Posted by
fsjan
16 yrs ago
My story goes like this:
My helper renewed her contract with me in June. Then in July she decided to go home for good as she missed her very young children so much. She left at such a short notice that I was caught totally unprepared.
I searched and searched and found one in Sept. A pretty good one, good at cooking and kept my house clean and tidy. Everything seemed to be working out well until I arranged for her to have a body check up. She is a carrier of Hep B virus! I did a lof of fact finding about Hep B and even went to have blood tests to see if my family had anti bodies ( if so, we could keep her ). At the end, I had no choice but to release her coz my hubby did not have any antibodies despite receiving vaccination three years ago.. I felt so sorry for her that I paid her an extra sum on top of what she deserved. After she was gone gone, I found that many of my nice cook books were stolen!
Two week ago, I interviewed one who was very smart and got good reference from her previous employer. My children also felt good about her. When I was about to sign her up, I found that she lied to me. She hid from me that she had two incidents of backing out from contracts she had signed with other employers. The implication of this was that she could not stay in HK to wait for her visa ( Immigration rule )and I will have to wait for two months if I hire her.
I then started my search all over again. Interviewed one yesterday who looked perfect for my family. I have arranged for her to come to my place to meet my family tomorrow, only to receive her text message this morning that she has got a good deal from her present employer ( using my offer as a bargain?) and decided to renew her contract.
Am I being unlucky or good and honest maids are hard to come by these days?
Please support our advertisers:
My helpers sister is available asap her name is amelia and they are very honest very religious family and she has western experience.90271824 is her number. i am happy to verify her personal character. jodi
Please support our advertisers:
pines
16 yrs ago
i am sorry about all what you've experienced! sometimes people can be unreliable for some reasons. it could happen to anybody.
Please support our advertisers:
Hotmama - please don't use the "religious card" as a selling point. My soon to be former helper used it in our interview. When we explained to her that we weren't in a position to give her a pay rise after two months of her working for us she started sulking like a teenager, refused to do the daily work expected of her and even fed mashed potato made with sour cream to my dairy anaphylactic son and offered not so much as an apology when I confronted her. Not very Christian like behaviour in my mind.
fsjan - I am with you. After this helper goes we are not getting another. I am no longer prepared to pay for the privilege of feeling uncomfortable in my own home.
Please support our advertisers:
kneebows - this is one of the things i exactly fear would happen when domestic helpers start comparing employers and wages (see the other threads)... and they don't get what other helpers are getting .
Please support our advertisers:
dadda I absolutely agree with you. We have always treated our helper like a part of the family but they think very differently. You can do as much for them they do not give a dam.
Please support our advertisers:
Ed
16 yrs ago
Let's please not generalize...
Please support our advertisers:
fsjan
16 yrs ago
To update you all on my helper search. Jsut interviewed one. Good employment record, very smart and mature. I took her to the agency right away to complete all the paperwork. Will she definitely be my helper? Don't know yet as she may still be shopping around to look for a better employer than me while waiting for the visa. Nothing I can do but to keep my fingers crossed. Guess I should continue with my search. In case she backs out, I will at least have a fall back.
The problem with helper hunting is that maids can only be availabe for interviews on Sunday. Missing one Sunday, you will have to wait for another week.
hsshirley, I also had similar experience of maids not showing up at appointed time for interview. I used to be angry but now I tend to be a bit more sympathetic. They have only limited time to look for a new employer. So I can understand that they commit themselves to more interviews than their schedule allows. You are lucky that the maids at least took the troubles to call you up. I had experience of no show and no call at all.
Please support our advertisers:
Dadda, did you feel good after your "say" about sponsoring a third world person who need a helping hand???? And I assume you are a first world person who needs a helper to give you a helping hand in your household? Why do we need to
give emphasis on how dirt poor one is coming from when they pissed us off? Another thing is, if you have a good deal with a company that you have applied, won't you grab it and less consider the other job? Sometimes. we people just forget that being a maid is a mere fact just a job.There are good and there are bad employess with different attitudes in life. We tend to see them all as "these filipinas" which is wrong.
Please support our advertisers:
arlina - dadda had a really nasty experience with his recent helper - hence his attidute - read his thread.
Please support our advertisers:
fsjan
16 yrs ago
hshirley,
Luck? too early to tell. Before the issue of visa, there is still a chance of her backing out though I think it's not easy for her to find a better employer than me. Do you know maids' criteria of a good employer?
- no small children
- no stay-home madam
- Sunday-off
- private bedroom
Do you satisfy these criteria? I do, but I live far away from Central. The transportation cost on holidays could put helpers off.
Please support our advertisers:
pines
16 yrs ago
good employer, good helper. bad empoyer, bad helper. sounds fair huh!
Please support our advertisers:
Hi all,
been having lots of problems looking for the right helper too. almost about to sign this new one but she seem slow reaction since I asked her to try out today...Every time need to call her name at least twice to get her to respond?? Hearing problem or IQ problem, I wonder...sigh. I have met nearly 20 helpers the past few months, I must say the ones posted on this website are mostly too picky, so they either no show, or they show up and get other offers. Many worked for westerners before, who usually spoil their helpers. One asked me if she could have tea time....
Please support our advertisers:
good thing I suspected the new helper's hearing problem and sent her for check up today before signing contract. She has a hole in her eardrum! I cant afford having someone who cant hear well taking care of my baby! I would highly recommend people pay out of pocket for health check up before signing.
Please support our advertisers:
FKKC
16 yrs ago
Any proof or survey taken due to the statement by wiz bang that 'dh prefer to work with westerners rather than the chinese..........'?
Please support our advertisers:
fk... talk to the many domestic helpers around you who they want to work for...
and also an excerpt
MANAGING LABOUR
MIGRATION:
The Case of the Filipino and
Indonesian Domestic Helper
Market in Hong Kong
Harvard University, John F Kennedy School of Government
Prepared by:
Emilyzen Ignacio and Yesenia Mejia
Masters in Public Policy Candidates, 2008
April 1, 2008
This recent turn in FDH trends reflects both a growing preference for Indonesian maids and the
creation of stiff competition within Hong Kong's domestic helper market. Indonesian domestic
workers tend to be young (in their 20s), poorly educated and uninformed about their legal rights.
However, many Chinese
employers are now favoring Indonesian maids who speak Cantonese, are more docile (the
Indonesian migrant movement is still nascent in Hong Kong), and more willing to work without
the statutory weekly 24-hour rest day9.
Many Indonesians work for salaries below Hong Kong's minimum allowable wage (MAW)10. A
2007 report sponsored by Oxfam-Hong Kong revealed that 22 percent of all Indonesian domestic
workers in country were underpaid –or remunerated below the 2006 statutory MAW of HK$
3,400 per month– down from 56 percent in 200311.
Please support our advertisers:
Westerners find it hard to find a good dh because dh's who have worked for westerners before think they can get away with more. Some westerners treat them like a family member and give them extra money, gifts, etc, so they start taking advantage of the generosity. These dh's think that is what all westerners are like that and the think they can do this with the next family.
Besides that when a western family get a good dh and they eventually leave HK for their homeland, they will make sure they are housed with another western family they know. That's why it's hard to find a good dh, because once you get a good one, they will be moved from family to family without having to advertise.
I have a fantastic helper who, nearly a year later has not once dropped the ball in any major way, she doesn't slack off, the adores and cares for my children so well. When we leave here eventually she knows I will take care of her by finding another good western family. But the difference between my dh and alot of others out there who have worked for western families, is that she knows she is on a good thing and she doesn't want to stuff that up.
She said to me she doesn't want to go back to working for a chinese family again, because she is treated so much better with us, that is why she does a good job. I worry she works too long a day (usually finishes around 7.30pm), but she said no way, she has a nice break during the day and gets to sleep in on Saturday, usually go on a Saturday arvo for the weekend off. She worked 17 hour day at her last employers. So that FKKC that is proof why dh's want to work with western families.
Please support our advertisers:
and that's why there's no need for proof in the form of survey or what not.
just go down to chater garden on a sunday and talk to the helpers there.
Please support our advertisers:
Ed
16 yrs ago
Please do not generalize re the merits of working for any nationality or ethnic group.
Please support our advertisers:
I agree with Peggy Wong - most of the FDH in HK are employed by local people and most of them are satisfied with their employment choices. I think in many ways FDH employed by local people are more contented because there is a clear meeting of expectations by both employer and employee - both parties know what to expect from each other and are less likely to be disappointed.
We westerners, on the other hand are a mixed bag so that the expectations are less certain - on both sides.
Unlike Neenib, I prefer FDHs who are moving from a Chinese household rather than a FDH who has previous experience with western families. In my experience, these FDHs expect (and accept) there to be differences between my household and a Chinese household but those coming from western families expected my household to work the same way as the previous employer - even though we may be of different nationalities. There is also an expectation of less work, more pay, better maids room etc.
My best helpers have all come from Chinese families. The other common feature these helpers have is that they enjoyed very good relations with their former employers - my current helper, for example, still sees her former employer on her (emp'er's) son's birthday.
Please support our advertisers:
Actually smallfry, my helper came from a Chinese family and i agree with your comment. I also agree that the best helpers come from having previously worked for Chinese family, they have a good work ethic.
My helper is very professional and has a good work ethic. But then again, I have treated the relationship as purely professional and business. We like her and she likes us, we have a joke and generally a very happy working relationship. But that's just it, it's a working relationship and she knows that.
My last para of my last comment was probably a bit harsh, when my helper said she is treated better with us, she was not mistreated with her previous employer, in fact she has spoken kindly about them. It's more along the lines of she has her own room, works less hours and has more free time. I do apologise if my comment was taken out of context.
I do know a few local families of which have a good working relationship with their helper. My old helper who was part-time has been with her employer for nearly 20 years. When their children grew up, they did not need a full-timer anymore, but didn't want to let her go, so reduced her hours and continued to let her live in and now she has the freedom earning extra money taking other part time jobs, but not the worry of paying rent.
Please support our advertisers:
Yes, most definitely hiring helper who comes from Chinese family. Am not generalizing, but so far from all the interviews in the past 3 months, the expectations of the helpers who come from wealthy xpats who spoil their helpers are just unbelievable. 5000+ salary, 2 days off, dont need to cook, tea time, etc. One helper was being paid part time rates even though she was working full time, totaling 15,000HKD per month. I told her there was no way I could match that salary. Hopefully the financial tsunami cant cut down on some of this outrageousness....
Please support our advertisers:
fsjan
16 yrs ago
It 's me again. The person who started this thread. My maid search story took a strange turn and now I have hired one --------- an Indonesian, instead of Filippino. Last time I reported that I signed a contract with a smart and mature Filippino helper with a good employment record. It turned out that she was a liar disappearing on the day she was supposed to report to me. Enough is enough. Let down four times is bad enough for me to give up on Filippinos.
Please support our advertisers:
FKKC
16 yrs ago
That is why locals are turning to hire Indonesians as they are not YET spoilt by the MARKET as some Filipino helpers have turned into snobs saying they only want to work for Westerners and some even request for sky-high salary (greedy employee and inexperienced employers) without realizing they haven't reached the standard to deserve higher pay. Result: Disappointments & complaints from the employer's end.
Actually, I've always hired Filipino helpers in the past and my present helper is also from the Philippines and she's on her 3rd contract with me and I raise her salary to $4,200 and she deserves every penny of it. Hope the trend will not continue or else after this contract is up, I may have to look for Indonesian helper instead.
Please support our advertisers:
many of the helpers do compare notes with each other too and pay and benefits are on the top of the list.
it is sad to know that it is not unusual to for them to think or get ideas that when one gets a more lucrative and more generous pay packet and benefit, they are also entitled to the same thing.
Please support our advertisers:
please dont generalize filipina....sometimes the employer have some mistakes too.we are working here as a helper not a slave.u can occupy our body through working but u cant control our mind and freedom
veth
Please support our advertisers:
mchew
16 yrs ago
You are not a slave if you CHOOSE to be a helper, AND if you are PAID in accordance to the law. Calling yourself a slave is a bold comparison to the real ones who endured inconceivable pain from the past. The bottom line is that the current system doesn't help either the employee (i.e. the helper) or the employer.
Please support our advertisers:
You must be logged in to be able to reply.
Login now
Copy Link
Facebook
Gmail
Mail