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Longtimeexpat
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« Reply #24 on: 04 September 2010, 10:54:04 am » |
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I have been in in Asia for 35 years
1. What is the bottom line price for a maid?
A. Salary = SG$350-$600/mo it depends on experience, country of origin, how long they have been with a family, and job tasks. A very experienced maid from the Philippines who has been with a family for many years would be on the high end of the range. A 'new-to-the-job' maid from Sri Lanka, Indonesia would be on the low end. Average Philipino would be about $400-$500.
B. Govt Tax = $265/mo
C. Medical Insurance & Bond = ~$250 for 24 month contract
D. Medical Checkup = ~$25-50 every 6 months highly depending on what clinic you take them to. Clinics who serve a local clientele will be on the low side of this range
E. Food = Depends on you, some give a daily $ allowance and they cover their own food, others share whatever the family eats/leftovers. We all eat the same food in our home.
F. Others = Depends on you, we give ours X'mas bonus (2 wks pay), if I need them for Sunday Overtime (3x the daily rate or $45). We give them a phone, and $20/mo for service, more for us to contact her anytime, but she can use the rest to call home.
2. Is there REALLY a $5000 bond? Who can afford that? Who is able to put that up and not receive it back until they are done with their maid?
- Yes there really is a $5000 bond, but you do not need to pay it upfront. The insurance per above guarantees it on your behalf.
3. Are you always responsible for a trip to their homeland?
- Yes, air tickets are quite cheap, $250-400, cheapest if they buy it through the many Maid employment shops in Lucky Plaza/Orchard Rd. We usually just cash in Freq Flier Points as expats can really rack them up when living here.
4. Is it cheaper to go through an agency or do it yourself? And do you have some suggestions or lists of agencies. I only found one. I've done both agency and myself. If you are new expat, I would get a transfer maid (Q5), and get an agency to handle it for you.
I've used 3 agencies. A transfer maid would probably cost around $800 including the insurance listed above. This beats going to the govt office twice, get your own insurance, doctors checkup, etc... not worth the trouble especially if you are in unfamiliar territory. Intermares are very transparent of their costs.
If you go with a maid on their roster, it will cost a little more, but the positive thing is they guarantee their maids and if things don't work out with the maid they will switch for free upto 3-5 times.
The benefit of a transfer is you have the opportunity of getting a reference from the previous family, they know their way around town. Adjusting to a new family is only about minor preferences differences that you might have compared to the previous family.
5. Is a transfer maid the better way to go, in your opinion?
I would go with a transfer maid as they are generally better and less risky, but take time to talk to their previous employer, ask about skills, attitude, hard worker, personal/emotional problems. If the employer takes the time to speak to you and sounds really caring about their maid those are good signs.
6. A thread mentioned another thread where there was a list of questions to ask a potential hire. I was not able to find the list. can someone direct me?
- I haven't seen the list, but profiling helps give an indication beyond what is said in an interview. I prefer Staunch Catholics (high moral values), Never from Manila (who tend to have attitude and are a little too street smart, farming backgrounds know what hard work is and tend to be thankful of what they have), with kids in Phil (stability as they need to support them), Oldest in their Family (they have been taking care of others for a long time).
7. WHat happens if you hire a maid, pay all the fees, the doctor check up, etc, and she's not a good fit?
Per #4 & #5 above, if you get them from an agency it's easy to switch at no cost. If you get a transfer you are stuck with them, so you need to be very thorough in your reference check, interview, and outlining of your expectations like work hours, tasks, etc...
Keep in mind they are not slaves and its partly your job to help them get to a healthy employer/employee relationship. I had one western neighbor who went through 5 maids, and finally the government disallowed to to have any more as it was determined it was not the fault of the maids.
8. I've never had a live in maid, so can you tell me what you can expect them to do? Do you give them lists, require a set amount, etc. What exactly do you do?
Our maid is in charge of running our household of 2 working adults and 2 active teenagers plus one huge dog in a 5000 sqft house. They start their day at 6AM and ends about 9PM and they have near total management of the household, its a lot of work. For the first few months we gave them a calendar and put each task on it (calling the Gardener, Aircon, Pest control), when to make dinners, etc. But as they got more comfortable, we did away with the lists as they found 'their groove'. You should expect the first month to be the time to spend more time with them doing the shopping, laundry, cooking, and get a feel for their capabilites, teaching them how you prefer things, and them getting used to you. Be nurturing, everyone wants to do a good job but sometimes they might not be clear on expectations, afraid to ask or tell you something. Keep in mind that while most have a good proficiency of English, its their second language, and what you say in not always the same as what they hear, and visa-versa. Something as simple as 'cleaning the room' is open to interpretation: Making the bed or washing the sheets, bathroom too?
9. If I dont need them for child care, but do have children, will that make it harder to find one?
It would be easier to find someone as its less work, but you should be realistic, most expats come with that expectation as that's the environment you come from and the motherly thing to think. Being realistic, the adults will have more active lifestyles outside of home while their are here; work functions, days out with friends, etc... Don't delude the maid into thinking they wont have to handle the kids. You want someone going into the the job knowing it will be hard work, and if it isn't no one is worse off.
From my own experience, take the time to find the right one and work with them to get to a mutually satisfying medium, and treat them as a trusted employee IF they have earned it. Our first maid 35 years ago when I was a child is still in touch with our whole family and living a happy life in the US. It can be a rewarding experience.
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