All my siblings are married and my parents are staying alone. Dad was hospitalized the third time. First two times were because of strokes and the third time was because he fell down.
The hospital suggested that we should get a maid.
We got a Myanmar maid.
COST of a Maid
Agency fee costs $1100. The maid would be getting a loan of $2660 from us to come over to Singapore. This amount would be deducted from her monthly salary of $400 and 4 off-days compensation of $15.40 per day.
However, as the maid needs to have some money with her to call home or buy daily necessities, we will be giving her $31.60 per month. She will be getting her full salary 7 months from her date of employment.
There is also a monthly levy to be paid to the government via Giro. As Dad is above 65 years old, we need to pay only $120 under the FDW concession. (See Ministry of manpower; Maid Levy). The amount will be deducted through the employer bank account vis GIRO. We applied for the FDW concession through the maid agency.
I also applied for the Foreign Domestic worker Grant. (Note the difference!!!) As Dad is suffering from dementia and is unable to perform some of the daily tasks (e.g. bathing, walking) on his own, the Centre for Enabled Learning (CEL) actually "reimburse" or "subsidize" us $120 per month. (i.e. we pay $120 vis Giro to Ministry of Manpower and CEL pay us $120 as a grant.) (See Information on Foreign Domestic Grant).
However, note that the Foreign Domestic worker Grant requires the maid to undergo a CEL certified training course and that course costs about $100-$200 which the government also has a grant of $200 per annum. Luckily, Dad was transferred to Ang Mo Kio Community Hospital which is CEL certified and they conducted a 2 days training course for my maid. So I don't have to send my maid for a separate training. There is also a functional assessment form to be filled up by the doctor before Dad is being discharged.
I also applied for the Foreign Domestic worker Grant. (Note the difference!!!) As Dad is suffering from dementia and is unable to perform some of the daily tasks (e.g. bathing, walking) on his own, the Centre for Enabled Learning (CEL) actually "reimburse" or "subsidize" us $120 per month. (i.e. we pay $120 vis Giro to Ministry of Manpower and CEL pay us $120 as a grant.) (See Information on Foreign Domestic Grant).
However, note that the Foreign Domestic worker Grant requires the maid to undergo a CEL certified training course and that course costs about $100-$200 which the government also has a grant of $200 per annum. Luckily, Dad was transferred to Ang Mo Kio Community Hospital which is CEL certified and they conducted a 2 days training course for my maid. So I don't have to send my maid for a separate training. There is also a functional assessment form to be filled up by the doctor before Dad is being discharged.
Procedures
- Choosing a maid Click to search for maid
The link allows you to search for your ideal maid from various maid agencies. Please do not tick too many criteria otherwise you may not get any results.
You can click your preferred maid to find out more. The Bio-data is quite complete and interesting.
You can of course get the agency to help you short-list the maid.
Types of maids: There are New Maids, Maids (Nursing trained), Ex-Singapore Maids and Transferred maid (already in Singapore now, waiting for new employer). New Maids being the cheapest. If you are in a hurry to get a maid, you may wish to get a Transferred Maid.
We chose a new maid. It took us about 1 month to get the maid. See below for the timeline.
- Employer and Sponsor
My mum is considered to be the employer since the employer must be staying in the registered address of the maid. However, if the employer is not working, a "sponsor" (guarantor) is required. My brother would be the guarantor.
- Documents required include:
- The ICs of my dad, the employer (my mum), sponsor (my brother)
- The birth certificates of the sponsor (think to prove the relationship that he is the son)
- Past 3 months salary of sponsor and his spouse
You may also need to provide the sponsor's occupation (where and what does he do), sponsor's spouse Full name, NRIC, DOB.
- Applying for work permit
To apply for the work permit for a maid (foreign domestic worker), employer would have to complete a e-learning.
Strangely, the website is actually Singapore poly website. You would need to register first. After 2 days, a mail will be sent to you and you will then have to complete a long e-learning.
- Other things to take note:
- Do check with the agency whether they allow maid replacements and how much it cost. In the event of terminating the maid, what is the procedure and how much it cost.
- You may wish to have a telephone interview with the maid.
- Duration? The Timeline
- 12 March (Tue): Went down the maid agency to find out the pricing etc.
- 13th March (Wed): Emailed the agency to confirm our selection of the maid
- 16th March (Sat): Employer and Sponsor to sign agreements. (Saturday because my brother was only free on that day)
- 17th March to 23rd March: E-learning and submitting pending documents to agency etc.
- 26th March: Agency submitted the application for work permit
- 30th March: MOM approved the work permit. Agency called to confirm that we would be getting the maid on 9 April.
- 5th - 8th April: Agency sent Maid for health checks and in house 1 day training.
- 9 April: Go down maid agency to pay the $2660 Loan, employer to sign formal contract and collect maid.
So in total, it took us about 1 month to get the maid!!!
After the maid arrives...Procedures
- Getting the maid trained
As mentioned earlier, the Ang Mo Kio Community Hospital actually helps to train the maid in physiotherapy and other daily needs like transferring him onto a taxi, bathing etc. Our maid could not understand instructions in English but luckily there were nurses from Myanmar who can be our translators.
- Calling back home...Myanmar
We bought a M1 1818 overseas call card for her. It costs $9 each but the call duration is only 23 minutes if calling to Myanmar.
To call, dial 1818 using any phones, followed by "1" for English. Then key in the code number indicated on the card, followed by "#" key. Then key in "95" for Myanmar and "9" if the Myanmar's side is a handphone, finally the contact number and the "#" key. It may take some time before you can hear a dialing tone.
- Maid interview by MOM (for new maids only)
About 1 month after my maid arrives, we received a letter from MOM. The maid is required to go to Ministry of Manpower Services (at Potong Pasir) for a 30 minutes interview. The purpose of the interview is to ensure that she has adapted well to the new environment.
- Health check-ups (every 6 months)
It was mentioned by the maid agency that we will have to bring the maid for health check-up every 6 months. Most of the clinics provide such services.
