Hi JChew, i used Status at IP before also, but they also failed my expectations. I wrote abt the incident some time ago - they claimed that the S$ 488 agency fees to them is PEANUTS. They claimed that its the maids who are really paying them and not the customers! So I guess that is why they sided the maid too much in my opinion. Angeline is ok but the other person in charge (you know who) really v attitude when issue arises. I hope your maid is not giving you problems and you dont have to deal with her unreasonableness. In fact her brother's agency (the one at Yio Chu Kang) service attitude is much better (at least reasonable) but now I am surprised as you said he also kena demerit point.
Advise on Baby & Maid Exps
- Thread starter erkerk
- Start date
Oh no, Eileen, is it true? Maybe I mixed up the both? Gosh... I deal with Angeline and so far, she has been very good. She even help me to find her ex-boss who can help my direct hired maid to transfer out. So I am pretty happy with her service.
Hopefully, I won't have much problem with this transfer maid. I mean, I spoke to the maid and I'm pretty comfortable with her, so hopefully, my instinct don't fail me.
Hopefully, I won't have much problem with this transfer maid. I mean, I spoke to the maid and I'm pretty comfortable with her, so hopefully, my instinct don't fail me.
Hi JChew - its all abt luck. One thing I realised is that they tend to say all their transfer maids until v gd - but again, I guess each household expectation is different, the transfer maids might still be able to perform. And this is the reason I dont mind trying out transfer maid from Status. The whole episode turned out to be a disaster (as in the maid ran away) and ultimately I felt they abit oversell. The maid actually mixed her clothes together with us to wash, she would wipe the furniture after she mopped the floor. Anyhow, I hope yours wont be like mine! On the other hand if you want to transfer the maid out, also good in a way that they actually can process transfer v fast!
Angeline is alright - and in fact I can click with her. Just that she is just an employee and the other lady is far too much. When at point of sale, say until this good that good...then when problems come, this is where you see how unreasonable they can be.
Right front, I told them my hubby works 12 hrs shift and by the time we reached home we may be late. But they insisted the maid must sleep by 1030 pm (which my kids not even slept by that hour) and also say otherwise I must give the maid nap time! If the maid performance is good, i have no issue, but if she takes her own sweet time, I dont think that's right isnt it? And after that, they come and tell me that like that I can nvr find a maid who will be willing to work for me and even experienced maids also. Goodness, then when they get my fees, how come they dont come and tell me that??! If so, I wont use them at all liao mah!
Anyhow, the whole episode got me real pissed and I complained to the brother (who is the boss) at Yio Chu Kang. My impression is tat he seems a more reasonable man and now you confirmed that they got demerit points, I have 2nd thots abt this agency also! He still yaya - come and tell me that his agency will nvr have demerit points! Now seems like they are slapping their own face.
Right now, I stick back to PH maid and my current agent is strict to her but she can perform to my expectations.
Angeline is alright - and in fact I can click with her. Just that she is just an employee and the other lady is far too much. When at point of sale, say until this good that good...then when problems come, this is where you see how unreasonable they can be.
Right front, I told them my hubby works 12 hrs shift and by the time we reached home we may be late. But they insisted the maid must sleep by 1030 pm (which my kids not even slept by that hour) and also say otherwise I must give the maid nap time! If the maid performance is good, i have no issue, but if she takes her own sweet time, I dont think that's right isnt it? And after that, they come and tell me that like that I can nvr find a maid who will be willing to work for me and even experienced maids also. Goodness, then when they get my fees, how come they dont come and tell me that??! If so, I wont use them at all liao mah!
Anyhow, the whole episode got me real pissed and I complained to the brother (who is the boss) at Yio Chu Kang. My impression is tat he seems a more reasonable man and now you confirmed that they got demerit points, I have 2nd thots abt this agency also! He still yaya - come and tell me that his agency will nvr have demerit points! Now seems like they are slapping their own face.
Right now, I stick back to PH maid and my current agent is strict to her but she can perform to my expectations.
Hi Eileen, thanks for sharing. Now I'm getting worried. My this transfer maid is 2 yrs ex-sin and 14 months for transfer. According to them, the maid mon to fri stays at ah mah house and sat sun goes back to employer house. And during weekdays, all siblings will bring their children over, and evening time all come back and eat then bring the children home. The maid says that she cannot take it anymore cause very tiring as she do the whole house, cooking, washing, taking care of children, and sometimes if baby don't sleep ah mah will be unhappy. With this, I compared to my expectation, and feels that she'll find working with me a much easier job, cause she only help out at my mil's house and no need to do laundry or cooking, only need to help with the kids and maybe simple chores like ironing or washing the dishes. My mil handles my 2yo girl herself and my 5yo boy goes to school everyday.
Now I just hope that the maid and Angeline did not lie to me about her reason for transfer. But when I speak to the maid, her response was very fast, and Angeline let her answer me herself during the interview other than helping me to tell her my expectation. Overall experience was quite good actually.
Praying hard that nothing goes wrong. sigh...
Now I just hope that the maid and Angeline did not lie to me about her reason for transfer. But when I speak to the maid, her response was very fast, and Angeline let her answer me herself during the interview other than helping me to tell her my expectation. Overall experience was quite good actually.
Praying hard that nothing goes wrong. sigh...
No lah, JChew dont worry lah. If she can do the amt of work she stated then I think there shld be no issues on her capabilities. As for my THAT maid, she cant cook, cant do anything...Even I have to cook for her! She only needs to open her mouth to eat. When the kids cried in the middle of the night in one same room, god, I had to wake up and handle 2 kids myself and the maid - sleeping like a pig lor. Even after 2 nights that reminded her again and again to extend her help, she's still the same. My elder boy can really scream, but I just dont know how she can still continue her sleep leh...
Of cos, keep an eye close to her work to show her that you check her work and you expect no nonsense. Cos sometimes I find that if you are not strict right front, they tend to snake alot after that. Good luck.
Sometimes, I think work in most households is almost the same. Perhaps the maid tends to do more, but their employers also reward them in other way. But some maids just like comparing and wants easy way out..I am not saying your maid is like that. Some complained alot to do in HDB, but how much more when another maid can do work in a bungalow?!
I remembered I had this ex 4 yrs maid who would complain abt her previous mam's of not even caring abt the kids, she had to do all. And with me, I more hands-on with kids, she still can complain - saying that she dont want pple to jaga her. So what does she wants? I offered her more money, she also rejected. So maybe freedom afterall is more important to her than money lor....
Of cos, keep an eye close to her work to show her that you check her work and you expect no nonsense. Cos sometimes I find that if you are not strict right front, they tend to snake alot after that. Good luck.
Sometimes, I think work in most households is almost the same. Perhaps the maid tends to do more, but their employers also reward them in other way. But some maids just like comparing and wants easy way out..I am not saying your maid is like that. Some complained alot to do in HDB, but how much more when another maid can do work in a bungalow?!
I remembered I had this ex 4 yrs maid who would complain abt her previous mam's of not even caring abt the kids, she had to do all. And with me, I more hands-on with kids, she still can complain - saying that she dont want pple to jaga her. So what does she wants? I offered her more money, she also rejected. So maybe freedom afterall is more important to her than money lor....
Thanks Eileen, I just got to pray hard lor.
Ya, I understand how you feel totally. I also had experienced indo maids before who worked in landed property for 6 yrs. Come to me, she worked for a week, she asked for transfer, says don't want to go ah mah house. Do 2 house and very tired. But no one asked her to clean up the whole house! Mil told me she just keep doing non-stop without her asking. And in fact, the old folks like her alot. She always look tired and sad when she goes out with us. My friends asked me, what happen to her, and it only makes us, the employer looks bad, as if we ill treated her. In the end, we let her go cause she do not want to work for us and she doesn't seems to know how to handle my active kids as well.
Like what you said, they are used to that kind of freedom already. It was a misconcept that coming to a small house means lesser job without losing the freedom. Then my next maid, another experience Indo, also asked for transfer after a week citing that she doesn't want to go ah mah house, cause ah mah will say things like last time the maid will do this and that, and she feels very obligated to follow. I also don't know what to say, cause when I checked with my mil, she had a different story.
AFter having a no. of unsucessful maids, I decide to put in more attractive terms to the maid. I include a 1 month performance bonus after a yr, and also offered to let them go for courses if they want to upgrade themselves. But still my luck of having a good maid or rather a reasonably workable maid sucks.
My maid generally has very good life, cause other than travelling to my in law's house, when I'm home, I handle the kids fully myself. I feed, bath and put them to bed as well, despite being tired after a whole day of work. Weekends, I leave the maid home to do her work while I bring my kids to marketing and enrichment classes. So I really wonder how come those maids doesn't appreciate working with me.
To me, my maid has to be independent on housework and cooking. How she wants to organised her work, I really don't care as long as basic hygiene and cleaniness standard is there. And the house is neat and tidy. Am I asking too much?
Sorry for my complain, cause the more I talk about maids, the more upset I am. Sigh...
Ya, I understand how you feel totally. I also had experienced indo maids before who worked in landed property for 6 yrs. Come to me, she worked for a week, she asked for transfer, says don't want to go ah mah house. Do 2 house and very tired. But no one asked her to clean up the whole house! Mil told me she just keep doing non-stop without her asking. And in fact, the old folks like her alot. She always look tired and sad when she goes out with us. My friends asked me, what happen to her, and it only makes us, the employer looks bad, as if we ill treated her. In the end, we let her go cause she do not want to work for us and she doesn't seems to know how to handle my active kids as well.
Like what you said, they are used to that kind of freedom already. It was a misconcept that coming to a small house means lesser job without losing the freedom. Then my next maid, another experience Indo, also asked for transfer after a week citing that she doesn't want to go ah mah house, cause ah mah will say things like last time the maid will do this and that, and she feels very obligated to follow. I also don't know what to say, cause when I checked with my mil, she had a different story.
AFter having a no. of unsucessful maids, I decide to put in more attractive terms to the maid. I include a 1 month performance bonus after a yr, and also offered to let them go for courses if they want to upgrade themselves. But still my luck of having a good maid or rather a reasonably workable maid sucks.
My maid generally has very good life, cause other than travelling to my in law's house, when I'm home, I handle the kids fully myself. I feed, bath and put them to bed as well, despite being tired after a whole day of work. Weekends, I leave the maid home to do her work while I bring my kids to marketing and enrichment classes. So I really wonder how come those maids doesn't appreciate working with me.
To me, my maid has to be independent on housework and cooking. How she wants to organised her work, I really don't care as long as basic hygiene and cleaniness standard is there. And the house is neat and tidy. Am I asking too much?
Sorry for my complain, cause the more I talk about maids, the more upset I am. Sigh...
No problems, JCHew...this is really a place to voice out mah. Upset? Dont be, you can nvr please anyone - if you had done yr fair share, then too bad, they prob will regret one day. You are not alone, I also changed several maids - until a stage where I had to resign from my job! Its just luck really. I hope this time around things will work out for you.
I think both of us have similar problems - the travelling part to the ahma hse which some maids are really particular - even though it had been told to them during the interview. I now no longer pin much hopes on them but still I do get abit paranoid after encountering 2 ran away maids. I lost a set of keys that day and I suspected it was my maid who kept it. I checked her bags (without her knowledge) but I couldnt find anything. As a safeguard, we added one more padlock...just to be sure.
As long as the maid does a fairly good job, and my mom and I are happy, then we will let it go a day pass a day. I tried not to think if they will finish the contract or not. Quite draining to handle unkind, naughty or hopeless maids.
I think both of us have similar problems - the travelling part to the ahma hse which some maids are really particular - even though it had been told to them during the interview. I now no longer pin much hopes on them but still I do get abit paranoid after encountering 2 ran away maids. I lost a set of keys that day and I suspected it was my maid who kept it. I checked her bags (without her knowledge) but I couldnt find anything. As a safeguard, we added one more padlock...just to be sure.
As long as the maid does a fairly good job, and my mom and I are happy, then we will let it go a day pass a day. I tried not to think if they will finish the contract or not. Quite draining to handle unkind, naughty or hopeless maids.
I guess, I'm luckier than you in a way, as so far, most maids that I send away or transfered out, are all in the most "sensible" brain. I also tried to be like you, don't want to think how long they can last. All I need to tahan is till my girl goes P1. Then I'll probably off without a maid.
I remembered at one stage when I was maidless for 3 months. It was tough and tired, but was stressless too. My hub and I enjoyed that period, but then my mil and pil poor thing. Cause they couldn't controlled my son well, and my girl was very young still, who needs alot of attention, and we can see that my mil is very tired without a helper. So in the end, our happy time got to end and start the search, train, transfer process till now.
My current phil maid is actually quite a smart maid, but she has no sense of commitment and always make mistakes due to lack of concentration. Always have a mind of her own and even after you give specific instructions can still go wrong kind. REally don't know where her brain runaway to. Now coming to 6 months and still cannot make it, so no choice, got to change again. I'm already tied up with 2 kids and cooking, and really got no more energy and spare time to monitor a maid that doesn't improve.
Besides, can I check here. Other than the maid's passport and the special pass from MOM, does the maid need anything things else to fly back to philippines? I will have to keep her work permit and return to MOM right? First time sending the maid to the airport myself, so abit blur here. Also, I was told that she needs to check in 2-hrs before flight departure. Is that right?
I remembered at one stage when I was maidless for 3 months. It was tough and tired, but was stressless too. My hub and I enjoyed that period, but then my mil and pil poor thing. Cause they couldn't controlled my son well, and my girl was very young still, who needs alot of attention, and we can see that my mil is very tired without a helper. So in the end, our happy time got to end and start the search, train, transfer process till now.
My current phil maid is actually quite a smart maid, but she has no sense of commitment and always make mistakes due to lack of concentration. Always have a mind of her own and even after you give specific instructions can still go wrong kind. REally don't know where her brain runaway to. Now coming to 6 months and still cannot make it, so no choice, got to change again. I'm already tied up with 2 kids and cooking, and really got no more energy and spare time to monitor a maid that doesn't improve.
Besides, can I check here. Other than the maid's passport and the special pass from MOM, does the maid need anything things else to fly back to philippines? I will have to keep her work permit and return to MOM right? First time sending the maid to the airport myself, so abit blur here. Also, I was told that she needs to check in 2-hrs before flight departure. Is that right?
Jchew,
i think you have to ask the officer to ensure that she board the plan. Else you will still kena from MOM.
I made the decision last nite. Get the fresh maid. Cos the transfer maid seems too clever for her own good. Plus the employer told me she cannot get along with Ah ma..which is no no for me. Cos day time she have to go my mum house.
In the end, i settled for the fresh maid and hope that she will be well and easy to train. Else HEADACHE!
i think you have to ask the officer to ensure that she board the plan. Else you will still kena from MOM.
I made the decision last nite. Get the fresh maid. Cos the transfer maid seems too clever for her own good. Plus the employer told me she cannot get along with Ah ma..which is no no for me. Cos day time she have to go my mum house.
In the end, i settled for the fresh maid and hope that she will be well and easy to train. Else HEADACHE!
hi girls,
make way for lurker *snowpodComesOutFromCloset*;p
got a question for those of you with fili maids:
1) is your maid's english ok? in my maid's words, ad verbatim: "sir, i sit on this and i use this.". she was refering to a stool & towel respectively and always calls me sir *rollEyes*. do i look butch or what?!
2) does opening the front door when you are out constituent a major breach of trust? fyi, we always have the door closed when we are at home.
3) does yours always challenge you to send her back to the agency if "sir, you are so discontented with me"?
4) do you safekeep her salary for her or do you give the cash to her? what about putting aside some $ for her ticket back?
5) is she prone to dramatics? mine told the agency that "if you do not help me, i will.... *cryCryCrySobSob*". don't know what she was trying to hint at but all i did was raise my voice at her for some mistake she'd consistently repeated.
sorry, some/all of these questions would probably have been answered already but i lurk on-and-off only.
tricia,
your maid is a total creep.. dare to try this homewrecking stunt in your territory. wah, cannot stand it already *flyingKickToHerFace&Breast* the sad truth is, if she gets transfered after every failed attempt, she'll find a famished hb sooner or later
nellu,
will read your case later. *haha* now you know i go for the posts with photos.
make way for lurker *snowpodComesOutFromCloset*;p
got a question for those of you with fili maids:
1) is your maid's english ok? in my maid's words, ad verbatim: "sir, i sit on this and i use this.". she was refering to a stool & towel respectively and always calls me sir *rollEyes*. do i look butch or what?!
2) does opening the front door when you are out constituent a major breach of trust? fyi, we always have the door closed when we are at home.
3) does yours always challenge you to send her back to the agency if "sir, you are so discontented with me"?
4) do you safekeep her salary for her or do you give the cash to her? what about putting aside some $ for her ticket back?
5) is she prone to dramatics? mine told the agency that "if you do not help me, i will.... *cryCryCrySobSob*". don't know what she was trying to hint at but all i did was raise my voice at her for some mistake she'd consistently repeated.
sorry, some/all of these questions would probably have been answered already but i lurk on-and-off only.
tricia,
your maid is a total creep.. dare to try this homewrecking stunt in your territory. wah, cannot stand it already *flyingKickToHerFace&Breast* the sad truth is, if she gets transfered after every failed attempt, she'll find a famished hb sooner or later
nellu,
will read your case later. *haha* now you know i go for the posts with photos.
snowpod,
my maid did some of the things you listed.
1. English or the lack of -- my maid liked to say this "m'dm, like this nah?!" I dunno what 'nah' means. I worked with Filipinos before and have Filipino frens, none has ever 'nah' with me... I have told the maid many times to say things properly cos no one understands what she is saying but she is damn stubborn. Not only that, she uses the lack of language skills as an excuse. Everytime we ask her "do you understand?" She will reply only after the 5th time saying "m'dm/sir, i understand. I only dunno how to translate." To me it's rubbish. All she had to reply was 'yes/no, sir/m'dm' or 'sorry, sir/m'dm, i dun understand, pls repeat.'
2) such an action is a breach of trust definitely and an obvious lack of respect for you as the employer!
5) my maid is definitely drama. Before she did her final show of feigned seizure on me last friday, she used to always cry and sob everytime she got corrected. NOTE: CORRECTED NOT SCOLDED! There was once she actually just sat and the floor and sobbed. Come to think of it, i didn't know why i tolerated her shit then!
3) this almost ALWAYS happen with MOST maids. I think if your maid actually did challenge you, just do it and send her away.
4) yes. it is advisable for you to do that. o/w you rugi.
my maid did some of the things you listed.
1. English or the lack of -- my maid liked to say this "m'dm, like this nah?!" I dunno what 'nah' means. I worked with Filipinos before and have Filipino frens, none has ever 'nah' with me... I have told the maid many times to say things properly cos no one understands what she is saying but she is damn stubborn. Not only that, she uses the lack of language skills as an excuse. Everytime we ask her "do you understand?" She will reply only after the 5th time saying "m'dm/sir, i understand. I only dunno how to translate." To me it's rubbish. All she had to reply was 'yes/no, sir/m'dm' or 'sorry, sir/m'dm, i dun understand, pls repeat.'
2) such an action is a breach of trust definitely and an obvious lack of respect for you as the employer!
5) my maid is definitely drama. Before she did her final show of feigned seizure on me last friday, she used to always cry and sob everytime she got corrected. NOTE: CORRECTED NOT SCOLDED! There was once she actually just sat and the floor and sobbed. Come to think of it, i didn't know why i tolerated her shit then!
3) this almost ALWAYS happen with MOST maids. I think if your maid actually did challenge you, just do it and send her away.
4) yes. it is advisable for you to do that. o/w you rugi.
Snowpod, here's my answer to your questions.
1) is your maid's english ok? in my maid's words, ad verbatim: "sir, i sit on this and i use this.". she was refering to a stool & towel respectively and always calls me sir *rollEyes*. do i look butch or what?!
<font color="ff6000">I had 4-5 phil maids over the last few yrs. Only 1 who is ex-sin is ok with english. The rest, fresh maid. Their english, I would say, it's worst that broken english cause I cannot understand them. The worst one I had, she doesn't even know what is shirt or bedsheet until you point to her. All clothes, in her category is DRESS. Present one, english ok, but the way she use the language, I also cannot understand at times. When I asked her, mei mei cough today? She answered "this time only", which later on I found out, she meant "now only". the other day, my current phil maid called for me "excuse me, mam" while I was teaching my son his homework and talking half way. Then I ignore her and continue with my teaching, she keep calling for antoher 2-3 times. I blasted and told her off "Can you see I'm teaching Titus homework and talking half way. Can you wait till I finish? No manners.</font>
2) does opening the front door when you are out constituent a major breach of trust? fyi, we always have the door closed when we are at home.
<font color="ff6000">for this, if you have told her specifically not to open the door, then the answer is YES</font>
3) does yours always challenge you to send her back to the agency if "sir, you are so discontented with me"?
<font color="ff6000">hahaha... I thought this is quite common but personally, I've not experience that before. Or maybe I'm insensitive to such request.
</font>
4) do you safekeep her salary for her or do you give the cash to her? what about putting aside some $ for her ticket back?
<font color="ff6000">I use to give them cash, but after a case of money lost at home, now I safekeep and had a record book for any of her incoming and outgoing expenses. As for air ticket deposit, you usually will deduct $500 from her salary after she clears her loan.</font>
5) is she prone to dramatics? mine told the agency that "if you do not help me, i will.... *cryCryCrySobSob*". don't know what she was trying to hint at but all i did was raise my voice at her for some mistake she'd consistently repeated.
<font color="ff6000">oh, one of my maid actually likes to give us the blur stare with her big round eyes and act innocent. We hated that to the core.</font>
San, both me and hub tend to our kids at night ourselves. But I've heard of friends who compensate the maid a short nap in the afternoon when most things are done.
1) is your maid's english ok? in my maid's words, ad verbatim: "sir, i sit on this and i use this.". she was refering to a stool & towel respectively and always calls me sir *rollEyes*. do i look butch or what?!
<font color="ff6000">I had 4-5 phil maids over the last few yrs. Only 1 who is ex-sin is ok with english. The rest, fresh maid. Their english, I would say, it's worst that broken english cause I cannot understand them. The worst one I had, she doesn't even know what is shirt or bedsheet until you point to her. All clothes, in her category is DRESS. Present one, english ok, but the way she use the language, I also cannot understand at times. When I asked her, mei mei cough today? She answered "this time only", which later on I found out, she meant "now only". the other day, my current phil maid called for me "excuse me, mam" while I was teaching my son his homework and talking half way. Then I ignore her and continue with my teaching, she keep calling for antoher 2-3 times. I blasted and told her off "Can you see I'm teaching Titus homework and talking half way. Can you wait till I finish? No manners.</font>
2) does opening the front door when you are out constituent a major breach of trust? fyi, we always have the door closed when we are at home.
<font color="ff6000">for this, if you have told her specifically not to open the door, then the answer is YES</font>
3) does yours always challenge you to send her back to the agency if "sir, you are so discontented with me"?
<font color="ff6000">hahaha... I thought this is quite common but personally, I've not experience that before. Or maybe I'm insensitive to such request.
</font> 4) do you safekeep her salary for her or do you give the cash to her? what about putting aside some $ for her ticket back?
<font color="ff6000">I use to give them cash, but after a case of money lost at home, now I safekeep and had a record book for any of her incoming and outgoing expenses. As for air ticket deposit, you usually will deduct $500 from her salary after she clears her loan.</font>
5) is she prone to dramatics? mine told the agency that "if you do not help me, i will.... *cryCryCrySobSob*". don't know what she was trying to hint at but all i did was raise my voice at her for some mistake she'd consistently repeated.
<font color="ff6000">oh, one of my maid actually likes to give us the blur stare with her big round eyes and act innocent. We hated that to the core.</font>
San, both me and hub tend to our kids at night ourselves. But I've heard of friends who compensate the maid a short nap in the afternoon when most things are done.
snowpod,
1) I have 3 filipino maids and 5 indonesian maids before, no one ever call me sir. But one filipino maid's english is really very bad, cannot communicate at all. All she knows is "Yes mam".
2) None of my 8 maids ever open my front door when we are out.
3) 2 maids asked for transfer. But they never challenge me, they just ask. I happily grant them their wish.
4) I open a personal bank account for my maid, and transfer money into her account every month. My maid holds her bank book and she updates it on her off day.
5) One maid cry when she told me "Please send me back. I cannot take care of your baby girl any more. She is so beautiful. I feel sad when I think about the baby I aborted." I immediately sent her back to the agency. Another maid like to cry for no reason at all, even when she was just sitting down and watching my baby sleep.
1) I have 3 filipino maids and 5 indonesian maids before, no one ever call me sir. But one filipino maid's english is really very bad, cannot communicate at all. All she knows is "Yes mam".
2) None of my 8 maids ever open my front door when we are out.
3) 2 maids asked for transfer. But they never challenge me, they just ask. I happily grant them their wish.
4) I open a personal bank account for my maid, and transfer money into her account every month. My maid holds her bank book and she updates it on her off day.
5) One maid cry when she told me "Please send me back. I cannot take care of your baby girl any more. She is so beautiful. I feel sad when I think about the baby I aborted." I immediately sent her back to the agency. Another maid like to cry for no reason at all, even when she was just sitting down and watching my baby sleep.
nellu, jchew, tamarind,
thanks for your inputs
1) so i've assumed wrongly that fili have a reasonable standard of english
don't their college degrees count for anything? even her math is really bad. she couldn't prepare formula because she doesn't know her 3x and 6x tables. asked her what is 3x3 and she struggles before telling me she doesn't know *faint*.
2) ok, maybe it's my fault for not telling her not to open the front door. but her answers to why she need to open the door really makes my blood boil.
maid: i want to see the buildings.
me: the living room's view is even better, got more buildings and trees what.
maid: i want to see the corridor.
me: what is there to see but tiles and the wall?
maid: your house not big enough, i want to see the outside.
we suspect our maid's been badmouthing us to the maid next door because she now gives us dirty looks/ignores us. previously she'd make small talk but the least of our problem lah.
3) just the other day, she blurted out how i don't trust her after 3 months and wants back to the agency. grrr, this is the 3rd/4th time already. how to trust her when she opens our door, allows our bb's hand to be crushed by the car's window, tear up my kid's board book to fan herself and throw away/rearrange things without asking us?
4) she insisted she wanted to feel the $$ *rollEyes*. re air ticket $, if maid refuses to allow us to deduct $500, can we insist?... are we breaching any law?
5) she's like 35yo already leh, still wants to cry to get her way and even use my kid as a shield for some of her mistakes, this really takes the cake. told her to grow up, welcome to this big bad world.
tamarind,
your maid (in ans #5) sounds a bit pyscho, emotionally unstable.
thanks for your inputs
1) so i've assumed wrongly that fili have a reasonable standard of english
2) ok, maybe it's my fault for not telling her not to open the front door. but her answers to why she need to open the door really makes my blood boil.
maid: i want to see the buildings.
me: the living room's view is even better, got more buildings and trees what.
maid: i want to see the corridor.
me: what is there to see but tiles and the wall?
maid: your house not big enough, i want to see the outside.
we suspect our maid's been badmouthing us to the maid next door because she now gives us dirty looks/ignores us. previously she'd make small talk but the least of our problem lah.
3) just the other day, she blurted out how i don't trust her after 3 months and wants back to the agency. grrr, this is the 3rd/4th time already. how to trust her when she opens our door, allows our bb's hand to be crushed by the car's window, tear up my kid's board book to fan herself and throw away/rearrange things without asking us?
4) she insisted she wanted to feel the $$ *rollEyes*. re air ticket $, if maid refuses to allow us to deduct $500, can we insist?... are we breaching any law?
5) she's like 35yo already leh, still wants to cry to get her way and even use my kid as a shield for some of her mistakes, this really takes the cake. told her to grow up, welcome to this big bad world.
tamarind,
your maid (in ans #5) sounds a bit pyscho, emotionally unstable.
hearing your stories, i don't know whether to laugh or to cry...
nellu, "nah" is a commonly added after most sentences in the Philippines. I do it all the time, it's probably the equivalent of singaporeans saying lah or lor. like i would tell my hb let's eat nah, or i'm going to sleep nah.
As for keeping their salary, i was told by the agent that this is not illegal and they should receive their salary either in the bank or given to them, don't know if this is true. Same as keeping a portion of their salary as contingency, they told me it's now illegal but i never checked with MOM if this was true.
i guess I'm lucky coz I speak Tagalog so the lack of english has never been an issue, but it is also another benefit that i am able to pick and choose from which province the maids are because obviously those that are from more urbanized area will have better english skills. my current maid has no problems speaking to my hb who is singaporean, or to my friends when they come over.
now i really don't know what to let my maid do, all, and i mean all the cupboards have been wiped, the walls are freshly painted and clean, all the picture frames, cd's everything!! she's even had the time to alphabetize my cd's for me!! any suggestions??
nellu, "nah" is a commonly added after most sentences in the Philippines. I do it all the time, it's probably the equivalent of singaporeans saying lah or lor. like i would tell my hb let's eat nah, or i'm going to sleep nah.
As for keeping their salary, i was told by the agent that this is not illegal and they should receive their salary either in the bank or given to them, don't know if this is true. Same as keeping a portion of their salary as contingency, they told me it's now illegal but i never checked with MOM if this was true.
i guess I'm lucky coz I speak Tagalog so the lack of english has never been an issue, but it is also another benefit that i am able to pick and choose from which province the maids are because obviously those that are from more urbanized area will have better english skills. my current maid has no problems speaking to my hb who is singaporean, or to my friends when they come over.
now i really don't know what to let my maid do, all, and i mean all the cupboards have been wiped, the walls are freshly painted and clean, all the picture frames, cd's everything!! she's even had the time to alphabetize my cd's for me!! any suggestions??
precious_one
New Member
Patsy
Send your maid to courses that will benefit her in the long run if you have extra $$ and if she is good.
Send your maid to courses that will benefit her in the long run if you have extra $$ and if she is good.
snowpod,
I still feel uneasy when I thought about what she said.
Patsy,
How about asking her to mop your floor every day ? Also handwash your clothes every day Handwash is better than machine wash. I know people who ask the maid to wipe every piece of furniture every day, because they cannot have even a little bit of dust. This is suggestion only hor, not that I ask my maid to do it.
Your maid need to cook right ? You mean after cooking 2 meals, she is still very free ? You can ask her to mop the kitchen floor and wipe the cabinet after cooking. Also wipe the inside of windows and window grilles.
I still feel uneasy when I thought about what she said.
Patsy,
How about asking her to mop your floor every day ? Also handwash your clothes every day
Handwash is better than machine wash. I know people who ask the maid to wipe every piece of furniture every day, because they cannot have even a little bit of dust. This is suggestion only hor, not that I ask my maid to do it. Your maid need to cook right ? You mean after cooking 2 meals, she is still very free ? You can ask her to mop the kitchen floor and wipe the cabinet after cooking. Also wipe the inside of windows and window grilles.
Tamarind, she already mops the floor twice a day! and wipes all the tables and furniture also.. does the gardening too... she cooks 1 meal only lah, cooks enough for dinner then just re-heats the food for her lunch, coz i only tar pao a salad to work. am gonna look for tagalog recipe books so she can be a bit more creative in the cooking, but so far i've taught her some of my regular recipes once and she can cook it well already after... the kitchen floor is mopped twice a day too, and the windows wiped one a week (i don't have grills)... my hb refuse to allow her to handwash the clohtes, coz he said waste water.. and i know you don't get your maid to wipe everything every day, i know from what you've posted you treat your maid fairly.
i'm actually looking for things for her to do more because she's so bored! and i believe an idle mind is the devil's playground... too bored and they will find things to occupy them... even if it's rubbish.
i'm actually looking for things for her to do more because she's so bored! and i believe an idle mind is the devil's playground... too bored and they will find things to occupy them... even if it's rubbish.
Patsy,
Sounds like your maid is very fast and efficient. My current maid, although very good, is quite slow compared to her. Since she is already doing quite a lot of tasks, then actually she can just rest when she has nothing to do.
I agree with precious one that sending her to courses is good. She can learn hair cutting or dress making and then do it for you for free hahaha
Sounds like your maid is very fast and efficient. My current maid, although very good, is quite slow compared to her. Since she is already doing quite a lot of tasks, then actually she can just rest when she has nothing to do.
I agree with precious one that sending her to courses is good. She can learn hair cutting or dress making and then do it for you for free hahaha
Tamarind, yah, but actually she's the one asking for more things to do. I told her to rest or read (gave her old issues of magazines and readers digest) but she said she prefer to be moving around and working... and yes she is quite fast, we have dinner at 7:30 pm, by 9 pm she has cleaned the whole kitchen, mopped the hall/kitchen and is already preparing to go to bed!! even my hb was surprised!
Actually I already asked my regular manicure place if they could teach her basic cleaning and painting so i she can do for me! And yes, thinking of dress makign class also.. at least she can do basic mending.
Actually I already asked my regular manicure place if they could teach her basic cleaning and painting so i she can do for me! And yes, thinking of dress makign class also.. at least she can do basic mending.
i'm getting a brand new maid (not transfer or ex) and was wondering if it is a better idea to get from those big names like Nation etc. Just in case there is some problems with the maid and agency, they are more willing to resolve the matter than to blow things out of proportion?
josephine27
Member
Patsy, how about facial or massage? I'm planing to let my maid learn both that skills from my company (not expensive), when all my kids go school or childcare.. so she can do facial/massage for me.. if you interested can PM me
patsy,
thanks, i figured abt the 'nah' but the maid did not have any nouns for anything!...anyway it's no longer an issue since she feigned seizure last fri. i had her sent back to the agent n am waiting to transfer her out.
snowpod,
sounds like ur maid is up to no good ref the door opening..do be careful.
thanks, i figured abt the 'nah' but the maid did not have any nouns for anything!...anyway it's no longer an issue since she feigned seizure last fri. i had her sent back to the agent n am waiting to transfer her out.
snowpod,
sounds like ur maid is up to no good ref the door opening..do be careful.
patsy,
i dun understand either. didn't scold her, somemore told her that since i'm quit my job and staying home, i'll be doing some stuff as well...meaning her load is slightly lightened e.g. cooking -- she only need to do the prep work; babycare -- i'm doing everthing. she just do the cleaning...wat more can she ask for?!? in addition my MiL is not living with us for long term anymore (my MiL is quite untidy) so one less person to clean aft..
anyway i've had enuff of her nonsense; she also like to use tears as a weapon, cry even when corrected gently; she also doesn't respect us as employers and like to move/take our things any way she likes/without asking; also she loves to eavesdrop on our conversations and somemore can ask us abt it aft that?!! i can't stand pple like this.
i dun understand either. didn't scold her, somemore told her that since i'm quit my job and staying home, i'll be doing some stuff as well...meaning her load is slightly lightened e.g. cooking -- she only need to do the prep work; babycare -- i'm doing everthing. she just do the cleaning...wat more can she ask for?!? in addition my MiL is not living with us for long term anymore (my MiL is quite untidy) so one less person to clean aft..
anyway i've had enuff of her nonsense; she also like to use tears as a weapon, cry even when corrected gently; she also doesn't respect us as employers and like to move/take our things any way she likes/without asking; also she loves to eavesdrop on our conversations and somemore can ask us abt it aft that?!! i can't stand pple like this.
nellu, actually neither do I, i've never encountered a maid like that.. and i've met lots of them!! did she ever asked to be transferred out? but maybe she was just really so homesick became mentally unstable! when i first moved here i was also so homesick i'd cry at the drop of the hat, hallmark cards tv commercial i also cried!!
my former maid was also a bit too familiar and kpo, my parents got her used to joining us in the dinner table and when we talk, she would join in like she was part of the family.. but that's not really her fault coz my parents encouraged her lah.. but it irritated me so much i tried to talk in chinese most of the time so she won't understand!! he he
my current maid is ok so far, quite timid. i asked her to join us for dinner but she said she prefers to eat in the kitchen herself, and quite pro-active!! yesterday when i got home she had taken down all the curtains, table clothes and table runners and washed them all by hand.. i was quite pleasantly surprised
my former maid was also a bit too familiar and kpo, my parents got her used to joining us in the dinner table and when we talk, she would join in like she was part of the family.. but that's not really her fault coz my parents encouraged her lah.. but it irritated me so much i tried to talk in chinese most of the time so she won't understand!! he he
my current maid is ok so far, quite timid. i asked her to join us for dinner but she said she prefers to eat in the kitchen herself, and quite pro-active!! yesterday when i got home she had taken down all the curtains, table clothes and table runners and washed them all by hand.. i was quite pleasantly surprised
patsy,
dat's really nice of ur maid! hope she keeps up..but then if a maid is bad, i'm quite sure there will be some glitches that will show up right from the beginning... i really regretted giving that maid the benefit of the doubt in the very first incident when she took my mum in law's hp herself w/o asking and when she just put her hand into my handbag w/o permission to dish out the hse keys.
abt homesickness and all i can understand, but my family could clearly tell that she had gotten over it after the 3rd mth. the crying spells came only abt 2 mths ago.
you see the thing i really couldn't stand was that she could never give me an answer to why she did things in a certain way. i'm not particular. as long as the work gets done properly i'm ok..sometimes i saw her doing things in a very inefficient way, e.g. folding plastic bags even tho i told her no need cos we have a plastic bag organiser. i tried to teach her to do things more efficiently and effectively but she's just too stubborn and can never explain why she wanted to make things so difficult for herself. so the only conclusion that i can draw is that she's trying to be farnie, to avoid some chores and to waste time.
tho i'm maidless now n v tired..i feel relaxed at the thought of not needing to deal with the maid!
dat's really nice of ur maid! hope she keeps up..but then if a maid is bad, i'm quite sure there will be some glitches that will show up right from the beginning... i really regretted giving that maid the benefit of the doubt in the very first incident when she took my mum in law's hp herself w/o asking and when she just put her hand into my handbag w/o permission to dish out the hse keys.
abt homesickness and all i can understand, but my family could clearly tell that she had gotten over it after the 3rd mth. the crying spells came only abt 2 mths ago.
you see the thing i really couldn't stand was that she could never give me an answer to why she did things in a certain way. i'm not particular. as long as the work gets done properly i'm ok..sometimes i saw her doing things in a very inefficient way, e.g. folding plastic bags even tho i told her no need cos we have a plastic bag organiser. i tried to teach her to do things more efficiently and effectively but she's just too stubborn and can never explain why she wanted to make things so difficult for herself. so the only conclusion that i can draw is that she's trying to be farnie, to avoid some chores and to waste time.
tho i'm maidless now n v tired..i feel relaxed at the thought of not needing to deal with the maid!
nellu, i would have read her the riot act if she dare take things from my purse without me asking her to!!! i told my maid from the first day i can forgive her if she forget to do thing, if she isn't as clean as i am etc, but the first instance she shows she has itchy fingers she will go back! my former maid towards the end was also good at appearing so busy until my mum had to help her wash dishes when she was here taking care of me coz i was on bed rest. that was after we decided we didn't want to renew her contract coz she could only commit to staying until her visa to canada came out.
actually i've been discussing with my hb if we made a mistake and hired a maid, but he says it's better coz at least i can just rest when i get home instead of having to cook/do housework... coz my body was so wrecked after all that happened last year!! but she's really so so free!!! but at least so far she's showing initiative.. hope it lasts!
if you ever decide to get a maid again and need "mediation" help, let me know!!
actually i've been discussing with my hb if we made a mistake and hired a maid, but he says it's better coz at least i can just rest when i get home instead of having to cook/do housework... coz my body was so wrecked after all that happened last year!! but she's really so so free!!! but at least so far she's showing initiative.. hope it lasts!
if you ever decide to get a maid again and need "mediation" help, let me know!!
patsy,
thanks so much for offering to help mediate in future. so sorry to hear that your health isn't great. Do take care!
My hb wanted to hire a maid too cos my boy is quite a handful and there will be no way i can do much at home if i were to take care of him and still have to run the household...but i think he knows that I'm also super stressed with the maid around.
I do miss being able to rest and not worry about the hsework. but at the same time, i don't have to run round checking aft someone. And that's real nice...
thanks so much for offering to help mediate in future. so sorry to hear that your health isn't great. Do take care!
My hb wanted to hire a maid too cos my boy is quite a handful and there will be no way i can do much at home if i were to take care of him and still have to run the household...but i think he knows that I'm also super stressed with the maid around.
I do miss being able to rest and not worry about the hsework. but at the same time, i don't have to run round checking aft someone. And that's real nice...
angel2baby
Active Member
Hi Jo,
You mentioned your company has cheap courses for massage and facial...how much?
My maid is interested in taking up some course on Sundays. She asked me to find for her. I'm wondering whether I should pay for her or is she supposed to pay herself? Anybody knows where to find courses available for filipino maids? Like sewing or cooking classes?
You mentioned your company has cheap courses for massage and facial...how much?
My maid is interested in taking up some course on Sundays. She asked me to find for her. I'm wondering whether I should pay for her or is she supposed to pay herself? Anybody knows where to find courses available for filipino maids? Like sewing or cooking classes?
angel, if you find any i would also be interested in sending my maid!!! don't mind paying for her.. and even if it's on weekdays she can go during the day while we're at work.. rather than have her sit at home the whole day. Today she was so bored she went to look for all the holes/gaps in the bathroom tiles and service balcony and covered them all with the silicon!! i guess I should be happy she's proactive ...
angel2baby
Active Member
Patsy,
Wah your maid really takes initiative! Yes you should be glad leh...this kind of maid very difficult to find!
Wah your maid really takes initiative! Yes you should be glad leh...this kind of maid very difficult to find!
angel, yeah, but i'm just getting worried she'll be so used to this lifestyle taht if ever i do have a baby again she'll not be able to adjust... hb says i'm worrying over things i don't even know. she has asked permission to go down to walk around a bit coz she's so bored so i said yes provided she doesn't go talking to other people. but it's a headache to find assignment for her to do everyday!
raisintan, am thinking of giving her $10 coz she's only been with me 2 months.
BTW, can you guys confirm... hb says we can't give ang paw this year coz our daughter and son passed away last year... is this true?
raisintan, am thinking of giving her $10 coz she's only been with me 2 months.
BTW, can you guys confirm... hb says we can't give ang paw this year coz our daughter and son passed away last year... is this true?
patsy,
sorry to hear of the children's passing. it is true that in chinese tradition that if someone in the family has passed on and not for a year yet, you do not celebrate CNY. Hence, you do not give out ang pow.
We are not celebrating either cos my hb's grandma passed on just before my son was born. Not yet a year..
sorry to hear of the children's passing. it is true that in chinese tradition that if someone in the family has passed on and not for a year yet, you do not celebrate CNY. Hence, you do not give out ang pow.
We are not celebrating either cos my hb's grandma passed on just before my son was born. Not yet a year..
Need some advice from you experienced mummies on the following points which I had talked to my maid yesterday.
1) Regarding her salary, she requests that she would like to keep the money herself but I don't allow her as she is not allowed to go out herself and also she has no off day.
2) As I told her, if she needs anything, she got to tell me and as we are going out often, we will be able to buy for her.
3) Do you deduct her salary for the shampoo, bathing gel or other bathing items which she buys?
4) She also tells me that she does not want to open a bank account and she wants to send the money back whenever she wants, is it alright? Must I keep a sum of money to safeguard for myself?
5) Handphone issue. This is the most regrettable thing which I didn't tell her in my list of rules. I do not allow her to buy any handphone and she is quite surprised and asked me why. I told her that I had heard of many cases of maid neglecting taking care of baby when they are talking on the phone and somemore my son is still so young (1yr old).She seems so upset about it and I told her that maybe upon the last few months to her contract ends, I may allow her to buy hp if her performance is good. Meanwhile I told her to communicate by writing letters and for sending back to philipines, I dun mind to pay for the registered post. Am I right to tell her this? Then she asked me how about it's emergency. I told her then we shall see.
Besides all the above points, I would say this maid of mine is quite smart. For e.g. she does not ask us for our address and she just saw it on our letters and she will write down the address w/o asking us. This is because we normally put our letter on the table which is very easy noticeable. Another thing is that I had state the timing for her when she arrived, that is sleeping time will be 10pm - 6pm but somehow sat & sun which I am not working, she will automatically seepl until 7pm, must I talk to her on this point. One more thing is she did not mention that she had a sister working here when she employed her. Only after she received a letter from her then she told us.
Hi Patsy
I need your help for the translation. I have already pm you.
Thanks.
1) Regarding her salary, she requests that she would like to keep the money herself but I don't allow her as she is not allowed to go out herself and also she has no off day.
2) As I told her, if she needs anything, she got to tell me and as we are going out often, we will be able to buy for her.
3) Do you deduct her salary for the shampoo, bathing gel or other bathing items which she buys?
4) She also tells me that she does not want to open a bank account and she wants to send the money back whenever she wants, is it alright? Must I keep a sum of money to safeguard for myself?
5) Handphone issue. This is the most regrettable thing which I didn't tell her in my list of rules. I do not allow her to buy any handphone and she is quite surprised and asked me why. I told her that I had heard of many cases of maid neglecting taking care of baby when they are talking on the phone and somemore my son is still so young (1yr old).She seems so upset about it and I told her that maybe upon the last few months to her contract ends, I may allow her to buy hp if her performance is good. Meanwhile I told her to communicate by writing letters and for sending back to philipines, I dun mind to pay for the registered post. Am I right to tell her this? Then she asked me how about it's emergency. I told her then we shall see.
Besides all the above points, I would say this maid of mine is quite smart. For e.g. she does not ask us for our address and she just saw it on our letters and she will write down the address w/o asking us. This is because we normally put our letter on the table which is very easy noticeable. Another thing is that I had state the timing for her when she arrived, that is sleeping time will be 10pm - 6pm but somehow sat & sun which I am not working, she will automatically seepl until 7pm, must I talk to her on this point. One more thing is she did not mention that she had a sister working here when she employed her. Only after she received a letter from her then she told us.
Hi Patsy
I need your help for the translation. I have already pm you.
Thanks.
hi sadwoman.. haven't received your pm, will reply when i get it.
1. i would let her keep her salary, would you agree to work and your boss tell you he's not going to give you the money but keep it for you? i mean it's a sense of self fullfillment also for one to get something at the end of the month after working hard, right?
2. why not allow her to go to the corner store once a month to get the stuff she wants? maybe she wants some snacks, etc? i just think it makes them feel that their work is worth it if they can buy something for themselves once in a while, besides, they're here to work legally and should be paid accordingly (i.e. receive their monies)
3. no, i feel that they already earn so little so i provide the daily necessities for her, but that's my opinion, the other mummies may have other suggestions. i don't let her choose though, if she doesn't like what i buy for her then tough! as for keeping some of her salary as safeguard, i was informed that this is now illegal, but i never verified with MOM.
4. most of them will want to send money back every month, otherwise their family in the philippines will not have any money to use. i would allow her to send the money back. as for keeping some of her salary as safeguard, i was informed that this is now illegal, but i never verified with MOM.
5. in a way i can understand why she wants a hp, a letter to the Phil takes almsot 2 weeks to arrive, if it's in the province, even longer!! i think if we put ourselves in their shoes, in this day and age, letter writing has become a thing of the past, who really writes letters by hand? Would you like it if you had no hp to sms and had to write letters to friends all the time? If you trust your maid to work during the day, one option would be for you to allow her the phone at night after her chores are done? at least she can get news from her family quickly... it also helps to combat homesickness...
I guess for me the secret to having a harmonious relationship with the maid is to set firm but fair ground rules from the start, but these rules must be tempered with a certain empathy of what they are going through also. i think often we are so scared by the horror stories we hear that we don't give our own maids the benefit of the doubt. I always believe that the maids are very simple people, you treat them well, and they will also treat you well (of course there are those who are rotten apples and abuse your good faith). Treat them like adults and they will behave like one also...
a lot of mummies have commented to me privately that i'm so lucky to have my current maid, but i think it's give and take also. i don't just look at her work performance, but am also concerned about her emotional well being, which is why i actually encourage her to go out once a month, coz even i would go crazy if i had to stay home every day for 2 years straight! i mean even if you were a SAHM, you also have a chance to go out shopping, grocery, taking your kids to school but imagine if all you see day in day out are the 4 corners of the house!!
1. i would let her keep her salary, would you agree to work and your boss tell you he's not going to give you the money but keep it for you? i mean it's a sense of self fullfillment also for one to get something at the end of the month after working hard, right?
2. why not allow her to go to the corner store once a month to get the stuff she wants? maybe she wants some snacks, etc? i just think it makes them feel that their work is worth it if they can buy something for themselves once in a while, besides, they're here to work legally and should be paid accordingly (i.e. receive their monies)
3. no, i feel that they already earn so little so i provide the daily necessities for her, but that's my opinion, the other mummies may have other suggestions. i don't let her choose though, if she doesn't like what i buy for her then tough! as for keeping some of her salary as safeguard, i was informed that this is now illegal, but i never verified with MOM.
4. most of them will want to send money back every month, otherwise their family in the philippines will not have any money to use. i would allow her to send the money back. as for keeping some of her salary as safeguard, i was informed that this is now illegal, but i never verified with MOM.
5. in a way i can understand why she wants a hp, a letter to the Phil takes almsot 2 weeks to arrive, if it's in the province, even longer!! i think if we put ourselves in their shoes, in this day and age, letter writing has become a thing of the past, who really writes letters by hand? Would you like it if you had no hp to sms and had to write letters to friends all the time? If you trust your maid to work during the day, one option would be for you to allow her the phone at night after her chores are done? at least she can get news from her family quickly... it also helps to combat homesickness...
I guess for me the secret to having a harmonious relationship with the maid is to set firm but fair ground rules from the start, but these rules must be tempered with a certain empathy of what they are going through also. i think often we are so scared by the horror stories we hear that we don't give our own maids the benefit of the doubt. I always believe that the maids are very simple people, you treat them well, and they will also treat you well (of course there are those who are rotten apples and abuse your good faith). Treat them like adults and they will behave like one also...
a lot of mummies have commented to me privately that i'm so lucky to have my current maid, but i think it's give and take also. i don't just look at her work performance, but am also concerned about her emotional well being, which is why i actually encourage her to go out once a month, coz even i would go crazy if i had to stay home every day for 2 years straight! i mean even if you were a SAHM, you also have a chance to go out shopping, grocery, taking your kids to school but imagine if all you see day in day out are the 4 corners of the house!!
ssadwoman, just email me at [email protected]
