A foreign domestic helper who was very unhappy with her living conditions wrote that she was considering taking up a job in Europe.
In an anonymous Facebook post, the helper who had been with her employer for over a year wrote that the entire house had CCTV cameras installed, including in the room where she slept. She added that she was not allowed to use her phone during the day, but would sometimes sneak into the toilet to read her messages.
Because of her work schedule, she was not allowed to call her family. When her work would only end at 10 pm, she said that her family members would already be sleeping. Her employer gave her weekdays off, but her mother would be working at that time, so no one would be home to answer her calls and speak to her.
“They dont allow me to put my clothes on machine must be handwash only even my blanket etc. My work before finish nearly 12 at night thats the time i complain to them and they adjust and now around 10 I will finish work”, she wrote.
She added that because her employers would go to the office, she did not have lunch provided. She only had rice, egg and vermicelli noodles at home, but even then she was not allowed to eat those foods daily. Her employer would comment on it if she finished the eggs too quickly.
Here’s the catch:
The helper wrote: “Now i have friend in Europe she offer a job not actually a job but to apply in a Program (aupair) for me and find me a host family there. I process my papers and now Im waiting for my visa approval my employer here didnt know yet I dont tell them yet because I was scared they will sent me home. Since MOM allow us to terminate our contract”.
She planned to let her employers know once her European visa was approved, but wondered if she should tell them the truth or make up an excuse to be sent back to her home country.
Here’s what other helpers said:
Earlier this month, another foreign domestic helper who was charged a transfer fee worth two months of her salary by her agency asked other helpers about it. She also had questions as to why her employers were allowed to keep her passport.
In a Facebook post to group FDW in Singapore (working conditions forum), the helper, who wished to remain anonymous, asked if the transfer fee of $1260 was a large sum of her “hard earned” money. She asked why they had to be charged that sum for being transferred.