Maid Problems
If you behave well with your employees they will reciprocate. This was true of our first maid who stayed with us for 3 years. After she had to leave on account of her daugher's illness, we hired the new one. She was okay for first 6 weeks, though not very efficient. Then we left doha for our annual vacation. Few days after we came back, she asked me to give her QR 1200 in addition to her salary as her father is sick and admitted to hospital. So i gave her the money which she sent to philpine. Couple of days back when i recived my phone bill, i was shocked to see that she has made calls of about a Qr 1000, duration of some calls was more than 1 hour!
And on top of that, the next day when we get up early morning we find her missing! As i was getting ready to go to police to report her, she turns up. Says she went to see another filipina maid!
I asked her to pack up and took her back to agency. But now they are telling me that they cannot replace her coz its been > 3 months of her arrival!
So in this way i also loose QR 8000 that i paid to the agency.
What options do i have?
rogkat5, many maids come from Ethiopia. Would that be sufficient?
I'm not touching the housemaid issues here because I'll end up spitting broken glass.
hi, frind h r u..iam house maied call..6825193
Is it possible to bring a nanny from Nigeria? I have lived here for over 4 years and have taken my nanny with us to the states for a visit even. She is part of our family! We are now moving to Doha and I wonder how I can bring her with us.
Nothing to admire. Just normal human behaviour. :)
Kismet
Kismet, I admire you for treating your maid as part of your family and as a person with dignity...may your tribe multiply...
This is my suggestion only. You should tell her your house rules. Your housemaid should know your Do's & Dont's. I should say Filipino housemaids are good but there are also some who are hard headed especially with more years of experience working in GCC . Sometimes you can not tell them don't do this and and don't to do that. They are more on comparison with their previous employers. The money which she took from you could be deducted from her salary let's say QAR 200 per month. And for your phone bill you can do the same maybe QAR 100 until she finished the installments. You can lock your IDD access also if you are no in your home.
I understand that the agency who endorsed to you would not accept her anymore since there is a grace period. I feel sorry for my compatriot who did this to you. Sometimes we cannot blame them. Due to poverty back home, could you imagine that these poor housemaids needs to borrow some money to pay for the handling fees with the agency just to find a job overseas they feel self pity.
*rewarding*lol
"It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid."
- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
Tigasin, no she won't be doing any dirty work, I'll be doing that I couldn't bear the thought of somebody washing and ironing my old grey knickers!!and its my job to clean toilets cause its quite reqarding!
"It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid."
- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
I did not make that assumption. What I am saying is that they have little protection here compared to the west. Yes, you are right if I think the notion of having a maid to do all the dirty work distasteful. But hey that's just me. Guess we will have to agree to disagree.
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Just call me Tigasin. That's what I'm talking about
CB - take care of your Army of future maids :)
Tigasin, you assume westerners do not have maids back home when in fact they do! The difference over here is that most expats do not have a 'family unit' around them like back home therefore they need extra help...and its affordable over here! I'm not too lazy to clean my house but because I don't have family to help me with my daughter I have to resort to looking for a new member of the family to help me out.....!
"It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid."
- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
Why did they remove my picture? What was wrong about it??? Guess I have to change it now. :/
Tigasin, I know that many of them are being treated badly, and that is no good.
They are treated badly by certain nationalities more than others, and that's a well known fact here.
But I won't be specific, don't fancy being attacked for being a racist.
Kismet
Oh ya the underwear! As for Friday, I was home, I needed an alcohol free weekend.
Visit www.qatarhappening.com
That is true and many allow the maids to work long hours without proper rest. Live in maids are subject to work all day and evening until the patrons and kids go to bed.
On the other hand there are many patrons who do treat their maids well, sometimes the personalities clash but this should be clearly recognisable within the first three months.
I beleive they should have at least have the possibility to telephone with their families as many of them are away from home the first time and may feel homesick. If the maid is not happy she will not work well and will obviusly thing of ways to leave.
One other thing is that their salaries should be paid on time which does not always happen, many of these girls families are depending on the money the girls earn here to support them.
I was having trouble keeping my breakfast down but no longer. The breakfast is no longer inside me thanks to that lovely picture.
To answer your question. Yes, I live life pretty much the same way wherever I live. I left my home country (USA) many years ago and have lived in several countries since then.
But you are missing the point, I am not criticizing you at all. What you are doing is fine but it is not the norm here. Trust me, many maids here get a terrible deal. Many are abused and raped and sometimes even murdered. And that, my dear is what I am talking about.
Just call me Tigasin. That's what I'm talking about
Because they can afford it here, and they can't afford it in UK, for example. Simple.
And nothing wrong with it.
Are you living here exactly the way you are in your home country? I don't think you are, but maybe I'm wrong.
Expat life is different to living in your country.
Kismet
[this post has broken our guidelines by using bad language - you will be removed from QL if this continues]
There was also the underwear issue. And I am pissed at you for not showing up on Friday (although to be fair you didn't say you would).
Just call me Tigasin. That's what I'm talking about
Oh come on Tigasin, you're just upset because I told you I wouldn't be your maid! :P
I said if you just lengthen the skirt on that French maid outfit I'd consider it.
Visit www.qatarhappening.com
Why is that people need maids here when it would never occur to them to have one in their home country? Is it just because of relative disparities in wealth, and if so, does being wealthy in relative terms, mean that you are somehow superior and that you need to show off that superiority, rather like buying a new car just because you can.
Just call me Tigasin. That's what I'm talking about
Tigasin, you just confirmed what I am saying - it is about the hosts attitude.
And yes, I have a maid, who is not a live in, but comes everyday.
And I can tell you. She wouldn't want to leave. She loves my kid, she likes me, and she is treated well.
I don't ban her from having a mobile, I let her call her home from my computer because Qtel is very expensive, she eats dinner at the table with me, and if she wants to have breaks during the day, she knows she is free to do that.
Kismet
As we are all sponsored here... I think there should be 'spot checks' where maids get full medical and interview every 3 months to check there is no abuse.
You certainly don't see many obese maids around thats for sure.
We need to take it to the streets and break down the barricades. Maids should have equal rights as any other employee and their embasassies should support and protect them. They don't. I would like to see a new law granting maids suitable accommodation, decent wages and conditions.
I would also like to see the fat lazy people cleaning up their own messes for a change.
Just call me Tigasin. That's what I'm talking about
My students dont see the irony in banning their maids from having phones...I've heard the issue discussed a few times.
just in case the maid... can be contactable ... leaving them vunerable and isolated - with no network of support.
My students can't even turn off their four phones for one hour of class.
It is totally draconian.
Yes I am too lazy to clean my house... and have a cleaner whom I pay well and treat with respect.
As long as you respect the fact that someone is doing a job you don't want to do or can't do...and not be snotty because of their status... then fine.
Too many people think because they can pay someone to clean they are feudal barons... such a nouveau riche attitude.
There is a big difference between being a live-in nanny and a maid. Have you seen the maid's quarter's in the villas? Our villa is big (four large bedrooms and 4 bathrooms)but downstairs is a tiny maid's room.
If you were a live-in nanny in Europe or North America, I have no problem with that because there you have freedom to leave if you don't like it and you have recourse against your hosts. But here, your employers keep your passport if you are a maid. You are not treated like part of the family, you have no control over your hours and you remain at the beck and call of your employer. I would say that this is akin to slavery.
I don't see why people can't clean up after themselves. Or are they too important to do menial work?
Just call me Tigasin. That's what I'm talking about
Tigasin, why do you think a live in maid is a slave? I completely don't agree with you.
It all depends on the way she is treated, and of course, sometimes they are treated badly, but sometimes they are not.
I used to be a live in nanny, and I also had to clean, and sorry, I didn't feel like a slave, I felt like a part of the family.
So it's all about the hosts attitude, and yes, i can see place for live in domestic help in the 21st centruy.
Kismet
If you are too lazy to clean your house yourself then you can easily hire someone to do it on an ad-hoc basis.
In my not so humble opinion there is no place for live-in maids in the 21st century. They work long hours, get poorly paid and are often abused and sometimes even enslaved.
I don't blame your maid for trying to extract as much as she can from you. You are doing the same thing to her.
It pisses me off that these so-called liberal tolerant westerners are happy to re-enter feudal times with a hierarchial system and a class system just because the cost of labor is cheap.
Just call me Tigasin. That's what I'm talking about
Trust is very important. In case you have small kids you cant trust her as I deported my maid a month ago for similar issues...Infact she use to hang out with another nanny who use to bring the child out in heat without telling parents..They do it once and they do it again...
Its your call.. how comfortably u can live with someone you dont trust..in your own house!!
You can try transfer her sponsership...
good servant for you
Sri Lanaka embessy is very helpful. go & have a look :)
Marcus Varney come here. I know you personally :)
Supernurse...good luck with the Sri Lankan embassy. In 2006, we asked a few embassies to find a housemaid and they only referred us to an official agency (where we ended up going). But things may have changed or I could have tried a different tact OR been more persistent.
flanostu...if you only read about housemaids, you will get a mostly one-sided "housemaids are always vicitimized" story. Almost every newspaper, magazine, or Internet article I've read tells the story of a housemaid who was abused by her sponsor (by no payment, physical/sexual/emotional abuse, overwork from too many children to care for/too big house to clean, etc.)
These stories are true and many. But there are few stories told about the housemaids who take advantage of their sponsors (stealing money/phone use, develop boyfriend problems, runaway, don't listen to sponsors, etc.)
Also, you don't read about the truly happy housemaid-sponsor relationships. In the 4 years of living in DOha and reading the newspaper, I've read only one article like this:
A Qatari family liked their Filipina housemaid so much that they paid for and organized her wedding in Doha for her!
She should pay the monies. The agency should not be protecting her.
let the house maid work and don t pay him when she pay 1000 rq qtel and give u missing item bring to the police the housemaid after fire her
lol.Injections against the maid issues lol....funnily enough I'm off to the labour place to get a visa for a live in nanny....sri lankan is what I want....i heard their embassy might help me out rather than go through agencies...what u reckon Bae?....
"It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid."
- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
I am. But who can stop me? Only a supernurse can cure me from the ailment. Do you do injections?
I also love dogs and hope to get one when back in Canada. A nice big dog that you can hug!
go easy on her. i've been reading disturbing articles on maids and how they're treated in Qatar.
Lol, Bae, you're like a dog to a bone lol.......
"It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid."
- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
Report her to he Police.. Stick her in jil ill her family/friendscough up the money..
My friends....my housemaid ran away in March 2007. We tried to get her to wear a uniform but she didn't like the bright orange colours. (LOL). Sorry to burst the bubble...we never asked her to wear a uniform. She's now back in the Phillpines.
We have an Indonesian housemaid and she's been excellent. She doesn't speak English and we don't speak her language (Bahasa). So, our life can sometimes be difficult. But her good heart and diligent work makes up for any communications problems. It just takes a lot of patience. Now she has acquired essential English words so things are improving. Personally, language shouldn't be a problem (with lots of patience).
I know some housemaids but only as part-timers who are more expensive than live-ins. All of them work in the north (Garaffa, Duhail).
Do a search on nannies....interesting...I'm looking for one too....
"It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid."
- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
Hi Marcus
I have used an agency to get a nanny and it did not work out as she could not speak engligh and had no experience with children. I am thinking of a philippino nanny - do you know people that you can recomend? Maybe we can talk about it?
Thanks
she was sick of the uniform that baedaebok made her wear
baedaebok's maid ran away from his house not so long time ago :)
why would you want her in jail? its not like she did any serious crime. anyway try baedaebok suggestion. give her a strick guidlines, it will help for sure.
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‡♥~~"Never argue with a fool. People might not know the difference".~~♥
♥~nashx~♥
(=^_^=)
I wouldn't give her any money to send to her family - she earns a salary and I heard about many many cons like that - sick mother, sick father, funeral and money needed for that.
And I would deduct telephone bill money from her salary - she wants to speak, she has to pay. Otherwise it will continue.
And I would tell her that if she once again leaves without telling me about it, she'll go back home. She will be scared and hopefully won't do it again.
Beadaebok is right, show the maid the boundaries, respect her and demand respect back.
Kismet
you paid her to send to her family (the 1200) and the phone bill. She cannot complain. you can file a case against her and have her jailed. even if you do not have records for the loan amount. you can still trace the money and prove that she did the remittence through Central Bank records.
===================================== http://www.qatarliving.com/node/58409
Marcus Varney - I know you pretty well Mr. Project Manager of joxxxxxxxxx
marcus
Anyone needing a good maid do it this way .As a RP holder and assuming you earn more than 5k a month ! then apply for your own maid forget 8k ripp off from the agencies plus plus as they say in Phils ,,,,,,,,,
I can help you out just ask .......I am british my wife is philippino and we have a whole line of wonderful KNOWN girls full of smiles and willing to work hard and take care of screaming spoilt kids !!
marcus
i am british ex pat and lived and worked in Philippines from 1998 to 2004 ,,,,,,,,,,Housemaids are recognised as being the best from philippines you only need to understand how to deal with them ....Problem is most westerners only know one way THERE WAY .
I maybe stirring things up but my hubby wants me to get a maid and things like this have crossed my mind.....can someone tell me why bae's comments are 'hopefully a joke'? Sorry about my naivity but I kinda take it as like a shared accomodation setup in a way and I wouldn't be happy spending qr1000 on someone else phone bill (happy to allow a set amount) and having them disappear without notice, don't know if hapy in question was busy that day but if it was a work day etc. We don't earn that much and am looking to work possibly so would hope we don't come across this
I may be blonde but I am wise
smile lots laugh more
not anymore ... especially now i met Bae in person ... i take it as a pinch of salt whatever he said online onQL.
don't send her back to her country do what baedaebok said to you it's good idea.
supernurse.i hope it was...
I had a maid once who wore a uniform. She looked nice in the uniform.
lol....that was a joke Im sure...
hiya novi..does that comment not piss you off?
Lol Nadt ... Baedaebok it seems you going to pissed people off again ...
baedaebok, are you serious?
I think you have only one option: keep her. Did you get her work visa yet? Most housemaids from agencies come here with a 3-month visa. After the three months, you apply for a one, two, or three-year work visa. Once you do that, the agency won't take her back b/c it is too difficult for them to transfer her visa to someone else. Now, this is my suggestion. Be very, very strict with her. Give her strict guidelines about what you expect from her (duties, times in, times out, phone use). Deduct the phone bill and previous money you gave to her from her salary (small installments to be fair). I'm not talking about being cruel or unfair but show her your boundaries and expectations.
I cant blame you for doing that to her...But there are lot of maids you could hire even w/o going to the agency...But the thing is you must be able to sponsor. Filipina maids are proffessional and even though being a maid is a low kind of job, its considered as an honorable source of income for her family back home.But you could still try talking to the agency and consider your grivancies about your maid.