How important is employer reference

I lost a good helper because she coudln't get me a refernce letter or give me their numbers to be able to speak to them. I am urgently looking for a helper and have seen so many of them but can't seem to settle or hire anyone...the only one i really liked had this issue. I refused to hire her because before her the only other helper i liked - on refernce check done- turned out to be terminally ill, it scared the sh*t out of me because i need her to manage my 2 year old daughet and i am working.


Does everyone do a ref check before hiring, is it safe to hire them without a refernce...somehow i get the comfort when i speak to another mother on hwo she managed their kid!!

I think you have to o on instinct, as cara said. I just hired a helper who didn't have a reference letter. She was with her previous employer for 1 yr 11 months, as her employer moved back to Korea. I was able to talk to some x-pats who knew her quite well, and got wonderful feed back. I was sure I would hire her anyway, as I felt really ood about her. Do you know why she isn't working for the previous employer? Termination, end of contract??

I think so I had a reference letter for mine but not all that was said in it was strictly true! As Cara has said trust your instinct!

Thanks everyone, the person i was talking about is gone she has found another employer....i find it hard to belive someone having worked for 2 years and unable to get their current employer to speak to their future employers. I find something i fishy when they fumble...anyways i have seen some 80 odd helpers and whenever i finalise someone they back out and continue with their current employer. Most of them start looking out without putting in their papers hence the issue....

Have to agree with you SHJA and crystal. I trusted my gut first time around when I could not get a reference. I fell for 'they are Chinese and they treat me very badly'. Within a matter of days, I learned that there was probably a very good reason that she did not want me to speak to her previous employer. I now insist on speaking to them, not just on reading a reference. I think you can get a lot more from the tone of someone's voice and their answers to questions that are relevant to your needs.

My opinion is to check out the references so you can have peace of mind. Good chance you won't get any surprises. You don't want to do all the contract work only to find out with time that she has lied or she is so thick etc etc. Can you imagine if you don't feel comfortable or secure with her and you have to leave your kid with her? It will stress the hell out of you. After interviewing alot of helpers, I have come to the conclusion that the majority exaggerate or say whatever it takes to get what they want. I'm not saying that they are all bad but you too have to do your homework. For me it's crucial to check their references and also when you conduct your interview, you need to ask a lot of personal questions or even test them out, make them read english, give them a quizz etc. I have come up with an interview form with all the relevant questions/test etc to save myself time if I have to interview again. You would never believe the type of problems that can arise or things they do that drive you nuts. The helper I ended up hiring is good with my baby but what drives me up the wall is having to repeat myself. She admitted to having really bad memory. She constantly forgets things despite having done them so often. I also found out that she had a problem with the driver of her previous employer. She said that he was pressuring her to get intimate with him...long story, she just happened to break down crying one day for no reason and talked about it to me. Other things that drove me mad like her hair...she is a christian so she does not cut her hair. During the interview she told me she always wears her hair up. One morning I wake up to see her hair long down to the floor, she scared the sh*t out of me that morning. I didn't say anything as I thought it was a one off thing but then everymorning she had her hair down. She said she wanted to dry her hair after washing. I had to tell her to tie it up. Her references checked out okay but her previous employer knew nothing about the driver incident. Important to check more than one reference. I can go on and on.. by doing your homework you can avoid the bad helpers and save yourself the hassle and stress. If I told you about my sister's experience with her helper you would cringe. My sister is a nice person....one stole from her, another one she went to court, another one had a bad boyfriend who had complete control over her etc.

Thanks ninalee, these maid nightmares scare me and leaving a kid with them is terrifying. I have been desperate to get someone known and referenced by friends bu hasn't worked out...so have to go thru agency. I almost signed someone till i heard she had an expat boyfriend and was evry moody at work....do let me know whenever you hear of someone who is leaving HK and wants their helper to be accomodated.

oh dear, sorry you are not having much luck SHJA, we were lucky and found the right helper after about 6 or so interviews - through an agency indeed - but Ed has some valid points on why not use agency...

Anyway - yes, check references for sure - not just letters - make sure you speak to previous employers - if anything you will know that the helper is "who she says she is"!!

Hi I have a maid who have been with us for 8 years.We would not be needing her anymore cause my children are all grown up 12years and 15year and i dont work anymore as well.If by any chance u want to interview her. I would like to recommend her to you she is very reliable.

Hi

I found my helper with Asiaxpat


she is 38 years old, Pilipino, Married with 5 kids. Good appearance. She finished a 2 years contract in HK, and then worked for another 16 months for another employer. Now she has been working for me for 3 weeks only but I would like her to find another employer because she likes to organize her own way which would be fantastic for a working women but it is not suitable for me because I am at home all day long, I have my own habits and I want things to be done exactly the way I want.

She likes her job of domestic helper. She likes to clean, to tidy, what she cooks tastes good, she takes good care of our family she takes some initiative to be nice with us. She is willing to help. So if you are a working person who wants to delegate everything to your helper she is the one and she will be happy to help you. If you need her during the week end it’s no problem for her she is flexible.

PM me if interested