SINGAPORE: An employer took to social media enquiring how much it would cost her helper to build a house for herself back home. The employer posted her question in an online support group for domestic helpers and employers.
We compiled feedback from Indonesian maids and one interesting one from the Philippines below.
The employer added that after her helper completed a 2-year contract working for her, the helper managed to buy a piece of land back home with her savings.
“She aims to earn enough to own a house on that land. Any one of you have any idea how much she would have to save to fulfil her dream?” the employer asked.
Other helpers who commented on the post advised on the types of houses they built and how much it cost them. One helper who built her house 11km from Palembang said:
“I just built my home last year in Cirebon. It cost me around $45k-50k to buy materials and pay the contractors till finished (1 level house with planning to expand to level 2 in the future). No furniture except kitchen.
It consists 1 bedroom, 2 toilets (one outside, one in the bedroom), 1 washing machine area, 1 big hall with an open kitchen. It took me 15 years to save up.
It was really hard to save, but I am very happy to finally have something that I call “home” for my own, and that was my biggest dream.”
Another helper commented: “Depends (on the) house she wants to build. A level house with all the cement costs around S$20,000. It can be with 3 rooms.
If she makes more than one level, it will be more expensive than double because we need iron for concrete pillars and second-floor foundations… and the price of iron is quite expensive”.
In other news, a Filipino woman on TikTok has come back with a sassy response to netizens who called her out for being a maid. A netizen commented on the woman’s TikTok channel: “no lah, she’s a maid.”
In response, the woman, @shery2291, said: “I may be a maid, but I have a car in the Philippines, then I got three houses in Cavite, two lands in Samal, and one is near the beach”.
“Singapore is good enough to make me earn money and invest in the future. So if I’m a maid here in Singapore, it’s okay”. She added, “As long as I’m just thinking about the future and not just (posting) hating comments in other people’s videos. Just saying,” the woman retorted.