Due Diligence and Employer References: She ain't all that !

Doing credible due diligence on a domestic helper is a challenging task: Relying on good interviewing skills and employer references may not be enough to uncover issues of character and integrity. As I discovered in going through the Asiaxpat ads, references can be doctored/misrepresented by the helper or in collusion with the employers.


Lessons learned:

* Insist on a try out to test the skillset they claim they have: If they demure, it's a sign they have something to hide or an attitude problem.


* Many "employer references" simply confirm the helpers duties and work experience. Beware of the ones with the misspelling "conform": the Filipina helper who wrote this herself or with the help of her friends, spell as they speak.


* A helper based in Singapore who wished to return to HK to work, placed an ad in Asiaxpat with a detailed, eloquent and strong recommendation from her American employer. My separate phone interview with the helper and employer went well, with both invoking her God fearing/church values to address my query on character and integrity. Interestingly, when I raised the issue of a tryout with a friend in Singapore due to the difficulty in conducting due diligence long distance, the helper had her employer send me an email saying she had been hired by a neighbourhood family in Singapore, also American. Two weeks later the same helper appears again in a new Asiaxpat ad seeking employment again in HK, with a revised recommendation from her employer. So much for church values....


* My own helper who has worked for me for almost four years recently proved to be a big disappointment. I have always attested to her character and integrity: she has never given me reason to doubt her. As her contract is coming up for renewal this summer, I expressed my wish for her to renew. She surprised me by turning me down, especially with a long service bonus due in another year. Thereafter, funny things started happening as she systematically sabotaged my recruitment efforts leveraging her Filipina helper network in sending harassing sms messages and phone calls to prospective candidates and my family's cell phones. I cannot explain her bizarre behavior, but its pointless to dig deeper as she is history now and I have secured a new helper. My point is no amount of due diligence can uncover character flaws which may choose to unravel long after you become associated with a person. One can only try their best to identify as many dimensions of character traits as you can in the interviewing process. Beyond that, it's a coin toss and sometimes you get lucky. Filipina Helpers' personal lives and baggage can be full of drama. Let's hope they don't bring it into your household.

Hi GreenValleys, I think you can appreciate where I'm coming from. I don't think I am generalizing though: I came to these conclusions from my personal experience over a long period of time. Readers can take from my experience what they choose to. Of course, my views are not cast on every helper from that country. As in every situation, there are always exceptions. Let's put it this way, my experiences have made me a lot more cautious in my selection of helpers and not take everything at face value because I want to expedite the process. Thank you for your input

So Chindian ,if you dont mind ,can you share with us ,what questions at interview time ,give you a better idea of the person........ive been a bad judge with my last 2 maids and Im petrified going thr another one all over again

anyinsights would be very welcome and highly appreciated

Thanks

How many trials can you do as for few hrs they will be on their best behaviour or whatever