Advise on Baby & Maid Exps

mummies,
i must give it to my maid. She's real good, in a very positive sense of the word.

yday newspaper reported abt typhoon in Ppines. apparently it swept through Iloilo which is where my maid comes from. She only read the news last night. this morning she came and ask if she could phone home to see if her family is alright. I told her no problem at all in such a situation. Why I'm impressed by her is cos she's really calm, very very calm. Unlike my previous PH maids who would by now cry father cry mother, drama until like the whole world had forsaken them. This girl is very calm. Even when i told her to take as much time as she wants as i understand the situation and the anxiety, she told me she'll do it as quickly as possible.

Just now i passed her he hp. She said she'll just text and see how. Once she gets a response back, she'll give the phone back. And she kept to her word.

seems to me she's quite sensible and mature, even though she's quite young. her attitude is still good despite the last few run-ins with her over her mistakes.
 


Celtricia,

I called to interviewed the maid. She can understand and answered most of my questions. That implies her English is not so bad.

Asked abt her family. She has got a parents (working as farmer), 2 elder bro (33 & 30 years)married with children. She is the youngest and single. She helped in looking after the children from 9 mths.

She worked as a housemaid from 2001 - 2003 in Surabaya looking after 2 & 10 years old + housework. Thereafer, worked in Malaysia as an operator in a garment factory from 2003 - 2007. Asked her why she didn't continue to work as a housemaid. She replied she want to try working in factory. That means she only has child care experience in Indonesia and her own nephew/niece.

Ask her why she wants to work in Sgp - she answered to earn money for her parents. She don't have any sister or relatives working in Sgp.

Do u thk this maid can work for me?

I thk she is quite exposed since she worked in a garment factory for 4 years.

Jennifer kept saying the girls she recommended are ok, well behaved.

But I am still worried that she might not be able to cope.

Will you take this maid if you were me?


All mummies, any comments?
 
Wendy,
I don't allow my maid to use washing machine to wash her clothes (as she can't wash her clothes together with ours. I don't thk she has so much clothes to accumulate till full load.) So she has to handwashed her own clothes everyday.
 
hi Kaimon,

You might want to go back to your agency to get a ticket. They will purchase and cancel the permit for you. Usually inexpensive unless your agency meant to earn from it. If I'm not wrong, once the permit is cancel,you should receive an acknowledgment letter of cancellation or something which your maid need to submit to the custom officer as they pass through the departure gate. My maid was usher to the immigration custom once she passed through. And do see that she hand the letter to the custom officer. A lot of maid would want to return to Jogjakarta as there less extortion from returning maid. However if you are sending her back without her "agreement" then you choose when you want her to return.
 
Babycutie

You are right, worked in a garment factory means the maid is well exposed.Just like mine, maid worked in kopi tien and madam very havoc type, bring her to karaoka, and help in salon, can you imagine how exposed she is. She find doing housework in my house is like a jail....
 
morning ladies...

babycutie.. den did she say y she din continue to wrk in factory? N did u inform her of ur super active kids? tat she nid to monitor almost 24/7? (tis is juz to scare her n c her response) i somehw feel mayb she might not b suitable.. since she wrk in garment factory for so long.. n she cld haf continued.. it seems like she dun really enjoy child care.. if not she won't wan to go n try it out in other job scope..

tat's hw i feel.. if u r single n earn ur own keepings n r happy wif ur job as a HR personnel.. wld u wan to go n try b an exec secretary? no right? same ting lor..
 
Wendy.. usually when the maid is bathing she will wash her clothes.. everyday.. ur maid dun bath when u r ard meh? if yes, den u shld b able to noe mah..
 
Hello Babycutie - my thots are, there will be some doubts if this maid can meet your requirements i.e. clean and fast worker. 4 yrs in a factory, didnt prepare her really well that her life will be cooped in a house 24/7 on housechores. She might be well behaved etc..but she may find herself lonely and dont like pple to supervise her all day long...and at the end, with no motivation, her working standards will drop..If there is any suitable one, I will still think an experienced maid (SG or MY) will be more suitable for you for a start.

Chloe - I faced the same thing like you from a maid agency...And when i get a experienced maid but ran away, you know what the agent said, she said, no maid will want to work for you! Wah, pissed right??? If thats the case, then dont take my money right from the start lor! After take the agency fees and then come and say these rubbish! Although this matter had passed for awhile, I am still pissed over it!
 
Wendy
I don't allow my maid to use washing machine to wash her clothes cos I don want her dirty clothes to 'ba-wu' my machine. But I do allow her to use machine to spin dry her clothes which are already washed clean since i can't stand her clothes dripping water in my kitchen hanging area. Dripping clothes also cannot hang outside, neighbours will make noise.

I asked my maid to accumlate her clothes and wash once a week cos we don have a specific area apportioned for her to hang her clothes. She's using our bamboo sticks, so i can't stand seeing her clothes hanging in my kitchen everyday. By washing once a week, I only need to see her clothes one day a week.
 
Wendy
Is your maid staying at your home unsupervised during daytime so that she can secretly used your washing machine for her own clothes?
 
Babycutie...you are also changing maid ? Me too. I have just confirmed a transfer maid from Nation. She has worked 1 month with a Chinese (from China) family. So communiation was a problem. I met her and interviewed her. She is married with 2 kids. She could understand my English. I think she is OK. Will try her out.

About the biodata you posted. Think she is quite big size leh. True that she may be a little "seasoned", but that also mean she will not be so stone and have no common sense. Depending on your needs, that could well be a plus point (at least for me, I prefer maid to auto plan her work, no need me to tell her every specific details). Also, did you get to see her photo ? I am very particular about whether I like the person by the look...call me bias, but some people, I just don't like their looks.


Another thing, since your mum makes the decision on whether the maid is capable or not, why not ask to choose and interview personally ?
 
Celtricia/Chole/Eileen/Suzie,

I thk I will forego this maid. She don't have much experience as a domestic worker long enough. I don't thk she can cope in my house.

I have discussed with hb. We will change if we can find a suitable one. Otherwise, we will stick with our current maid since she can handle my kids. As for the speed of her work, we will close one eye on that. As long as she can complete her daily work, it is ok with me.



Suzie,

I approached Nation last week looking for transfer maid. They have a transfer maid but the customer service said she might not be able to handle as I have 2 active kids.

I brought my kids to maid shopping. Guess wat my kids do? My boy walk around and want to open the drawers and cupboard at the agency. My girl also played with the telephone on the desk. So either one of us has to look after the kids while the other attend to the customer service.

I will try my luck for transfer maid again.
 
babycutie.. ya.. tink tat's a wiser choice.. right nw.. for me i also close 1 eye for hsewrk
as long as the kids like her most impt.. sigh..
 
babycutie,
since your current maid still not too bad, you take your time to hunt for a suitable one. I don't believe you should compromise.

mummies,
i just discovered something abt my maid which i am not too happy abt.

yday i glanced through her passport and found out that she actually worked in HK for 3 mths for a HK employer (Chinese family). This info was not in her bio. The agent did not mention to me. When i interviewed her she also did not reveal this info.

Would you confront the maid/the agent regarding this? It's not that big an issue but i do feel a bit deceived.
 
nellu,

How did u know she worked in HK for 3mths for a HK employer? These information were shown in her PP? I thought only shows immigration endorsement?

Maybe u can ask your maid directly. Ask her u found these information in her PP. Ask her how come she didn't tell u she has worked in HK before. Probe further by asking how come she only work 3 mths in HK since pay is higher there. U can observe her behaviour when u ask her these questions and see how she response to it.


I suspect my current maid worked in Taiwan before. Because she can speak Mandarin quite well. She can speak in full sentence. And some of the words she use are not commonly used in SGP. For eg. <font color="119911">Porridge - she describe as xi(1) fan(4) instead of zhou(1)</font>,<font color="0000ff">spoon - she describe as tiao(2) gen(1) instead of tang(1) chi(2).</font>

I have checked her PP but dun see any other records except the endorsement that she enters SGP. Thk she uses a new PP.
 
babycutie,
info is all in her PP. apparently HK immigration would paste the papers in her passport, even stating the employer's name. the immigration stamps showed that her length of stay in HK was only 3 mths.

then also for Father's Day i took my dad out for dim sum. My maid could use the chop sticks! My previous PH maids all cannot use chop sticks, since they've never used it before. I must say this maid's chopsticks skill are not too bad.

Actually my hubby knew abt this already cos when he collected her WP and PP from agent, he saw the papers. but he did not look in detail. he told me about it and said maybe her previous employer in PH brought her over. I didn't realise it's a HK employer until i saw it myself yday.

i think i will discuss with hubby and then ask her with him around.

yes, your maid does sound like she worked in Taiwan before. She's smart enough to use new PP.
 
Nellu - true indeed..to be deceived is not a gd feeling. Bt if she can work, does it matter really? One of my ex ID maids, I also realised she has more employers that she declared. But if she can work, which she did pretty well (except the running away), I actually think it is not a big matter.
 
Eileen,
she can work, and has good attitude. And i kept saying that she is MUCH better than my previous 2. So that's why i'm thinking whether of not to confront her abt it at all. It's a delicate issue isn't it?
 
nellu,
maybe you observe her abit more. Maybe if she work well and a few mths down the road when you are more comfortable with her, then sort of casually bring it up and see what she say?
 
Nellu,
I asked my maid before, she kept saying she has not work in Taiwan before. She claimed that she learnt her Mandarin at the training centre for 3 mths.

She said she was being hired by an employer in Taiwan to take care of elderly. All paperworks were completed and was about to fly over but the employer called up to cancel the employment because the elderly has passed away.

Do u believe?? Honestly I dun believe her. She must have worked there and due to some reason, the employer sent her back to Indonesia.

Anyway, since she can handle my kids and can work, I will not probe further with this issue.

She is smart enough to have used a new PP to enter SGP. And smart enough to plan her explanation in case her future employer asked her.
 
suzie - i stay in hdb. i dun think the sun can reach directly on the clothes till it can dry in 6 hrs. actually i dun mind she use, but it's her sneaky manner that irritates me.

hi mummies,
just an opinion/poll
would u get
A) experienced maid, but got attitude problems
B) not so experienced/fresh maid, but obedient/timid

was thinking if i shd change my current one.
but her contract ends dec 08....
 
Wendy,
I go for (B), provided she has good learning attitude. Can understand logic, and apply the principles correctly in different situation.

I super cannot tahan my current maid. She can place container cover away from container itself. Keep brush in fridge. Keep empty mug in fridge. Pack books with spine facing inside. Stack everything together and place right at the centre of the table. Anything that she don't know where to keep, she would put on my bed, pasar malam style. She been given 1 year to improve...still blur like sotong. Worst is my children do not like her. Ask her to give milk and let my girl sleep. She sat beside her and stared at her, hoping she will sleep.

Nellu...its Ok to check with her on her employment history. Since it is not a secret, the info can be found on her passport. She should be honest enough to tell you what she has been doing in HK for 3 months, and if she has had any problem, that's why got 'kicked' back to indonesia.
 
Liana,
Its so difficult to get a maid with GOOD attitude nowadays.



Mummies,

Pls give suggestions. An agency sent me some bio datas as follows:-

Maid A
Age : 23 years / Single
Ht/Wt : 147cm / 43kg
Exp: 3 yrs in Jkt &amp; 4 years in Sgp
In Sgp, she took care of 2.5 yo and 6 mths
baby. Currently on transfer with a family taking care of 2 &amp; 4 yrs old.
Agent reason: Her current employer is on stress.
Changed 3 maids in 1 year.
My obseravtion: She is only 23 yo but has 3 yrs in Jkt and 4 years in Sgp? How old she started working? 16 years old? Possible??


Maid B
Age : 25 years / Single
Ht / Wt: 147cm / 46kg
Exp: 2 yrs in SGP and 1 yr in HK.
In SGP, take care of 4 &amp; 6 yrs old.
Currently on transfer.

I requested to interview these girl personally and now waiting for reply from agent since I can only go down after my work.

From the above experience stated, which one is more suitable for me?

But how come they are so short? Dunno have strength to carry my kids or not.
 
Babycutie,
Yes, agree. It is very hard to find a maid with a good attitude.

With regard to maid A and B, I find they are too young. However, I would not rule them out totally but I would speak to their ex-employer before going any further. There's always a reason why they got transferred and the reason given by the agent really cannot be trusted.

Maid A transferred the maid due to the stress of changing 3 maids in one year? I changed 4 maids in one year....I'm ok.

I just don't trust maid or agent stories...they all say they can cook, clean and take care of kids. None of my maids could cook or take care of kids. I had to re-train them all to clean the way I wanted....so no matter how good their bio-data is...I have serious doubts.

Best way is to "test" them in your home for at least a day. Some agents allow this. Some do not.
 
I am going on business trip this sunday and my maid tell me this evening that she wants to transfer. aiyo....she is with me for 4 months and have wanted to go back 4 times already.

I told that for transfer the agent will charge her 1 or 2 months salary so her loan will get extended.

Ask her why she wants to transfer and her response is that Auntie (my mother) don't talk to her, me and my HB also don't talk to her in the evening....she is mad....nothing I talk to her for what, she is not my friend, finish work than go back to room to rest la.... why do I need to chat with her....what are you view..
 
Must be her friend in Singapore taught her one as I pass her a letter recently....then she ask whether can call and give my phone to her friend... now say is her relative...??!!
 
yuen,
Does your maid have off day or do you allow her mobile phone? If so, no need to talk to her lah....she has her own friends/family to talk to. But if not, then she has no one to talk to at all then a bit lonely mah...

I hardly talk to my maid either. I don't like to chit chat to her since we are not on the same wave length. I only talk to her when I need to but she's ok with it cos she can sms and chat on her mobile after she finishes work and on her off day.
 
yuen,
aiyo this maid of yours.... how long is your biz trip? Are you able to wait till you come back to settle this maid? btw, does your maid know that you are going on biz trip? I find that some maids are very irritating. They PURPOSELY choose the time when they know it'll make you irritated to make this kind of stupid requests.

I think it's no pt for you to keep this maid. but time is really not on your side.
 
yuen,
i also don't talk to my maid much. only when necessary. My maid got no off day, her mobile is still with me. as i put her on 'probation' she does not have mobile usage at all. But so far she is fine. i think maybe there are enough things to keep her busy...esp my boy....so she's doesn't feel lonely....
 
yuen2- think she is jus trying her luck. Maybe want to chop u to inc her salary? Cos the reason she gave is damn lame lor.
 
Liana,

Before these 2 maids I mentioned. There is an experience maid in Nation. The maid stated down her ex employer name and part of the the address. I tried my luck searching in yellow pages hoping to track down her ex employer. Out of her 3 employers, I manage to contact her first employer. The ex employer told me that she don't really know the maid as she left her 2 kids at home with her while she goes to work.

But she told me one incident. She found the basin of the common toilet is dirty. The basin is only used by the maid. So she told the maid to keep it clean. As it is oso shared by guest who come to the house. The maid slam the door hard and hide inside the toilet to wash till 2am.

I didn't hire this maid. Sounds like this maid has hot temper. Don't thk she is suitable for childcare. She may hit my kids.
 
Yuen,
I don't talk to my maid too. Only when I want her to do something.

She is trying her luck lah. Hopefully u can allow her to make phone call.

I suggest u send her away after yr biz trip since she has been asking for transfer 4 times within 4 mths working for you. That mean averagely she ask for transfer every mth.
 
nellu
I have no problem transferring her as my mum stays with me and my mum is the one taking care of my boy. I just wanted my mum to have more time to relax thus have the maid to do housework and cook.

My maid don't have off day and no mobile phone but I allow her to call home in the evening if she wants to and I give her limit of $20 phone card every month.
 
Babycutie
my maid very emtional one, abit abit cry. Just now when I told her I have no problem transferring her, she started crying. As I will be back on Wednesday afternoon, I told her, she can let me know and I will arrange.

Just told my HB and his is very piss as every few days got such domestic issues. I told him I am not stress over maid...stress for what....more stress over my work...
 
The problem with these maids are that because I am the one paying them, they only listen to me....don't listen to my mother....
 
yuen,
All maids are like that. They only listen to their pay master.

You have to make clear to them before they work with you that everyone in the house are her employers.

Otherwise, most of them will only listen to sir and madam.
 
babycutie - told them the decision maker is my mum. if she is not happy, i will send them back.

not sure whether I still want a maid....still have outstanding loan of 4 months.
 
yuen- see? First ask for transfer. Then when u say Wanna transfer her she cry. Ha! So wat's she want actually? Maybe testing if she's indispensable?!

Talked to my hb last night. Will send my maid off during sep when i'm in between jobs.

Hb says send her back to agent as he dun have the heart to jus send her back home... Opinions?

Tia...
 
As per my earlier post, I had wanted to send my maid back to Indon as I did not want a bad maid to circulate n S'pore and cause harm to another family. But my HB says no need to be so "jue" and should give her a chance to work some more. His deeper concern is that if she goes back to Indon aggrieved....whether she would engage a bomoh to do horrible things!

So now I may have to transfer my maid out instead of sending her back. Fyi, I'll be sending her back to MaidLink and my maid's name is Manisih.
 


Kaimom,

Thanks for informing us about your maid and the agency's name so that any mummies here can avoid taking your maid by chance.

I just found out from MOM website that my previous Indon maid which I sent her away on 1 May was back again and started with her new employer on 15 May. These maids are really so smart when it comes to this type of thing..they know they can easily come back to work again even after we have sent them home. They dont mind to incur another 6-8 months of loan as long as they can come back.

Her name is Rita Wariati.
 
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