Employer says helper wants out months into two-year contract: ‘Now, if I want another maid, I have to pay again’

SINGAPORE: After forking out thousands of dollars to hire a helper, one employer now faces the prospect of losing her and having to spend hundreds more to find a replacement.

On Saturday (Sep 19), the employer shared her predicament in a Facebook group where helpers and employers discuss their experiences, saying her helper had repeatedly asked to return home to the Philippines.

“She agreed to work for two years and said she had no problems with the contract. Based on that, we trusted her and brought her here.”

One month after being hired, however, the helper declared she wanted to go home because “her grandmother suddenly had a stroke and there was nobody to take care of her children.”

The next month, the helper gave a different reason: “something serious had happened to her child, and she needed to go back.”

The third month brought yet another excuse, with the helper repeating that she simply had to return to the Philippines.

Every month the employer heard this, and every time she wondered whether the family had mistreated her. According to her account, they hadn't.

She claimed: “Every month, there was a different reason. At no point did I mistreat her or make her work in an unreasonable way. As far as I am concerned, I treated her well and took good care of her. That is why I honestly don't understand what suddenly changed after she came here."

The employer added that during the interview, before coming to Singapore, the helper had agreed to everything and said she had planned carefully so she could complete the two-year contract. So she was astounded when, not even a year in, the helper began wanting to leave.

The agency initially told her the helper had signed a two-year contract and could not simply leave whenever she wished. Later, however, they retracted that statement and said the helper was allowed to give one month's notice and go.

“Now, if I want another maid, I have to pay again. The difficult part is that I have not caused her any loss or harm. I have paid for everything and treated her properly, but in the end, I am the one facing the additional cost and inconvenience. I really want to understand how this works.”

Stuck in an unfortunate situation, she asked fellow employers for advice: “Has anyone else faced a similar situation with a maid from the Philippines? If yes, please share your experience with me. I would really appreciate hearing how you handled it.”

'Know your rights'

In the comments, one user noted she could request a replacement from the agency. “Don't trust both sides,” the user added. “Know your rights. She can support you until you get your replacement. Be stern with the agency as well.”

Another user, while expressing sympathy, speculated that the helper may have been deeply homesick.

“It helps to remember it's probably more about her than it is about you. Perhaps she missed her family more than she thought. For whatever reason, as much as she agreed at the start, she changed her mind, and thought excuses would change things.”

Several others shared their own experiences. One wrote: “It happened to me too. I spent SGD 3000+ to get a fresh new Filipino to fly in to Singapore. In fact, she was my second helper.”

“Before that I already spent thousands on the first helper, who turned out really bad. The second helper was supposed to work in my household for 2 years. Then at the 4-month mark, she suddenly wanted to go back to the Philippines for 3 weeks because her parent had cancer. And so I had to pay money (a few thousand SGD) again to get the 3rd helper!”

According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), employment agencies in Singapore must refund at least 50% of the service fee paid by employers when a migrant domestic worker’s employment ends within the first six months, provided the required refund conditions are met.

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