or 20 bucks every mth and the balance is to repay for her loan. After she complete her loan, the employer will withhold some money from the maid (S$ 300) - we call it safekeep. So if the maid completes the loan period, and if patterns all come out liao, then the S$ 300 will be used to pay for her one way ticket. Else if she completes the contract, the S$ 300 will be returned to the maid.

If the maid has not completed her loan payment period, then the agent will usually transfer to another employer so as to roll over the balance loan amount. This is also becos when the agent brought the maid over to SIN, the agent has to pay for the supplier about S$ 1-2K outfront and that the money is not refundable by the supplier also.

In fact the last maid I got from my agent, the agent sees the real person also shook his head and sent her back home. So for him, his staff at PH must screen the maid applicants for him else he "lugi"....He is a PH maid supplier and he supplies maids to agencies then to really go out and find customers. The way he operates is not as structured as a so called training centre. But he gives personalised service and he dont make unnecessary comments and deals with issues professionally. Unlike some agencies, will accuse employers believing what the maid claims.
 
Ribenagr8, i think alot of maids really think they come here for holiday leh.. to them, earning money is really not top in their list. I bet most of them wants to own a hp first then to send home money!
 
eileen,

you are quite right. But then i think maybe looking aft old folks isn't that easy, esp if they are stubborn, sick and naggy.
What is really appalling abt this case is that this maid has a bad track record, as reported in the news! how is it possible then that she can still get back into the system? The most unfortunate thing is how did this family arrive at the decision to employ her?! It must be because they had NO idea at all that she is a 'repeat' case and a BAD case for that matter!
 
Hi eileen10
Ya, indeed the employee is always at the losing end no matter what the scenario is .. For my current maid which will be transferred out soon, she asked if she can go buy a hp once she can start receiving full salary!! Her first thot is hp, rather than saving money for family! .. To add to that, she's a mother of a 10mth old baby, yet she think of hp more impt than her family! .. We already allowing her to call home at our own expense, yet she want to get herself a hp!

Btw, we will be transferring her out cos she is such a big gossiper! .. Trying to ruin the relationship between me and my MIL .. badmouth my MIL to me and badmouth me to my MIL .. something which we can't tolerate cos when we hear too much gossip, we will bound to be affected, regardless how we tell ourselves not to listen to what she gossip.. ..
 
Nellu - the report said that, the maid has a dependent personality disorder that draws her to men - alamak, for sure in future the maids after have a good time with men will claim that disorder illness lor...

As for her poor track record, most agencies wont say much of the truth when they want to transfer the maid out to continue the loan repayment. My last ran away maid found herself a third employer....what has made the agent successfully sell her off from the rack? Must be the pack of lies the maid gave the agent lor...I remembered Tamarind also has a maid before but Tamarind is the No. 7 or 8 employer!!! Cant believe it right??!!

You want my contact for my agent? I wont swear all his maids are good - but at least i dont have to deal the nonsenses with i have come across from my other 2 agencies I previously used. I have used him once before and then switch to other agencies (thinking the other agencies so called training centres are proper, ID fresh maids are easier to manage), but now I am back to use him.
 
Hi aLL

Latest update, I just shortlist a maid. She is a fresh indo maid with one year experience in sidoarjo, eldest among of four brothers and dad passed away...

Never hired fresh maid before, not sure will vomit blood...maybe some mummies here can share some experience....

She is 23 years, height,1.55m and weight 53kg.
 
Rainbow
Just a word of caution, when indo biodata states 23 years of age, there's a high chance that the actual age is younger. Cos, a indo maid has to be age 23 before they can work in SIN but the indo agent just apply their passport age as 23 cos it is so easy, undertable money works there (every industry). So if your maid is to look after baby/toddler, then you really have to be watchful.
 
Help! I really cant stand my maid. She actually went to my son's music bag to take his book and study it. She didn even ask. Went straight into MY ROOM and take the book. She must have seen me teaching my son note values. I told her sternly to put it back. Buay Tahan. Guess whatever she does not does not go well with me anymore. Counting down...
 
ribenagr8s,
sounds like you are encountering the same problem with your maid as I have. I have just given her new guidelines as of last Sunday. Told her that her actions were very rude. I put it nicely though saying that it is NOT acceptable in Singapore, especially in my family. We do not go in and out of each other's rooms without knocking or calling out to the person inside.
Also told her that if we wanted to take/borrow anything from one another (in our family) we ask first before taking. Gave her a choice: conform or leave.
i had also told my maid off earlier last week that the line is very clear for me; that I am her EMPLOYER, NOT her FRIEND/FAMILY.

Tell your maid that!
 
PinkTweet,
That was exactly what happened with my 1st maid. She is more pro than yours ok! She will badmouth my MIL to my mum, and vice versa, gossip abt my hubby to my mum, badnouth me to my MIL. It was so bad that we had a huge quarrel. Not nice right?!
So we changed maid. But i bet you my present also does the same. But this time we are smarter, we just tell her to shut up and do her work (esp my mum. somemore can eyes big big stare at the maid fiercely!) I also warned the maid that if she does any of this, or do or do not do her work well, it will all be reported to me. and I will decide what to do with her.
 
eileen -- thanks. don't really need your agent's contact yet. Just wondering abt the agent cos my agent also claim that they are supplier. Dunno how true. so far the 2 maids' problems are really attitude problems, not skill problems. Since I gave my maid a 'chance', i shall monitor her for the next 2 months. if still slacking away, she's going out and we probably will be maidless. Not like my hse was any cleaner than before. Expenses definitely went up so many times more because of the maid, not the MIL not the baby!
ref the news report, the so-called disorder is just legal crap. I've had experiences with lawyers and this to me is absolute BS. Probably can get away in the US but not in SGP courts. For this case, no psychological evidence of it what. That's why the maid is sentenced to life imprisonment. If really got illness, would have been put into IMH liao!
if so easy claim disorder like that, then all the unfaithful men/women can do this lah?! What a load of rubbish!
 
Precious one

Thanks for the advice and I will watch out for it.At times, I just wonder, should I take back ex sin maid.I never had experience with fresh maid before.

ribenagr8s
Hang in there...she will be gone in no time. At least you have realised that she is no good and have made up your mind eventually to send her away.....For me, it took me ages to realise how my ex sin maid is as she is so good in pretending that you do not know what is real and what is not.....

She is 24 years, 5 years ex sin but her caring of little one is damn jialet cos she is distracted easily by the external environment....now she sms me and very trouble by her BGR problem instead of her mum "sick"problem....all in all, she fake all her reasons to leave before her contracts end in Jan.
 
nellu and rainbow,
today, my maid really made me jumped. My girl vomitted. she actually showered her at 7 a.m. with cold water. I shouted at her why she did that. She said the water is war,! Faint!
 
avocado: i used JDM and my current maid at tis moment is not bad :D

ladies, any of your filipino maids using philippine sim card to liaise with love ones over there?? any idea where to get??
 
Hi Avocado

My current Indon maid is from JobPlus at S'pore Shopping Centre. For tis branch, they deal with transferred maids or ex-Sin maids. The person that I previoulsy dealt with has left JobPlus. It is a pity though cos I find her service was very good. I told her about my bad experience with my previous agency. She was the one who picked this maid for me and her biodata was not advertised on their website cos she told me that usually for those maids with very good records they will market to the expats and will not put on their website. My current maid has worked for 1 employer in 4 years and I have verified with MOM's records.

The agency is now managed by the manager alone and I find her not as helpful and understanding towards employers as compared to her assistant whom has left.
 
ribenagr8s
Think your maid is crazy....why she does that...

Fresh indo maid
Can anyone how to train a fresh indo maid with little english speaking ability?
 
Rainbow
You chum liao, u have to get someone who can speak her lingo to explain how you expect works to be done, otherwise, be expected to stare blankly at each other. I used to have a dictionary (indo/eng) kind and point out words to the maids. Sometime works, sometime doesn't. I even resorted to calling the maid agent to explain to them my requirement. Very chum one! When bio states thay can speak very little english, it is as good as cannot speak english.
 
Rainbow
If u have malay neighbours or friends, can ask them to translate too, though the laugage may be a bit different. For me, MIL trains her, cos MIL knows malay.
 
Ling,
Thanks for your advice.I talked to Grace yesterday & she recommended a Filipino to me who is 2yrs ex-Lebanon,23y.o. She showed me the video.She claimed that her maids r all no h/p,no long hair, no off day.

I am still a bit hesitate becoz 23y.o seems to be very young & she does not hv any experience cooking local food.

Currently, i've 3y.o boy & 2-mth preggie wf the 2nd one. I hope to find one more experience one but most agencies asked me to get "fresh" ones as they r more blur easier to coach & influence.

Hv anyone engaged maids who r ex-Lebanon? willing to share ur experience?

Hi Kristen,
thanks fr ur advice.
I talked to this Indo lady called Neng. Is she the manager u dealt wf?

but their agent fees is quite high($599), was that what u paid for?

how do u verify the MOM record? Will she release the WP number to u?
 
any mummies can advise me on direct transfer from 1 employer to another? need to know more. No involvement of any agent? Is this very risky? helper returning from home leave next week & employer got another helper during her absence. told me she's good. I'm taking her words and hope things turn out ok...

what the cost involve? what I need to do or should do?

TIA
 


Avocado,

Yes, Neng is the manager. My current maid was not picked by her but by her ex-staff. Probably, Neng has a say in the selection of maids.

I paid $499 for their agent fee and I was already complaining expensive!! However, they could not reduce. I remembered hearing from the lady who I dealt with told me that they charge different agent fee for different type of maids..probably those with good records will have a higher agent fee (???)

I did request for my maid's WP number before I confirm taking her cos of my past bad experience and I have learnt my lesson. If they refuse to give, my advice is dont take the maid.
 
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