SINGAPORE: A foreign domestic helper took to social media asking others for advice with regards to her difficult working conditions.
In an anonymous post to a Facebook group, the maid said that she was far from perfect but tried to do her work properly, to the best of her abilities and without complaining. The maid added that initially, there were only four people in the house she worked at, including herself. However, her employer then brought another five of her family members to stay for over a month, bringing up the total to nine people in the house.
The maid said that her task was to do cleaning and all household chores. The maid wrote that she was fine with this but noticed that her employer would message her asking her to clean an area of the house, then “she ask to send picture…like…clean this area or bathroom and send picture,” the maid wrote.
She said that her employer wanted to check if the work was done correctly. Even if her maid cleaned properly, the woman still did not trust her. The helper then wrote that this made her constantly feel like she was not good enough.
Here’s what others who commented on her post said:
Earlier this year, another foreign domestic helper took to social media to share that she not only had to care for 3 young children, but she also had to wake up at 5.30 am and sometimes work until 11 pm.
In a Facebook support group for domestic helpers and employers alike, an anonymous participant asked: “Helpers who work with 3 or 4 kids or babies, how do you all cope?”
Most helpers who responded to the post shared their tiring work situations. One shared that she had to look after three kids – a 7-year-old, a 5-year-old and a 6-month-old baby. She added that she worked in a four-bedroom house that had four toilets. The maid wrote that while she did not have to cook food for the adults, she had to cook food for the kids.
She wrote that she had to wake up at 5.30 am and often went to sleep at 10 or 11 pm. The maid shared that while her employer was not too strict about cleaning as she knew her helper was handling her baby, she said she would still clean daily and finish her chores while the baby slept. The maid also said that she often finished ironing at night before sleeping.
Read the full story here:
Maid says she has to care for 3 children, clean 4 bedrooms, 4 toilets and works from 5.30am to 11pm