Maid quits for higher paid employeer

[ecureilx]

People may say that maids are hard done by but it's not exactly a bed of roses for employers either.

^ this, I do agree

[PNGMK]

People may say that maids are hard done by but it's not exactly a bed of roses for employers either.

^ this, I do agree

+2 - hence try to find a maid that comes recommended from someone you think might be telling the truth or one that you have observed at your condo.

[Steve1960]

I am having the first experience of a live in maid (2 months in). Here is my possibly naive and potentially politically incorrect views:

a) A maid is not a nanny. Don't ask a maid to take care of your kids. The maid is there to clean, cook, do the laundry etc. We have a 3 year old daughter. Our maid plays with her sometimes but is never asked to take care of her in any way.

b) We chose a maid from Myanmar. In our view she was less likely to be problematic i.e. no social network of experienced maids to teach her all the bad tricks, not a mobile phone addict, not interested in having a day off as such. Only wanted to go to church on Sunday mornings. You can read this as she is not Filipina. My wife is Filipina, I love 'em but not as a live in maid. I know its a generalization but we both think they can be trouble.

c) She is a transfer maid and honestly isn't that great but we intend to work with her and hopefully make her a better maid and a better person if we can.

d) It really isn't easy getting the relationship right. Maids should not be treated like slaves but nor must they be allowed to take advantage of the employer. We are ruling with an iron fist in terms of having our maid carry out her tasks the way we want them done and to a high standard. This will be good for us now and help her in the future. However, in return she has privileges. Exclusive use of a TV and DVD player in her own room, free use of the air con in her room, 7pm to 7am is her own time to sleep, relax and do what she wants.

e) We don't try to occupy her time just for the sake of it. She has a daily schedule of tasks, if they are completed properly before 7pm then she has additional time to herself. Often she chooses to play with our daughter at those times which is nice.

f) We pay her s$500 it would have been s$430 if she had wanted 4 days off a month. That is low but if she learns what we are teaching her and we don't have to oversee her work constantly I have told her the salary will increase. Reward for good work, make the incentive clear. That's pretty much what we all expect right? Why should maids be any different, and you wonder why they leave and join another employer for more money.

[Beeroclock]

A) I mostly agree. We sometimes ask for babysitting, but do as much as possible ourselves. I'm surprised when people seem to delegate the majority of their parental duties, and concerned about some of the safety risks when I observe what goes on.... I wouldn't do it myself.

D and F) I also find the relationship tricky and especially don't appreciate the loss of privacy.I really don't like having to manage someone at home.... schedule tasks, monitor performance, give feedbAck, deal with behavior/attitude fluctuations. Enough of those headaches at the office! Every now and then I do get frustrated and need to re tally the pros vs cons to remind myself that overall it's worth it having a maid. We also genuinely try to treat our maid well and there are some times we feel we're being taken advantage of, but then I try imagine being in her shoes to get a perspective back and just be thankful for what we've got!