Hi Scoobydoo, I posted a similiar note a few weeks back and got no reply. Surprising, given the number of expats who employ help at home. Anyway, after much searching we decided to use a company called SG Manpower on Orchard Rd. Registered with Min of Manpower, and tight on following all the rules and regs. Very efficient and speedy. Good website. They set up interviews for us on Sun last. Met 4 ladies. Hired 1 next day after ref checks etc. She starts next wk. The MOM website lists official employment agencies and those that are not, plus those on the edge. A lot of paperwork and documentation involved but agency were terrific and leading on it all. Happy to supply more info or have a chat if that helps. Best of luck.
i'll be very happy to discuss the maid situation with anyone via PM.
i think each individual case is different and also apart from looking at agencies, the Cold Storage noticeboards (Jelita, Great World for example) offer an alternative to agencies -something i didn't know when i began looking.
in my case i found my helper through an agency and we're very happy.
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 1:15 pm Post subject: Any suggestions for a good maid agency
Hi there:
We just hired a maid from an agency called ADP that we found through a great maid portal called netmaid.com. Several agencies have biodata on different maids there, you can search based on selected criteria and then contact the agency representing the helper you like. I recommend a "transfer" maid, as they are already here, you can interview them in person and most have experience working with expat familes. I interviewed three ladies, selected the one I thought would work best with our family and hired her. She started yesterday, and, so far, I'm very impressed.
I have edited your post to include the link to Netmaid as that is an excellent link giving exposure to a wide selection of agencies. I have also added that link to my links page in my signature for our readers in the future. Excellent link.
Hi again. Glad you are getting lots of good input. We arrived about 10 days ago. Living in a nice temp serviced apartment till mid-Sept. Agree that every family will have different needs, and also agree that a transfer maid is an excellent option given the ability to meet the candidates face to face. I was surprised at the amount of paperwork involved, something the agencies can all lead on which is great but you prob need to allow 2 wks from end to end to manage the process. We met/interviewed a shortlist on Sunday (it being their day off/interview day usually) and we hope to have completed the transfer by mid next wk, assuming all goes ok with MOM etc. FOund that bit weird. Arrived at agency Sun aft to a room full of hopeful candidates. Interviews were very public and felt like a bit of a cattle market with the other candidates listening in to our discussion. Don't feel pressured to take whomever you first meet. Hold out till you click with the right person. Being the employer you have many requirements and responsibilies so it's important to get it right. I was pretty astonished to learn that many employers give only one day off per month to their maid - maybe it's a "local" thing, but I was shocked to see how heavily worked these women are. Each to their own I suppose. Anyway, feel free to PM me if you feel like discussing further. All the best.
Thanks, SMS, for properly posting the link for me. As you can see, I'm the newest of the new here and I may need a little hand-holding to get the processes down properly.
ADP actually sent the three helpers I was interested in to my condo to interview, but it was a little funny--they are all friends and very giggly together and it was a bit awkward, but better than interviewing them at the agency, I think.
You don't know the half of it. Do a search of these threads on maid abuse etc. to get a feel of the the way some domestics are treated here (and not only by just the locals - some expats aren't much better - but I must say they are a minority if they are western expats). The one day a week off it only the tip of the iceberg and yes, that is mostly a local thing but until the Ministry of Manpower says they MUST give one day off a month, it's not likely to happen with the locals, 14~18 hour days are the norm for those who have to work for them sad to say. _________________ . Helpful Links for Expats in Singapore
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i used InterMares in Lucky Plaza. However, i also went through the internet - apart from netmaids, there is also Maidlibrary which aggregates the different maid agencies - you can select / search for a maid based on age, nationality, marital status, duties, etc.
In addition to this, i also scoured the notice boards at the supermarkets - in our situation, i preferred a transfer maid (ie one that was already in singapore but transfering to a new employer) rather than one that was fresh off the boat from her home country.
The most helpful thing is to have an idea of the type of characteristics you are looking for in a maid (beyond just someone to do the housework) - once you list these down, then look for those individuals who fit the criteria.
Maid agencies charge various fees - from $199 to as high as $799 to complete the paperwork. Some have guarantees or replacement maids within a certain period of time.
For me, it didn't matter so much about the agency - again, it boils down to the individual and the "fit". We've had our maid (our first and current!) for 4 years now and have just renewed for another 2 year term.
There is some give and take but to make the relationship work, treat them as a colleague and not as an object, and keep the communication lines open.
Hi Scooby. Did you get a helper already? I know someone who is looking at transferring to Singapore as a nanny/helper whose been working in Hong Kong for 14 years. Speaks good English. Just don't know about the cooking though.
did i find a helper....yes i did but appears that she may be knocked up n i am planning on meeting her agent tmw...
feeling sad abt it coz i was just beginning to feel settled with her n then i hear that shes already had one abortion 2 months agon n is trying to abort this one too( if she is preg) aswell.
i mean i do not understand these ppl. she has 2 kids at home who depend on her n shes busy having unprotected sex!! i was feeling guilty abt wanting to sack her n my husband said she doesnt care abt her family or future why r u riding the guilt wagon...
In your bed when you are away She probably makes more than her whole month salary during one night on the job .
Seriously though, she should have had a medical done prior to you employing her being pregnant should show up, plus make sure you have insurance to cover these fines and medical expense ( bit late now if she is pregnant )
I feel your pain been there, our first helper got pregnant with her ex employers husband!! Second one was good but went back after her stint, third one went mad and got arrested, and our fourth nearly got rejected by MOM because of high blood pressure, but she is the daughter-in-law of our UK helper, though never worked as a maid, she was a hospital xray technician in the Philippines, so it really is back to square one, but so far she been good,
Its all trial and error and when you see adverts from people saying really great maid to off load be wary, as they might be trying to shift dodgy one and dont want to pay the repatriation and agency cost
the thot did cross my mind when i saw VERY GOOD maid adverts:)
right now i am waiting for the damn agent to respond to my call to confirm that shes coming. i have a very strong feeling that shes not coz in the past shes been very nreliable!
urggggghhhhh i hate the idea of confronting this girl on my own.
Good test if its a genuine transfer maid see how long she been working if its 7 years and the family is returning home then you are on to a winner, if its 2 months and its a local employer then be suspicious.
Most agency give some form of guarantee ( like a washing machine ) that they will replace the maid if you are not happy at no cost to you.
Seems odd if you find the agent unreliable why work with her in the first place?
Crown relocation recomended 121 agency which was the bunch who sent the good one to us.
Although we did a direct hire on the current helper, we asked BSC agency in far east plaza or shopping center (next to hilton) to handle the paperwork and they were very good.
We used Sinar Mas for the latest wonderful gem who helps out our family and I know a philapina girl there who comes recommended. Before that we used a recommendation from 121 but not 121 u
Out main criteria when even considering a helper is intelligence. Whilst I do not measure that on academic level achieved due to the economic situation in their home countries it is pretty easy to assess. Ask them what languages they speak...been her for a while working for a chinese family they should speak some Mandarin, likewise a European, south american or malay or indian family. Other prying invasive questions such as what do your brothers and sisters do..I am paying for my sister to do medicine is always a good sign..especially if it is true. One other question guaranteed to get a interesting response...If my child falls in the pool what would you do ? You would be well surprised at the result.
my part timer had recommended the agent and had brought a few girls for an intervew...so i hadnt met teh agent till i had zeroed in on the girl...
i know i know...
next time round im gonna be extra cautious...
Something doesn't smell right, why would the part timer recommend an agent? She is effectively losing her source of income, unless she made and arrangement to get a cut from the maid salary.
The maid is not honouring the deal hence the fall out.
To make sure you are dealing with someone who office is not the corner seat in Orchard towers coffeshop, check to see if the agency has all all the MOM and Case trust accreditation, while its not 100% perfect at least there is some comeback.
I believe all legit employment agency have to be accredited before a license can be issued.
the part timer realised that eventually i wud get a full timer n she was going to teh phillipines. she came highly recommended by our realtor who has been using her for several years now.
im so paranoid abt getting screwed again, im sticking to a friend of mien who ahs been here for yrs to help me this time round...i tell u its all abt recommendations!!!
I found all the postings at supermarkets were really agents getting you to phone them for their 'really good maid' that they were 'sorry to loose, but they were returning home'
I agree with Topshelf. Found ADP agency from netmaid.com 1 week after I arrived in Singapore and they sorted out a load of interviews for me on that Sunday. First maid we picked backed out after a few days of saying yes, and Debbie from ADP was straight on the case sending me bio's of new ones. When we went to the office in Far East Shopping Centre on a Sunday it was packed full of girls, so it's obviouslly very popular with them. The girls can stay at a home ADP owns between their transfers.
We now have had our new maid for 2 weeks and she is a dream!! My tip is most of them can cook, clean and do ironing; the key is to get one who speaks good enough English and then you have the tools to really sort out anything else. It's all a bit pot luck really, just put their pics on a wall and throw a dart at it! Happy hunting
Interesting stories about maids and agenices. I know i nearly went to an agency listed.
I got my transfer maid from ADP, so far so good. She speaks good english and are great with kids. ADP handled all the paperwork and responded to all queries promptly when employment histories on biodata didn't exactly match information on MOM's website. Willingly to negotiate agency fees and not biased towards asian expats. Thats another story with another maid agency.
I highly recommend getting a referral from a friend or someone living in the same condo (or wherever you are living). Also, the bulletin boards are great. I started out using 121 Personnel at Far East Shopping Centre, and they seemed okay, it was just that we didn't click with most of the candidates they sent to us (some fishy things in some of the resumes), or the couple of suitable helpers that we approached ended up taking jobs with other families already. One downside to interviewing agency provided helpers is that you don't get much time to interview. If you set up your own interviews with helpers who are recommended or posted an ad on a bulletin board, you can set up a much longer interview and get to know the person better.
I became aware of Singapore's only charity for helping abused workers because that is where our helper was staying. It is called HOME http://www.home.org.sg/, and they have an agency called Starhome for helping to place workers who wish to remain in Singapore after their ordeals. The majority want to go home, but about 10-15% are actively looking for a new workplace. I recommend calling and asking about a transfer helper if you are truly a good employer. This means that you will provide a decent salary, decent work hours, private and comfortable place to sleep, work is in your home ONLY, every Sunday off as well as some public holidays, no verbal or physical abuse! HOME is also looking for donations and volunteers, so feel free to call if you are interested in helping this much needed charity in Singapore. Finally, please feel free to pass HOME's number to any helper you know is being abused or unfairly treated, because many helpers don't know that they have a place to go if they want to complain and take action about their mistreatment.
Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 10:39 pm Post subject: SG Manpower
YumMum wrote:
Hi Scoobydoo, I posted a similiar note a few weeks back and got no reply. Surprising, given the number of expats who employ help at home. Anyway, after much searching we decided to use a company called SG Manpower on Orchard Rd. Registered with Min of Manpower, and tight on following all the rules and regs. Very efficient and speedy. Good website. They set up interviews for us on Sun last. Met 4 ladies. Hired 1 next day after ref checks etc. She starts next wk. The MOM website lists official employment agencies and those that are not, plus those on the edge. A lot of paperwork and documentation involved but agency were terrific and leading on it all. Happy to supply more info or have a chat if that helps. Best of luck.
We hired from SG Maid, the service was great when we hired our helper but when we run into problems with our helper, they got very difficult and even suggested solutions to us which where not legal.
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She probably makes more than her whole month salary during one night on the job .
) that they will replace the maid if you are not happy at no cost to you.
