Maid Woes

I mentioned in my previous entry that our maid is supposed to come on last Thursday. Well, unluckily, it didn't happened and I am currently managing the housework and the numerous parties/gatherings that we're hosting these two weekends.

We've always heard so much stories about having a maid at home and how some of them turn out to be more of a headache than a help. I definitely have my share of stories in this topic.

But have you heard of stories on hiring maids? We just encounter not one but three such incidents of hiring a helper.

Some of you may know, WF and I made an agreement to get a helper in December for various reasons. I had opted to do without a helper, but WF thought otherwise. So I gave him my word that we'll get one by year end to help us over the festive seasons as well as the moving next year.

So in end Nov, we went to the agency to get a helper. And eventually we selected our first one with rather good experience but currently in Indonesia (she went back after contract ends). She didn't make it to S'pore eventually. Because the work permit application was rejected by MOM. And my agent found out that she's blacklisted (and probably a police case) which she didn't declare to the agency at all.

Then we selected a second one. She was working in an Indian household and the ma'am was rather demanding and slapped her. She cried and called the agency and told them she don't want to work there anymore and to look for a new employer for her. So we thought she was a good fit, given her experience. We even called her previous two Chinese employers who gave her rather good references. Sigh... One day before she's supposed to come over, she changed her mind! She had a talk with her Indian employer and the ma'am promised to lower their demands etc. So she decided to stay. I almost flipped and had to re-sign all the documents because the work permit had already been issued!!

If you think twice is enough, then it happened to me the THIRD time. The third one was one real smart and smug lady. She was fluent in Mandarin as well as English. Extensive experience with Chinese family but she left them after 7years due to stagnant pay and nil off days. SIX hours she's supposed to come over, she changes her mind (too!). She told the agent she wants to go back to her previous employer and her employer is willing to pay her $450 with 1 off day. I flipped and counter proposed $450 with 2 off days. Two days later and this is what she told the agent, word for word," I go and work for my old employer, if I not happy, then I go and work for the new employer."

I must be a crazy idiot to employ her or even to wait for her...