scrubbedexpat141

In 15 years a lot can change. You might be right / wrong. Who knows?

15 years ago I thought girls were the enemy and that the best job was to be a truck driver!

Ronnie Biggs

We have a maid - she keeps the place clean and tidy and helps out a bit so we can spend MORE time with the kids, not less. Why do some people who don't have kids find this so hard to understand? There's no massive shame in giving someone a job and cutting out some of the pain-in-the-arse jobs, not all of them, just some.

Meow

Oh QED Scamp. Don't try that tone with me as you've just make yourself look like one of the nastier posters now. Shame. You aren't just staing an opinion. You are judging and called the OP a 'big swinging dick' for taking the maid to the UK. That is just very silly.

Meow

Exactly that.

Weird that some people can't get their heads away some kind odd working class mentality about not having help in this life. I imagine that they service their own cars and do their own dentistry too. After all, they could probably do that too...

scrubbedexpat141

I should think you know me better than to think I'm a nasty person.

Meow

So don't disappoint me by being unpleasantly judgemental.

Auntie Meow

scrubbedexpat141

You know what, I'll take that. But only because I like you.

OriginalSunshine

Exactly that.

If we were back in the UK we would similarly outsource shitty jobs - by having a cleaner part-time, someone in to do the ironing, after-school childcare, holiday camps for childcare, and the kids would take the bus to school when old enough.

The key items here in the Gulf is that (a) we can combine many jobs and give our maid a separate appartment attached to our villa (yes appartment) (b) she doesn't pay for her accommodation, so her salary is cheaper, and she doesn't pay tax (c) she is employed and earns money to send back, as do we all (d) we use her so we can spend more time with the kids.

We don't take her on holiday with us (a) because we want to spend that time as a family, and as much as the kids love her, she is not family to them (b) the cost of an extra adult's flight, room, food we would rather spend on our family so we can go to nicer places around the world on holiday and see the world as a family, rather than back to the UK.

The bottom line is that it is our choice - if someone chooses to take their maid back to the UK with them, so be it. It's not what we would we do, we don't understand that way of thinking, but if it doesn't hurt anyone, why should I object?

And I expect similar understanding in reverse - if I choose to have a maid to do all the shitty jobs that I don't want to do when I get home from work, so that I can spend MORE time with my children engaging with them then who is anyone to condemn me for that?

scrubbedexpat141

Who would condemn you for that? Nobody I expect. It's a perfect scenario.

al dente

That could have lead to some interesting long nights on the road (where no one can hear you scream!)

scrubbedexpat141

Fancy a ride into the desert in my van AD?

co durham boy

I like to clean my own shithouse , it keeps me grounded..........


Brits and their maids eh , like an episode of Upstairs Downstairs....

britexpat76

You have a wife for that shit.

al dente

Sounds fun! .... Oh... hang on a minute.... you cheeky young Scamp!

scrubbedexpat141

Thought I was in there.