Singapore Expats

We have just arrived in Singapore.... what is the best way to find a maid? Ads, agencies?? From what I have heard so far, we are better of getting a transfer maid/ex Singapore.... does anyone have any tips?? Thanks

theres a bunch of Maid store fronts in Katong shopping centre 865 Mountbatten on the 2nd or 3rd floor, I think thats where I will look as I just brought my family over.

It seems a little weird to go to a store to shop for a person but you can go to several agencies in one area and do interviews,etc.

You can find more maids than you can handle by just going to Lucky Plaza on Sunday afternoon.

Oh, you mean to hire......

Look in the classified section of the daily birdcage liner. Dozens of agencies to choose from. Probably none any good or worse than the other. At the end of the day, they cannot control the maids, you either get a good 'un or you don't. Transfer maids are not always what they are cracked up to be either. Especially if the new Ma'am & Sir don't treat her like the previous Ma'am & Sir did. On the other had, treat them too good and they may well take advantage of the situation even though they were okay with the previous employer. There are a few links in my links page you can try but again, I don't have any recommendations, they are there because somebody else on this board used them with success (claimed).

Good Luck.

Thanks... guess it's all down to luck...

Check out the classifieds on this site - also the boards at Tanglin Mall, Cold Storage, Jasons, clubs...etc. Some of the agencies I've heard friends talk about are Prestige (Tanglin Shopping Center), 121 Personnel & Apac Employment Management.

langkawi06 wrote:.... what is the best way to find a maid?

walk around the area you last saw her calling out her name.

Bah!!!!

I was about to post one of those smart-ass replies on how to "find" a maid but I see I am waaaay too late... Even the ole man sms is faster than me. In fact he's the fastest with the smart-ass reply before redeeming himself

langkawi06 wrote:We have just arrived in Singapore.... what is the best way to find a maid? Ads, agencies?? From what I have heard so far, we are better of getting a transfer maid/ex Singapore.... does anyone have any tips?? Thanks

Really, the best way is by word of mouth. I know you just arrived, but so many people will be moving in June, perhaps you can wait? Do you have children? Are they in school? Have you joined any organizations ? Those would be a great places to ask around. If you know anyone at all in Singapore whose lifestyle might be similar to yours (pets, kids, travel schedules) and whose opinion you trust -- ask them. We had a maid who worked for a local family before she came to us, and it turned out to be impossible to re-train her for our family. She expected to do everything. When I would put a cup in the dishwasher, she's rush over spouting: sorry! sorry! sorry ma'am! She could never understand that her job responsibilities were less and she always felt like she failed us, it drove us crazy. A good fit is essential.

Good luck.

Possibly the first thing you should do is consider if and why you need a maid, especially if you haven't had one previously (Of course you may have had one before)

The second thing you may wish to consider is whether you need, or can handle, a live-in maid. Basically you are inviting a stranger to live with you 24/7.

There are many maid or cleaning services around.

As road.not.taken mentioned, a good fit is essential, but it can be very much hit-and-miss

After having many failed attempts at finding a suitable helper I have to say it is down to luck if you can find one the first time and stick with her. It’s been known to happen but very rarely.
Let go of any fantasy you might have of life being all rosy with a helper because it takes a lot of time, energy, patients and micro managing to get your help to understand what your needs are and just when you think you've turned a corner you get knocked back to square one. Alice was a fictional character on the Brady Bunch made up in someone’s creative head.
If you have contacts in Singapore put out the word you are looking for a helper, you are more likely to have success with someone who comes recommended.
During interview time do not believe half their answers because they are trying to impress, especially if you are a westerner we are the preferred employer. If you are part of a couple, both of you sit in on the interview and base your questions on scenarios such as "what would you do if my daughter burned herself and you could not contact us?" - smear toothpaste on burn or put soy sauce on it is a popular response.
The Ministry of Manpower has information on Agencies and a list of all of those registered in Singapore. Also, if you find a helper you like ask for her work permit number and check her work history info online with MOM as well as contacting her previous employers. Some agencies and maids lie about their work history because if you see they have been transferred several times in a short period of time you would/should run a mile. At the end of the day the agencies want these girls off their books and your money in their pockets.
When you do find a suitable helper treat her as an employee not your new best mate. Set house rules and give her a timed schedule to work to, they need structure. Although they sign a contract they don’t always like to follow the rules e.g. go and get part-time work on their days off. Some think that they are entitled to do so in their free time.
Good luck