Advise on Baby & Maid Exps

Hi cat_tail,
Yes it is not easy to manage a maid. Even when they started out very good, they may change over time. May be something happen to your maid's family back home ? Like her child is sick or something ?
My maid's mother died in March this year. At first she dare not tell me, but later she cried and ask if she can go back home for a while. I let her go back for 3 days, the airticket is bought using her own salary of course. She was very peaceful when she came back.
 


Hi tamarind, it's not easy having a maid. Most start out very well but change once their debts are fully paid.

Some maids have problems either with a boyfriend or husband asking for money or seeing other women. Tamarind you are lucky your maid came back with no problems. This way, she will treasure you.
 
Hi Cat tail,

Yes, managing the maid was never an easy task, selecting the right maid (with a reliable agent) is the first step.

My maid told me that once you return to philippines and then come back to Singapore to work, it's as good as starting afresh and it's hard not to be homesick - and hence the reasons why alot of philippino maids who worked in Singapore for many years choose not to return to their hometown for the 2 weeks break/holiday when contract ends and prefer to take the money instead. At the end of 2 year contract, they have a choice as to whether they want to go back (employer must pay for air ticket and POA ) for holiday for 2 weeks, or forfeit going back and take the monetary equivalent of the above plus 15 days pay.

All maids will give some problems/issues one way or another, just a matter of time and severity of the problems , and finances are always an issue to them as their families treat them as "money tree".
It's human nature that once they work for you more than a few years, they get comfortable and more relaxed , and hence gentle reminders are always needed to remind them to keep up the standard if they have started out to be very good performer.
 
Hi Janet,
You are right ! My MIL was telling me that since her mother already died, she will come back, otherwise she might not return. Anyway her husband already ran off with another woman long ago :p

Hi Lenny,
My maid already told me she wants to renew her contract, and she does not want to go home for 2 weeks. I did not know that I have to pay her 15 days pay, since this is not in the contract with the maid agency. Did your contract with the agency state this ? I think it is not a MOM rule, right ?
 
Hi Tamarind

It depends on the employment contract you signed with the maid and agency, and I checked with my colleague who have hired philippino maid and her contract stated so. If your contract did not state so, it means you pay her the ticket money instead. check out the price of the air ticket and pay her that amount will do.
 
Hi Lenny,
I think the contract did not even mention that I need to buy the air ticket for her to go home. But I guess I will give her some amount to reward her anyway.
 
Hi Tamarind, since her hubby ran off years ago, her main purpose of going home is for the funeral. So, it was nice of her to return with a peace of mind.

With the change in MOM law, employers have to pay for the maid's return air ticket regardless of whether it is the maid or employer who wish to terminate the contract.
 
Hi all,

Yesterday my maid keeps standing near at the windows & staring outside. The first tot on my mind "Gosh, is she jumping down"? Haha...

Anyway, this morn my maid is perfectly ok. She does the housework promptly & looks more energetic. I even give her the permission to let her sis to visit her on Sun. So cross my finger, I hope that will resolve her homesick problem for now.

There's one question on my mind, if I want to terminate my maid contract even though not due, how does it goes about? Do I need to pay? Pai sek, I sound so ignorant cos I get the maid in such a rush. And a lot of details are not discussed properly with my agent.

Hi tamarind,
Sounds like your maid is not bad, but her fate is so pitiful.
 
Hi cat_tail,
Did you pay your agent the $2000 for the maid loan ? If so, you should be deducting your maid's pay over 8 months to recover this loan. If you terminate your maid's contract, for example, after she work for 4 months, that means you still have $1000 of loan to recover. You will need to send your maid back to your agent, so that your agent will find you another maid. You will recover the remaining loan amount from the new maid.
If there is no loan to recover, you can just buy an air ticket, go to MOM to cancel her work permit, then send her back home.
 
Hi cat_tail,
Forgot to add that you should not have to pay anything to the agent if you terminate the contract. If you are getting a new maid from the same agent, most agents should give you at least one change of maid free of charge.
 
Hi cat_tail

Check the agent's contract /employment contract with your maid to see if there's any penalty or charges incurred should you decided to terminate her contract early. Each agency has a different contract I believed.

Hi Tamarind

re: giving her 2 weeks home leave holiday, it is stated in my employment contract with agency/maid that she is entitled to it when she completes her 2 year contract.
 
Hi tamarind,
I only pay partial of the $2000 loan to the agent. Her pay is $330 and the agent is collecting $300 for the first 7 months. I have already pay the first 3 mths & a one time ($488) adminstrative & insurance charges to the agent. Then from mth 4-7, the agent will collect monthly.

I am not sure wat you mean by no loan recover. Is it after mth 8 onwards?

Hi Lenny,
There's nothing mention about early termination except if she did a serious offence or anything I am not happy, I can send her back but under her own expense. I ask the agent, they say it will be pro-rated if I just want to terminate her early. Is that normal?
 
Hi cat tail

I went back to review the contract I had, and it states that if it is the maid who requested to terminate the contract prematurely, the employer is not liable to pay for her repatriate fees or anything. If it's the employer who request to terminate the contract, the employer is liable to pay for her repatriate fee.

My maid has no loan, because we only took in transfer maids who were working in Singapore and not those who have worked here before, gone back and wanted to come into Singapore to work again.
 
Hi cat_tail,
When I wrote no loan to recover, I meant either after 8 months, or the maid has already finish repaying the loan before she works for your family, or if they are transfer maids like Lenny wrote.
 
Hi ladies, there is a change in employment now. MOM is protecting the rights of domestic maids now. Certain clauses in contracts signed earlier may be void. For eg if the maid wants to terminate her contract, she is to write the letter herself and sign, but employer still pays the airticket. That was what I understand from the agency.
 
Hi Lenny & tamarind,
I see, so the only difference between transfer maid & new maid is we dun have to pay her the 7 mths pay (loan) to the agent. Actually I wanted to engage a transfer maid but they always ask more than my budget.
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Hi Janet,
If it's true, then it doesn't sound fair to the employer.
 
Hi cat tail

Transfer maid , depending on experience, can cost about $340 and above. You can also trade in one more off day per month to lower the pay by 20 bucks. e.g. my current maid was paid $380 previously, and I told her if she's okay with $360 but one off day per month ( she was entitled to one off day every TWO months by her previous employer) and she's happy with my proposal.
I will be paying her $390 upon contract renewal, 10% increment.
 
Hi,
im hiring maid for the 1st time. does anyone has experience with JPB MAID AGENCY? the celebrity spokesperson is Li Nanxing. kekes.

I went to the Katong branch and the staff there recommended me an ex-sin (3 yrs) Indon. He claimed that she speaks both chinese and english, experienced in taking care of bb/ toddler (from ex-employer) and demands $350 and off day. but shes v young, only 24 and not married...

is the pay too high for indons?

in general what is preferred age group of maids?

also the agency fees is $299, plus $2000 loan and $95 indemnity bond. what other hidden costs are there?
 
Hi 2005,
$350 is high for an Indon maid. 3 years is not a lot of experience, is it with one employer only ? She may be job hopping within 3 years. Also don't believe everything the agent says about how capable she is, it may not be true at all.

Is your maid going to take care of a new born ? If so, personally I feel that age 25 - 29 is better, they would be more mature. If taking care of 2 - 3 years old, you can get younger maids because they need more energy to run after them.

There should be no more hidden costs, but it depends on the agency. You should check with the agency what happens when you return the maid. Do you have to pay extra levy or food/lodging while she is waiting to be transferred ? What happens if the maid wants to go home before her contracts end ? Do you need to buy the air ticket for her ? Read the contract very carefully before you sign it.
 
Hi 2005,

I had a maid of 6 yrs experience in Sin. Her pay was only $250 no off day. She went home after one yr because her hubby was going to another town to work and there's no one taking care of her daughter. So after such experience I decided to get someone older but single, so they won't have so much to worry for. My current maid is 37yrs although she is not married but she still know how to love my children.

As for the agent, I prefer those agent which we don't have to pay their loan upfront type. Because in case you don't like the maid and u want to return her to the agent, you must get the 2nd make from them too because your money is trapped there. (sometimes I believe the quality of maid got something to do with the agent from my past experiences, so after that I went to another agent and so far my two maids from there are good) (sori, poor english, hope you understand what I mean)

The maid agent I went no need to pay upfront cash. I only pay them $488 for agent fee then $300 for 7 mths to them for the maid's loan. Then every month I only give my maid $20 cash.
 
Hi choc,

Can i noe which agent u go to? where is the location of the agency? $250 is quite cheap lei. She is from indonesia? How come have to pay the agent $300 for 7 mth n the maid $20? then 1 mth will be $320 instead of $250. i blur liao.
 
hi ladies,

may i know for employment contract btw maid and us is drafted by us or a standard one from the agency?

my agency told me must used their standard employment contract which is very vague n simple but i want to list down my list of do's n dun's for the maid in the contract n the agent said no such things allow, is this true?
 
thnx alot tamarind
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my this agent very funny give me two contract to sign..one is contract btw us n the agent and the other one is btw us n the maid which i find it weird coz the contract btw us n the maid should be drafted by us so why my agent insist we use their standard version which is so vague din include workscope, duties, schedule..etc etc

btw, anybody can show me their sample of employment contract for my reference? sorry this is the first time i employing maid so dunno alot alot of things.
sad.gif
 
aiyoh I posted a reply two days ago and now then I know it was not updated. sorry...

Sorry for the confusion. The agent is Orange employment agency at Balestier. $250 was my ex-indo maid. And now I am paying $320 for my current philipino maid.
 
aiyoh I posted a reply two days ago and now then I know it was not updated. sorry...

Sorry for the confusion. The agent is Orange employment agency at Balestier. $250 was my ex-indo maid. And now I am paying $320 for my current philipino maid.
 
Hi

Would like to know if anyone leave the maid alone to take care of baby or toddler? IE, no one is watching over the maid. Do you think it's safe?
 
Hi Jamie,
My colleague does that. Her maid look after her baby alone at home since birth. So far OK, except that the maid sometimes carry the baby downstairs, despite the fact that my colleague told her not to do so. The maid previously worked for my colleague's SIL for 4 years, so they know her quite well. Personally I feel that if you hire a new maid, it is not advisable to let her take care of your new born, because you don't know much about her character and you will be taking a risk.

My neighbour, who is a single mother, has a 6 year old girl taken care by a maid alone. That maid regularly brings a man back home, while the girl is in kindergarten ! Sometimes I see the girl wandering along the corridor alone. I felt very angry about this. The mother is always working and not at home.
 
Hi first_mum, I got my maid from this agency located at BT Plaza. Agent fees is $288, inclusive of 1st time checkup, first time stamping at ICA and photo taking.

Transfer maids with experience are about $280 prev. But with new MOM law, should be higher. New maids are starting at $280 with off days for Indonesians.
 
Hi Jamie,
IMHO infant care is the safest. Nanny usually have to take care of their own children, and also to cook and clean for their family, so they may not be able to pay a lot of attention to your baby. Caregivers at infant care also have to look after other babies, but at least they don't need to do housework so they can concentrate on the babies.
 
Hi Jamie

If you plan to hire an experienced maid and let her handle your baby alone at home while u are work work, please do not give her the housekeys. You can seal your housekeys in an envelope and sign your signature across it. that way, if she opens up, you will know, and in case of any emergency she can open up the envelope to get the keys.

I have friends who sent their kids to infant care, one of them withdrew out of the infant care, even though she was in teh advertisement for that infant care last year on papers. Raesons given was because of health - tend to fall sick so easily given taht so many babies at one place.

An experienced maid from a reliable agent would be able to take care of your baby and teach your baby to learnt. A maid is within your own home, so you can decide on how you want thigns to be done or instructions followed, a nanny looks after children at their own place and you can't tell them what to do with their house or have visibility to what happens at their home.
 
hi tamarind, choc and janet,
thks for sharing ur experience and info.

after gg to several agencies,i realised pay is not so standard after all.

i shortlisted 1 filipino who is ex-HK, nvr worked in spore n pay is 350, not negotiable, 1 offday.another indon ex-sin 3 yrs $350 also,with offday. those indons who cant speak english, ex-other countries much cheaper around 290. but cnt speak eng how can??

i realised the ones with "nicer" bios the agency tend to overstate their pay. and they tell me pay cannot negotiate. is it true? or they see me fresh employer and pregnant, try to "ka" me??

anyone has exp wiv maid who doesnt hv infant care exp? previous employer no bb, only children ages 5 and above. she claimed she looked aft bbs at home b4.. duno she can handle my NB anot. but shes the best i come across so far n im keen to hire her.
 
Hi 2005

Pay is negotiable between the domestic worker and the employer, not decided by agency. If you are hiring one to look after your baby as the main priority, please select one with infant care and child care experienced. There are some who claimed they have looked after babies before, but it can be either :

1) they look after babies together with other maids in the same household i.e. one maid in charge of cooking for the babies, one to look after in the day time, one in the nite time .. I have come across maids who claimed to have experienced but not exactly "full time" experience.

2) some have expeirenced with infant care back in their home countries, not local in singapore, the practices might be different.

Looking after a baby and toddler is a very demanding job, and requires someone with patience and experience to handle. A good maid can even teach your baby the ABCs and numbers.

This is the agency I have been using : www.lucky.com.sg if you are keen to widen your search before you decide. You can click on teh gallery and look at their biodata plus testimonies first before you decide if you should give the agency a call.
 
Hi Lenny

Thanks for your sharing.I did put my girl in the infant care but as she's only 14 mths, she's so traumatised by the whole experience and is having nightmares at night. Thus, will be getting a maid but for a start, she will not be left alone with the child.

Does anyone here allows the maid to call home using your own phone or do u recommend she use a phone card?

For toiletries, do you provide or she buys them herself at her own expense?
 
hi 2005,
I know neighbours who have hired new maids with no new born experience at all, and train them to be very competent. I would say it is possible but you must have a lot of patience. You also must be lucky enough to find a maid who is quite smart and keen to learn.
Also one thing to take note of, whether it is filipino or Indonesian, if they have never worked in Singapore before, it will be very difficult to communicate with them. It may take many months before they can speak good English. This makes training them a lot more difficult. My neighbour told me she has an English - Malay dictionary, and she will write every thing down on a piece of paper.

Jamie,
I allow my maid to call home using my phone. But I think using a phone card is also good. For toiletries, a maid who has just arrived in Singapore will have no money at all, you should provide them (especially sanitary pads) for the first 1 or 2 months, then tell them to buy their own after they receive their salary.
 
hi jamie,

i allow my maid 2 call hm using a phonecard. i'll buy d phonecard 4 her & she'll pay me back.

as 4 toiletries, i'll supply her wif d basics, such as shampoo, body & facial cleanser, toothbrush & toothpaste. anything else, she'll hv 2 buy it herself.
 
Hi Jamie

I do not have IDD function on my residential phone, so she will have to use her own card to call philippines. I allow her to use my residential phone with permission, so if she needs to call home, she can use her own card.
Not sure what the card is called, it allows them to call home using local phone. She buys her own phone card. She has her own mobile phone now and pay for her own mobile phone bills, so her daughters can sms her.

As for toiletries, it was specified in the contract that I will have to provide the basics. Not all agencies share the same practise. Since basis toiletries dun cost much and it lasts pretty long, I pay for her organics/pantene shampoo (large size) which last 4-6 months, kotex slim wing pads, and shower foam (you can buy soap if you like, the shower foam I got for her is 2 for 9 bucks, each 1000 ml and can last for a very long time), toothpaste. Facial soap and anything else she will get it herself.

I did thought about putting my gal in infant care when she was about 5 months old, after firing my first maid but I was blessed with finding this current maid who took care of her very well, esp when hubby and I have to travel on business trip almost every month. When my gal was down with fever, she knew how to boil barley with lianzi and mix with milk to let my gal pee out the heat, which helps alot, and even if you give her 5 bottles of diferent medicines, she know which and how and when to give which medicine per instructions on the label, and take her temperature hourly throughout the entire day, sponge her with normal tap water if the fever peaks etc. When my gal's fever subsided, she has spots/rashes on her body and back, my maid told me it's called "fake measles" which will subside after a few days, and I brought my gal to the PD jsut to have peace of mind since hubby and I are travelling again, and the PD said the same thing.
 
Hi ladies, I see that most of you provide the basic essentials to the maid. I do provide her with shampoo, toothpaste, soap, facial foam but not sanitary pads.

As for calling home, she will buy a phone card when she calls her family.
 
Lenny, u r really lucky to have such a maid

To Tamarind,Janet,vone, Lenny: Thanks for answering my questions.

I'm a first time employer so don't really know what to expect. Do you think I should write down the rules and regulations upfront and go thru with her on her 1st day of arrival?
 
hi jamie,

tt's a gd idea. at least she noes wat 2 expect. but dun expect ur maid 2 remember everything or noe wat u r talking abt. must remind her again & again or when d situation warrants it. gd luck!!
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Hi Jamie, my gf has written a list of 10 dos & donts for her maid. Her maid has worked for her for the past 4 years. Just renewed 3rd contract.

I wrote down what the maid has to do on weekdays & weekends. So far, she has been doing ok. Of course, have to close 1 eye esp if you are not working. So far, I've never left her alone with the kids though.
 
hi tamarind,
the maid ive chose can speak fairly gd english, ive communicated with her over the phone n she can understand everything i say without much prob and respond v coherently. so im quite pleased with dat. she worked for british family before... im hoping my CL can train her how to tk care of infant. if not aft CL leaves, i still hv 2 mths supervise her at home.

TOILETRIES
i was askg hubby whether shd give her her own set of toiletries but he say just share with us loh except bar soap n toothpaste...

how many times does ur maids bath a day? if she cooks/ does hsewrk n sweats, not v hygienic to feed bb after dat rite?? n do u let her sleep in aircon with bb?

can someone pls share their dos n donts?? thks!
 
Hi first_mum,

Toiletries
I give her a set of toiletries as she uses the toilet in the kitchen - toothpaste, soap, toilet roll, toothbrush. Sanitary pads she has to buy herself.

My maid bathes twice a day - morn & night. When she is sweaty after cooking & housework, I don't let her carry. But then I am not working, so it is possible to have such an arrangement.

Nights, my kids sleep beside me in the master bedroom. This way, I don't have to worry they won't sleep after she leaves. BTW, most Indonesian maids are afraid of the cold.

List of donts:
-No talking back
-No giving of my home telephone no to her family
-No opening my cupboards except for kids
-No to using IDD to call her family. Buy phonecard.

Do:
-Have initiative
-Look after the kids well. Make sure they don't fall.
-Practice personal hygiene, like washing hands after using the toilet and before touching the baby and feeding utensils.
-Be polite.
 


Hi experienced mummies,

I got a few queries and hope someone can give me some advise.

Which toilet do you usually let the maid use? I have one in the master bedroom, one in the common corridor and one in the backyard. I dun mind letting her use the one in the common corridor but hubby thinks it's a bit weird. but the one in the backyard has not hot water facilities.

i will be getting my maid soon and since me and my hubby works, he is not keen to let the maid be alone at home once she comes. but if i put her at my mum's place, then how do i teach her what to do right?
 
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