Which maid to choose?
April 28th, 2011 | 
Author: 
I need your urgent advice about employing a maid. As a busy mother, I need someone reliable to help out at home.
My maid is from Profits Agency Pte (PAP) and she has worked for me for a long time. Her mother worked for my parents and did an excellent job, so I had faith in her. For several years her performance has been very good, but recently she has become arrogant and insensitive, and is making lots of mistakes.
For example:
1) She flooded my kitchen – she told me that the drain pipe has blocked (she was supposed to clear it once a month but didn’t). Then she assured me that it is very rare and won’t happen again in the near future. Guess what? It flooded again within a year!
2) She didn’t close a window and my terrier dog escaped. I was so worried cos he is dangerous and could bite lots of people. After the incident, she didn’t apologise and just shrugged her shoulders saying “What to do, it has happened.” Fortunately my neighbor found the dog and we locked it up again.
3) Without consulting me, she has been bringing in strangers for my house’s maintenance work. She says they charge low wages and keep costs down, but they eat my food, make a lot of noise and rest on my bed. I think they even tried to seduce my husband. It stopped feeling like my home, more like a cheap hotel, and I don’t always want to come back at the end of the day.
4) When she first came to work for me, I instructed her to clean the different parts of the house at least once a week. But for some time she has stopped taking care of the bedrooms of PP and H; they are now dirty and messy. I asked why and she told me that the kids had been disobedient, so she was neglecting their bedrooms as a punishment (she has forgotten that she is paid to clean all the rooms).
Even though my maid has worked for me for many years and I value what she has done in the past, I think she is now getting complacent. Her attitude is imperious and dismissive. She ignores my comments and basically treats my feedback as “noise”. I wrote to the agency about her behavior; they assured me that they are the best agency around and all their maids are “Committed to Serve” – but I think it is just rhetoric and I don’t see that in her actions. Her salary is much higher than maids in other countries, but the agency say this is to keep her honest and stop her moving to another employer. They say there is a limited supply of maids, and Singapore isn’t big enough for more than one good maid agency, so I should not trust their competitors.
I have to decide whether to renew my maid’s 5-year employment contract. When we discussed this she said that she is now part of a team, and if I want her I must also accept her friends doing part-time work for me. One friend is very inexperienced, can’t do basic tasks or explain what she intends to do. I suspect that she is actually underage. When interviewed, she only seemed interested in her days-off and visiting Universal Studios.
When she couldn’t answer my questions she stomped her foot and exclaimed, “I don’t know what to say!” But I am still expected to pay her a high salary. Now there happen to be a few other maid agencies – Workhard Pte (WP), New Solutions Pte (NSP), Super Personnel Pte (SPP) and Star Domestica Pte (SDP) – that offered me some helpers who seem sincere, genuine and intelligent. They are keen to work, willing to assist me and have a good attitude. I know that they may take a bit of time to learn how everything works, but frankly I am inclined to give them a chance.
People say that the devil you know is better than one you don’t. But I feel that I can’t tahan my current maid anymore.
Do you think I should sack my current maid and try out a new one? Appreciate your advice.
.
Dead End
Posted in 
It is time for you to look for a new maid. It is obvious that your current one is getting to be a handful to your detriment.
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A very well written article which ordinary people can relate to. Opposition parties should print this article and hand out to all Singaporeans. This will definitely more Singaporeans see the national problems from an ordinary person’s view.
I would like to request permission from the author to reproduce this and send to my friends especially those older ones who are not internet savvy.
Is there a Chinese version?
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Another note. Market sources tell me that there are plenty of very smart maids who are willing to work for a lot less. They may take time to learn to get about your house chores but they are willing to learn. Give them a chance. You will be in a far better position in the long term. Just don’t be afraid to try new waters. Keeping your current maid will certainly contribute to your physical, mental, emotional decline.
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The last time I checked, the majority (66.6%) suggested that you gave the maid one more chance. That was 5 years ago.
Last week, I surveyed the Internet and its users suggested that you dumped the maid overwhelming (>90%).
I dunno if my method is faulty or not, but personally I would get rid of the maid for the sake of the children.
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well written, humorous and to the point!
fire your maid – that lazy, overpaid slattern!
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The new agencies are willing to scarifice themselves for their masters. They do think that because they have been so long in the job that they are the masters. As one said before “I am worried if there are no retrenchments”
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The maid is certainly getting too big to fit into her own shoes, and will soon assume the role of being the ‘master’ for the years that she has deliberately made you to be totally dependent on her – so that you will surely be helpless without her.
Under the present circumstances, it is not a surprise that she has insisted to have higher wages and bonuses, even when she is already the highest paid maid in this part of the planet.
With her patronising remarks, she certainly has forgotten her rightful position to serve her employer, who has always co-operated to make life easier for her, and help her succeed in her work.
It is not right for the maid to see your quiet, continued tolerance as weakness, and that the she should push your set OB markers to show ingratitude and intolerance to your circumstances made worst by her failures to keep up to the terms of her employment.
There is no second guessing needed that any sensible employer knows that it is time to teach the maid a lesson for her comeuppance.
You should show the maid that no one is indispensable, and that there others – with ‘ZERO track record’ and ‘ZILCH experience’ – have been trained and have been successful learning on-the-job, when the employers are willing to be patient, tolerant, co-operative, and helpful to accomodate mistakes and have a successful working relationship for the common good.
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Hey your maid is like our servant. However you can decide to change all by yourself without consulting anyone. We have got shareholders who do not share the same thoughts, they want to keep the servant because they think it cannot be help.
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There is only one way, sack the OLD MAID! It is not that she gets old but she is getting nasty, disobedient, arrogant, lazy, incompetent, mischievous, demanding, expect us to serve her, ingratitude, boastful, terribly & horribly overpaid etc etc!
It’s time to gave the other agencies space to develop their abilities and capabilities, new ideas, new solutions!
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Ensure your “maid” doesn’t take your belongings during her last day.
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Drop her like a disease. One day, you’ll come home to find yourself being replaced. She’ll be sleeping in bed with your husband while she commands you to work betterer and fasterer in your own home. She will then ask you to pay for inflated rental of your own room and also the property tax for the entire house. Do not attempt to voice out your dissent or else you may get locked in the CD shelter/store void of stimuli.
Good luck.
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Your maid is too just much. After giving her face for so many years she still never want to change her style. Always arrogant and do a lousy job and demand sky high wages. Send her back to where she belongs….rubbish bin!
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Now the mother also comes out to warn you that you wouldn’t get the chores done if you are going with new agencies.
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How can you say that about your maid? She serve you long time leh, even past retirement age! But seriously, did you buy enough medical insurance? Old maid’s health problem, can be costly. Better to let her go with benefits.
Jokes aside, love your article. Permission to repost on ST, Today and STOMP please. Wish to spread the word to those who are misinformed.
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It is not enough to look for a new maid. We need to use a new maid agency altogether.
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Hmm… Very interesting comparison to the current situation. If i am the employer, i would rather go for those who are humble, keen to learn, willing to apologise worker than those maid who are arrogant and not willing to listen to the employer needs. If you decided to go under Profits Agency Pte (PAP). you have decides to allow them to bring in outsider to you house without your permission. you allow them to neglect your kids by not tidying your room for being naughty despite all kid is your children. you have to pay high salary for them to be arrogant. she will collect more money when you need to go thru your own gate. i can list whole bunch of domestic negative issue you need to faced for the next 5 yrs. Do you wish to have that life at your home? Have a thought. Do what you suppose to do. for the sake of your home and your kid. hope you are not over tiring in work just to support your HDB loan and your current maid high salary. Give time to your kid. plan for their future
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Extend their contract if the service & attitude of the maid is in line with what is expected by the employeer isn’t? As an employer, why do you need to bear with all the nonsense given by your maid when you know jolly that she’s not performing her duty which is expected of her. It also does not mean that since she’s working for you for quite some time, it’s risky to let her go because you are worried the replacement could turn out to be worst. But by not changing, you got to live with the pain.
Likewise, if we feel that something is not going right for the past 10 years in our country and it won’t get any better. Then it’s high time to look for change. It’s high time to replace the ‘know all’ dead and useless wood. Time to vote them out.
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If it is off any help, turn off the ads, thumbs up/down, etc. You don’t need freaking ads that slow things down in the next 2 weeks.
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Sack the maid, get the new one. Which ever near you, less you in T’pagar.
Others can’t penetrate, its belongs to your OLD maid terror-tree.
Good luck
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Sack the maid, get the new one. Which ever near you, less you in T’pagar.
Others can’t penetrate, its belongs to your OLD maid terror-tree.
Good luck
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THE only thing to do is to pack the MAID BAG and ask her to leave.
If still thing are going like that, there would anything left for you in the house anymore. For another five years, many house and turn into mad house.
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it seems like your current one is not only under-performing and making lots of mistakes, she is also not listening to your concerns or keen to improve herself.
Her behavior and responses seem to indicate that she thinks she is the employer now and not the other way round.
Since she has no interest to serve your needs, she is no longer employable. There will always be concerns that the new maid may not be experienced enough, but at least a good attitude is a good start. You can always train for experience, but you cannot cultivate an attitude.
Moreover, the new maid may prove to be more than meets the eye with a new way of working. At the very least, it sends a clear message to all maids, that you can choose to stay snobbish, but I can choose to employ a new maid. The next time another maid does the same, they know that they will be replaced.
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This maid is your master. Sack her.
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Yeah 100% you must replace your maid since they become too stuborn to listen to your woes. btw nice storylines….
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You forgot to add ‘Right Personnel’ (RP)
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YOU FORGOT TO ADD THAT THE BITCH THREATENED YOU AND YOUR FAMILY BY SAYING, “IF YOU DON’T RENEW HER CONTRACT, YOUR WIVES AND DAUGHTERS WILL BECOME MAIDS IN OTHER COUNTRIES!”|
DUMP THE TART AND HER CLIQUE, EVEN A MONKEY CAN DO A ‘BETTERER’ JOB ‘FASTERER’ THAN THEM.
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fire the maid already, i mean tell her with the wages she;s getting you can hire someone beter for half the price XD
this article made my day xD
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Base on your personality, I think you will eventually keep your maid because you kiasee and worry that the next maid will be worst. So you will rather stay put then to move forward. So, while others are moving forward, if you think you want to stay put, then don’t be a cry baby.
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Definitely a well written article. I would like to add-on some of my comments with regards to this articile.
No doubt that, Profits Agency Pte (PAP) has indeed performed outstandingly in the recent times and credits should be given.
However moving forward, the more “noises” from either agency will be required with multiple uncertainties around this little home of ours.
People say, too many cooks spoil the soup BUT one cook will only determine their “ideal receipts” for our soup… Having selections and different type of soups would only bring benefit but no harm towards any individual.
I can only say that few other this year, almost all the maid agencies have improved with credible maids available, there is a need for a change and comparison. If there is no comparison, who can know, tell or even feel if this is indeed a maid whom we want to shed off any uncertainty for the future.
It is only with different opinions and experiences that will allow our maids to be more effective and efficient. Seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world.What you see reflects your thinking and your thinking reflects your choice of what you want to see.
There are no perfect agencies but definitely without an ALTERNATIVE and ABILITY to COMPARE, we will never know.
“The less you open your heart to others, the more your heart suffers.”
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I’m sorry ah PAP, you said no Singaporeans will be left out, then you leave out single-parent kids, stop making empty promises please.
Reason for leaving out single-parent kids: The Baby Bonus is a Marriage and Parenthood (M&P) incentive scheme targeted at married couples. This policy is based on our society’s belief that children are best cared for within the context of a marriage.
Okay, so now you’re trying to say that single-parent child are better cared than children who have complete families so they don’t need your help?
Or are you trying to say that single-parent kids are so hopeless that no help can help them?
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Btw this article makes a lot of sense
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testing
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Classical piece.I saw it in Yahoo(first),TOC (second) and now in TR.
Same advice ,get the co. that refund you half the salary.
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The current may not be good but you are naive to believe the new maid will be perfect.
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Ya sack the current and get a new one.
But the new one happens to know combination to your safe. Before you realised it, she had used up all your money, and you even found some IOUs in your safe. Your creditors happen to be your neigbours across the bridge as your new maid is not trained in negotiation now that old George has retired. Now you got to beg when you are thirsty or they just turn off the tap.
She also persuaded your sons not to serve NS, and told them you have a lot of money, can afford to pay people to fight if there is a need.
Your new maid also promised she won’t bring strangers into your house but instead invited your distant relatives. Now your house is filty and smelly because your relatives don’t really like to help out in household chores because they think they all should be managers and not workers. To make it worse, they demand that you must pay them $4000 to do something worth much less.
Your 3rd Uncle told you now his income suppsedly has risen as by law his boss cannot pay him lower than $X. So you asked him why then is he not at work, he told you there’s no more work out there because his boss had decided to move to other places because it’s too expensive here. So he doesn’t know whether he should be happy that he is earning more .. or should he cry because there is no real money.
You asked your maid to take out your old uniform with that special blue collar so that your 6th Aunty who is illiterate can wear it when she is packing food at the shop, and she said her agency bosses had given her a special detergent and the collar has been bleached white! So now your 6th Aunty also cannot go back to the shop, and has to live in your house.
The other day you were reading the newspaper and feared that recession may not be very far away. You are very worried and confided in your maid because you heard her agency is a First World Agency, so maybe they have some advice for you. But she said the agency bosses heard that recession is coming too but they only read about how to deal with it in textbooks, never really try before. In any case, their A* star student already left to climb the great wall, so they can’t do much about it.
You told your maid to watch the spending as now food is so expensive, and reminded her that her Agency promised to train her properly to manage this part of the expense. But she said her agency manager now say it’s a global problem. And you realised your previous maid had already told you this, but you didn’t believe.
Your maid’s agency also asked your maid to help chase those who are not holding red passport to go back to their homes. You suddenly realised the streets are quite empty, the playground is quite quiet, and you are happy for a while. So you went home happily to play on your iPad. You downloaded a new apps called “Map of Y2100″, and you couldn’t seem to find the little red dot! A comment on that spot originally occupied by Little Red Dot says the place is extinct as there are no more residents born and bred there. Now your neighbour can officially claim chilli crabs to be theirs.
You suddenly thought about your previous maid. She was not perfect, but at least you didn’t have to worry about that BIG picutre on the wall as she will conscientiously adjust it so that you can always see a straight path. She even gave you a cushion to sit on when your neighbours fell hard during the last recession.
Yes you now have a new maid, and things are definitely different from before.
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“You suddenly thought about your previous maid. She was not perfect, but at least you didn’t have to worry about that BIG picutre on the wall as she will conscientiously adjust it so that you can always see a straight path. She even gave you a cushion to sit on when your neighbours fell hard during the last recession.”
The things is: I can’t see no big picture now. So the current maid must go!
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People make mistakes. Maids are afterall human, let’s be mindful.
But more importantly, let’s remember that we, as employer, need to put our feet down, firmly, at times when mistakes made are intolerable. To not apologise, or worse – repeat the mistake, is just not acceptable.
If you renew her contract, trust me, the complacency will only rise..
It is time to remind her, sternly.
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you forgot that the maid also turned your house into a gambling den…
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I believe you also forgot to mention that your maid has turn your house into a gambling den. Not just one table, but TWO!! And she has a cut of the earnings from the operators. When you confronted your maid, she said that it helps to vibrant the estate.Now your neighbours start complaining to you that their parents lost their monies in the gambling den at your home and their parents even resort to borrowing from loan sharks to recoup their losses. Your estate has now indeed become more vibrant with the voluntary artistic multi-colour painting from the loan sharks runners!
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It’s tragic to see Singaporeans come down to this level of discussion, comparing elected officials to maids. I simply cannot imagine the mentality of such people or their intentions.
We are talking about the running of a country which has no natural resources, no hinterland, and managing real people who become well-travelled, highly educated but spolit, succumbing to populist slogans & cliches. The majority of the population seem to blame the government for everything, but are unable to look at the person in the mirror squarely in the eye & ask what they can do for to alleviate the situations that arise.
Which country has no concerns about rising costs, expensive houses, or floods? Which country do not fret about unemployment? Are we saying that the presence of opposition is a real check on the country? Look at those countries ruled by so-called developed political systems, spending unnecessary money, time & even lives pursuing populist policies. Was the Iraq war a good decision of a nation that was politically developed? How did Hurricane Katherine destroy so many homes?
I just think these complainants are like grown-up versions of that soldier in that infamous photograph, whose back-pack was seemingly being carried by a foreign domestic helper.
I am ashamed of these fellow Singaporeans.
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Which maid to choose? A response by TheQuant.
I need your urgent advice about employing a maid. My wife has already asked for help here, but we haven’t come to a decision yet.
As you may know, my maid is from Profts Agency Pte (PAP) and has worked for my family for a long time. Her mother worked for my wife’s parents and did an excellent job, so we had faith in her. But recently my wife thinks she has become arrogant and insensitive, and is making some mistakes.
For example:
1) She flooded my kitchen – she told me that the drain pipe has blocked. Then she assured me that it is very rare and won’t happen again in the near future. Guess what? It flooded again within a year! But last year, when I won 4D, my wife told me that it is very rare and won’t happen again in the near future. Guess what? I won again within a year! So I feel like giving my maid the benefit of the doubt.
2) She didn’t close a window and one of my terrier dogs escaped. My wife and I were so worried because he is the one who likes to bite people most. Fortunately my maid made good friends with my neighbour’s maid, since it was the latter who finally found the dog and gave him back to us. If not, maybe they would have kept my prize terrier. My wife is a dog lover and actually I am surprised that none of the other dogs have escaped before this.
But my maid has also done alot of good things for me. For example:
1) She introduced some of her friends to do my house’s maintenance work. (I bought my super big bungalow with my 4D money.) I have to give them food and a bed while they are working for me, but they really help to keep costs down. With the savings, I went to G&S Jewellery and bought a diamond ring for my wife! I also bought two D24 durians, my wife’s favourite food.
2) Most of the time, she cleans my house very well. I have won the “Cleanest Bungalow” award 10 years in a row and the “No Chewing Gum Litter” award since 1992. Just last year, I won the “Your Ornate Garden” competition, which was held for the very first time. The prize money may not have been big, in fact I spent lots of my 4D money on beautifying my garden, but at least I’ve made history!
The time with this maid has flown, and there’ve been both good and bad things. My wife insisted that we go to some of the other maid agencies to interview some of the maids there. Problem is, they don’t seem to be much good.
1) Workhard Pte (WP). They showed me their star maid, who has degrees from Harvard, Oxford and Stanford! But she has been working in another country for 30 years, I don’t know if she even speaks my language, let alone know how to do a maid’s work.
2) Super Personnel Pte (SPP). Again, I asked for their star maid, who has been working since 1984. So experienced right? But she suffered a stroke a few years back, and she talks really slowly. I’m not sure if she’s too old to be a maid.
3) New Solutions Pte (NSP). Their maid looks so young, I really think she’s underage. How much experience does she have? I don’t really want to hire someone who has no idea what to do.
So, do you think I should sack my current maid and try out a new one? My current maid may be expensive, but at least she knows what she’s doing, and the other agencies look dubious to me. What should I do?
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Which maid to choose? A response by TheQuant.
I need your urgent advice about employing a maid. My wife has already asked for help here, but
we haven’t come to a decision yet.
As you may know, my maid is from Profts Agency Pte (PAP) and has worked for my family for a long
time. Her mother worked for my wife’s parents and did an excellent job, so we had faith in her.
But recently my wife thinks she has become arrogant and insensitive, and is making some
mistakes.
For example:
1) She flooded my kitchen – she told me that the drain pipe has blocked. Then she assured me
that it is very rare and won’t happen again in the near future. Guess what? It flooded again
within a year! But last year, when I won 4D, my wife told me that it is very rare and won’t
happen again in the near future. Guess what? I won again within a year! So I feel like giving my
maid the benefit of the doubt.
2) She didn’t close a window and one of my terrier dogs escaped. My wife and I were so worried
because he is the one who likes to bite people most. Fortunately my maid made good friends with
my neighbour’s maid, since it was the latter who finally found the dog and gave him back to us.
If not, maybe they would have kept my prize terrier. My wife is a dog lover and actually I am
surprised that none of the other dogs have escaped before this.
But my maid has also done alot of good things for me. For example:
1) She introduced some of her friends to do my house’s maintenance work. (I bought my super big
bungalow with my 4D money.) I have to give them food and a bed while they are working for me,
but they really help to keep costs down. With the savings, I went to G&S Jewellery and bought a
diamond ring for my wife! I also bought two D24 durians, my wife’s favourite food.
2) Most of the time, she cleans my house very well. I have won the “Cleanest Bungalow” award 10
years in a row and the “No Chewing Gum Litter” award since 1992. Just last year, I won the “Your
Ornate Garden” competition, which was held for the very first time. The prize money may not have
been big, in fact I spent lots of my 4D money on beautifying my garden, but at least I’ve made
history!
The time with this maid has flown, and there’ve been both good and bad things. My wife insisted
that we go to some of the other maid agencies to interview some of the maids there. Problem is,
they don’t seem to be much good.
1) Workhard Pte (WP). They showed me their star maid, who has degrees from Harvard, Oxford and
Stanford! But she has been working in another country for 30 years, I don’t know if she even
speaks my language, let alone know how to do a maid’s work.
2) Super Personnel Pte (SPP). Again, I asked for their star maid, who has been working since
1984. So experienced right? But she suffered a stroke a few years back, and she talks really
slowly. I’m not sure if she’s too old to be a maid.
3) New Solutions Pte (NSP). Their maid looks so young, I really think she’s underage. How much
experience does she have? I don’t really want to hire someone who has no idea what to do.
So, do you think I should sack my current maid and try out a new one? My current maid may be
expensive, but at least she knows what she’s doing, and the other agencies look dubious to me.
What should I do?
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[...] Using the maid analogy, http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/04/28/which-maid-to-choose/ [...]
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