domestic help in Malaysia
 

What should we look out for? We have interviewed Filipinos and Indonesian maids but are confused about a number of things.

1. If we apply for the maids employment pass, what happens if the maid gets pregnant?
2. What the complications if things dont work out and we no longer want to keep the maid? Is it simple to sack them?
3. How easy is it to get good maids?
4. what is a good maid?
5. What should we expect?

Thanks

Re: domestic help in Malaysia
 

Hiring a maid is a minefield.

Don't expect the whole truth from the agency or the maid.

But please be aware that maids pay a hefty agency fee that can only be recovered by actually working for at least 12 months in a lot of cases.
It may be easy to 'sack' a maid but unless it is for a major offence then you might just want to hold your horses and try to help her attain your expectations.

If you get rid of her she will still have to pay the agency fee and even if she gets a job as a replacement maid for someone else she will have to pay back even more of a fee.

So please be very very careful when choosing a maid because it might be even more difficult for them and they are just trying to earn money for their family in a lot of cases and won't see much of it for themselves.

We've had maids for many years now. My wife takes as long to choose a maid as she ever did in finding a suitable place for us to live.We live in Singapore so can't help with agencies etc just hope for your sake and the maids that you get a good one.

BTW my wife has had to show them how to cook, market, clean etc even though all those skills were supposed to have been already learned. She also has a lot of input in the way the maid's family spends the maids money and how the maid should try to save it.


It must be even more difficult if the maid is expected to look after kids.

Re: domestic help in Malaysia
 

Thanks Ex Reg.

We are looking to employ directly and not via an agency. From word of mouth, we have met a few and narrowed down a couple we like.

So we will pay the visa fees and visa agent fees for the visa process and also pay the maid directly.

Re: domestic help in Malaysia
 

We will also be looking to employ directly:

Need a driver (elderly parents best not to encourage them to drive but they need independence)
A house maid
A chef/cook
A nanny (but might need to employ from Europe as seeking French, German and Italian languages

Sorry sounds like alot of staff but it includes 2 major households with the inlaws moving in. And with me travelling alot.

Any recommendations or advice on process would be appreciated.

Re: domestic help in Malaysia
 

We have a maid/nanny that we hired directly from a website expatkl.com jobs section after a few interviews and reference checks but she pays her own visa fees. We have nothing to do with that side of things. We pay her a set amount every month and that's it.

Our nanny is filipino and I think it is fair to expect a good level of English, pleasant demeanour, don't expect her to clean or cook to your standard as she will not have grown up in a western lifestyle but do expect her to be happy to learn.

I think it is relatively easy to find a good maid if you are a good employer. Ie/ not rude to them, pay them on time, don't hit them or yell at them, respect them as a person etc then they are happy to work with you and you wont have to worry about them running away.

I don't think there are any strict guidelines in relation to getting rid of a nanny/maid if you want to it is just a matter of letting them go and finding a new one. Presumably if you go down the route of sponsoring them there is more to it but maybe just agree to give her the money to organize the visa and that way you won't be responsible? I am not sure on that side maybe someone else can help?

Re: domestic help in Malaysia
 

Strictly speaking, maids with their own visa's (unless they are married to a Malaysian or have legitamite residency) are working in Malaysia illegally. Plenty of people do hire maids with dodgy visas but keep in mind that if you are caught out there may be consequences with immigration.

If you are employing your maid directly you can draw up your own employment agreement with her which can cover pay, annual holidays, public holidays, circumstances for termination, any notice to be given etc.

Have heard of a few maids getting pregnant and being sent home o have the baby. Once they have left the country its up to the employer to cancel the visa.

Re: domestic help in Malaysia
 

I have heard of several cases recently where people have used unregistered agencies to find domestic help and have been scammed out of '000's of RM. if you wish to sponsor a Filipino maid and have her brought into the country, there is a list of registred/recommended agencies on the Philippines Embassy in Malaysia website.