Don't generalise what nationality to hire

Many of you are thinking certain nationalities are so unreliable after the bad experiences you have had. (I am NOT a FDH) We can't generalise by what nationality these FDH are - it is really about the person.

I gave up hiring Filipinas (x2 loans, dishonesty)3 years ago because I had bad experiences with them too. But having tried Indonesians (x3 - caught for stealing, unauthorised use of IDD) and Nepalese (x1 caught for stealing), I gave up and hired my present Filipina now (She is SO GREAT!). I believe it is bad luck that we had those bad ones and I told myself it is a matter of time to meet the right person. I guess we have to learn about the way of life in the countries that they live - Indonesians treat themselves more like slaves as most are farmers; Filipinas live with pride and are more westernised since Americans and Spaniards stayed there during wartimes.


I believe communication is essential - the reason that I terminated my previous Indo helpers was due to dishonesty and communication barrier. e.g. My Indo dumped my fan in the bathtub to scrub it clean. She failed to understand basic instructions in our language, you would have to be patient to teach them but Filipinas are so clever and quick with instructions - my helper is SUPERB.

She isn't the best cook, but she is willing to try. She works out what to cook for dinner and make lovely meals (even it didn't taste good, I appreciated her thoughtfulness). I told her she has to report to me if she breaks anything or did wrong - I would just tell her to be careful next time. She is happy and we treat her like part of our family. This is the best experience I've had with a helper. She cares about our health too, like what we drink when we talk too much (due to our job nature). She is considerate too and loves our dogs. She makes healthy meals for our dogs too.

It'd probably cost many air tickets and termination before you get one like this. I gave her monthly bonus as encouragement for her continuous effort.


I need some advice here. Our contract states $3,400 but I now pay her extra $100 fixed to her salary and other bonus based on a reward system - occasional treats like cash or phone card. I am still wondering whether I should pay her more but I think I would be spoiling her, am I?

...hearty meals for dogs...?! Please please please give and example of one...!

Sorry if I'd used the wrong word, I meant healthy! She mixed rice with carrot, fresh minced beef for my dogs.

is this for real?

i'm afraid it sounds like it...

Of course, this is for real - I interviewed many helpers before finding this one. She came to my home for an interview and she liked our place. She has very strong opinion about what she thinks e.g.1 If she dislikes onion in salad, she would avoid using it. e.g.2 She likes the way she arranges the flowers than mine, then I let her do it her way unless it really bothers me. Guess I am quite flexible about what she does and never ask what she's done when we are out. It is a matter of trust. It costed me a lot before this SUPER helper to our home - she is BOSSY and MOODY if you really want me to name her weaknesses (which is good when I don't want to deal with certain issues)and if she has mood swings which is normal for women, I could accept it. I mean, who doesn't?

She even tells me that the dogs are bored with their regular dried food and stir in fresh mince with veggies. She would remind me when to feed them heartworm tablets.

I asked her to cook Filipino food for us. She joins us in our family discussion.

I would never believe this would happen to me. Honestly after what happened to me previously, I was driven nuts because of my bad experiences. I dreaded those days and life is looking so much brighter than before.

FYI, I found my present helper from this website. I called her previous employer before hiring her, (as stated in my previous thread) the comments were more negative than positive - the old lady said she spoke loudly and was moody; she even said she can't cook. I managed to compare the testimony of both before deciding to take her - just by working out who was more reasonable. The old lady always insisted to cook herself while asking the helper to iron, then of course, the helper won't learn anything.

A lot of people here make thier own dog chow from rice and meat and vegggies. Not me but I have met alot of HK people who own dogs and do.

jessielibo, I think you don't have to stress yourself too much, you're doing fine already, what matters most is the respect towards your helper as a human being. Probably red pockets or small gifts during special occasion will be highly appreciated. During my time as a helper I didn't expect too much rewards from my employers, was not treated like one of the family either but was respected and never felt so low because I was working as a helper. As bonuses I looked forward on birthdays, X-mas and Chinese New Year, I was contented!