Maid says she’s exhausted after her employer’s family visits and stays for months; her contract states she only has to care for 3

A domestic helper, whose workload turned out to be more than what was agreed upon, took to social media to ask others what to do.

The helper, who seemed to use a throwaway account to post her query, shared it on Wednesday (Jul 6). She shared that her boss was not local and that in her contract it was stated that she would only have to care for two adults and a child.

When initially speaking to her, the employers told the helper that their parents would only visit them every six months or so, and this would only be for short periods of time. However, the helper added that at first, her employer’s parents stayed for three months, but then this turned into a stay for six months.

She wrote that she was exhausted and said: “I really don’t like old folks..”.

In addition, she asked others in the FDW in Singapore (working conditions forum) group if they too had experienced anything similar, or if their employers paid them extra for the work.

Here’s what others said:

In March, another foreign domestic helper said that she was told she would be caring for a two-year-old boy and had no idea her employer was already expecting another child.

Then months later, the second kid arrived. And only then she was told that she would be expected to look after the newborn at night as well.

In a post to Facebook page FDW in Singapore (working conditions forum),  the maid wrote: “time check it’s 00:27 and still helping my boss to look after a newborn”.

She has been with her employer for four months. She said that during her interview, she was never told that she would be expected to help with a newborn, or even that her employer was pregnant. In her contract, she said, it was only stated that she was to look after a  two-year-old child.

Maid: When I was hired, contract said I only had a toddler to care for, but 4 months later, I also have a newborn to look after at night

Another foreign domestic helper who has more work thrust upon her than she signed up for took to social media to ask if it was worth it to remain in that household.

The domestic helper, who went by the name of Shi E Ra, posted on Facebook that her employer’s eldest daughter’s family would come to the house she was working at almost daily, doubling the helper’s work.

In her post to Facebook page FDW in Singapore (working conditions forum) on Thursday (May 19) the maid wrote: “My employer has 3 children. The eldest daughter is married already & having 3 children(6yr old, 4 yr old& 1 yr old) and one more thing is she is pregnant in their 4th child”. 

She added that despite her employer’s daughter having her own home, the latter, her husband and three children are “always in the house of my employer”.

Maid workload doubled after employer’s daughter, son-in-law & 3 grandchildren come daily for 3 meals, asks: “Is it worth renewing (contract) or not?”