Procedure for Filipino Maid returning to Philippines for Vacation

This is a repeated question being asked in forums and I have even received some enquiries on the procedure. So, I thought it will be good if I write something about it so that Employer will have some idea what to get done when their maid wants to return back to Philippines for a vacation.

Below is the information as published in their website:-

Filipino workers abroad who are leaving for Philippines for a vacation and are returning to the same employer can be issued an Overseas Employment Certificate or OEC. The OEC holder shall be exempted from the payment of the Philippine travel tax amounting to P1,600.00 and the Airport Terminal Fee of P550.00.

OEC applicants must accomplish an OFW Information Sheet, and present the following:

• Passport with a valid Work Permit
• Valid Employment Contract verified by the POLO-KL / Stamp Registered by POEA
• Proof of OWWA membership and Philhealth coverage,
• Payment of RM10.00 for OEC and RM100.00 for OWWA

*The OEC is valid for sixty (60) days from the date of issue or until the expiration of the work permit, whichever comes first.

Valid Employement Contract

If your maid's 2 years contract has expired. You can download the form from the embassy's website http://www.philembassykl.org.my/main/index.php/labor-services/forms (the one for the household service worker) and fill in the form yourself. You do not need an agent to do this and leave the agents' names/companies blank in the contract form. Then you will need to find a company with the notary public service as listed in http://www.agc.gov.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=59&Itemid=94&lang=en. Call in the office which is convenient to you to make appointment for the service instead of walk-in as most of the time, the lawyer in charge is not in or in court. The Employer and the maid will have to present in front of the lawyer to sign the contract and then the lawyer will place his notary public stamp on it. This could cost from RM100-200 depends on the fee scale of that particular firm.

OWWA

This is the insurance for the maid which includes (a) livelihood loan assistance; (b) insurance coverage; (c) burial assistance; (d) skills training and refresher courses; (e) scholarship program; and, (f) other benefits for the OFW and members of his family from the Philippines embassy. The insurance is valid for 2 years and can be purchased on the spot from the embassy.This costs RM90.

OEC

You can download the form from the above link and fill in prior to your visit to the embassy. If you just need the OEC, it will only cost you RM10. However, if your maid is returning home for more than 60 days, she will have to  apply for the OEC back in the Philippines as the OEC is only valid for 60 days. Then, you will have to verify the contract with the embassy and it costs RM RM38.50.

Employer doesn not need to accompany the maid to apply for the OEC. Do bear in mind that if your maid is going back during the xmas season, you need to go early in the morning to the embassy, the queue could be quite long and sometimes, you have to wait till after lunch. In normal day, it could be done maybe within half an hour time.

Good luck with your maid-less weeks or months!

Maid Stories

I came across about this story from the Facebook group of maid stories. Apparently if you advertise in the STAR newspaper for a nanny or domestic helper, there is this lady, Vivian will call you up and offer you a nanny.

She will claimed that she has a nanny agency and will require RM1400 for the agent fee and the next day, she will dispatch a chinese nanny to you but without giving you any receipt or business card. After a few days, the nanny will start complaining about the work and will leave and when you call Vivian back, she will say that the workload is too much that is the reason the nanny quit but she guarantee a replacement within a month or so from the beginning but after a several calls, she will not answer your call(s). 2 persons had been cheated by her and her mobile number was 012-687 5409.

So, ladies, do watch out if you come across this. 

Maid Available

I have a maid who is still in Mindanao Philippines who is ready to come over to work here. She has done her medical and will expiry in 1.5 months time. Long story cut short, she was supposed to come over to work for me. However, due to the agent who is not alert with our immigration regulations, I cannot let them send my current maid back home and goes without maid for 2-3 months prior arrival of the new maid. With no choice I have instead spoken to my current maid and now she is agreed to stay. 

I came to know about this maid via her sister who works here with a German couples. She was supposed to come and work for me but due to her previous visa was not able to transfer to an expat family, so the plan didn't work (her previous employer was leaving the company, so she was looking for a job at that time). She has instead recommended her sister to come to work for me. I have interviewed her via skype and I have met her younger sister here twice.She seems decent and could be 'potentialy' good and willing to work long term. The terms we have agreed was RM1200 + 2 sundays off and Employer pays for food and toiletries. 

She is 26 and has 1 daughter. Email me (acbm123@gmail.com) if anybody interested. Her sister here would like to chat with the interested Employer first. The agent is charging RM6600+RM4000, the 4k is to be deducted from the maid's salary. Her sister also got contact of agent who can arrange her permit once she enter her via tourist visa, for this, I am not sure what is the charges.

Maid Issues (5)

I have been missing for a while due to maids' issues!

One of maid was supposed to go back after the 2 years contract to attend her daughter's graduation. I have bought the first set of ticket based on the date as advised by her. Then, she said the graduation has been brought forward. I have to buy another set of ticket and told her that I will charge her for that. On 27th April, she missed her flight due to miscommunication with the taxi driver. We were really mad with the poor communication skill and only informed us when it was closed to the departure time and in actual fact, the taxi was early and waited for her outside the condominium. We thought we will sort out the fee/back charges later and bought her another set of ticket on 30th April. I am wondering whether the God is trying to test mine or her patient. Both of us misinterpreted the time and as a result of that she missed her flight again. I just wanted to get on with it and move on to enjoy the first public holiday break the next day, so I bought another ticket and she managed to leave on the same day in the evening.

With her 2 weeks off, I was supposed to have a back-up maid. The back-up maid came for a trial a day prior to my maid leaving for Philippines and decided not to turn up the next day without inform us. I have no choice but to make plan to go to work 1 hour late in order to get the kids ready for their school and come home from work 1 hour early to help up with the cooking and looking after the kids.

The maid supposed to come back on 14th May and on 13th May, she sms me that she was not able to come back as her 18 years old daughter is pregnant. She has to stay and take care of her. At that time, I was calm and decided that we have to move forward without her but was upset with the total loss I suffered on her 4 sets of air ticket, her just renewed work permit. 

For those with maid, this is an important procedure you need to know. If a maid run away or does not come back to work. The only way forward is to cancel her permit by lodging a police report and you have to pay a fine of RM750 (for Filipino, RM250 for Indonesian and Cambodian). If you cancel her permit, of course there will be no fine. The maid has agreed that she will post her passport back to me and I can cancel the permit accordingly. So I can avoid the fine and she can avoid being blacklisted by our government.

With the above episode ended. I offered my the other maid an increment and I still work on my adjusted hour basis. Things go well but I help up my in house chores and kids and I notice a big improvement of my kids behaviour. They are more helpful and not so pampered!  After a week, the maid told me that her husband wants her back by November upon expiry of her 3rd year contract. I have a long chat with her and she confirmed she wants to go back.

My headache starts all over again. I am not willing to fork out another 10K to hire another maid. Live in/out part time maid or chinese nanny is my option.

One of my blog follower suggested advertise in www.olx.com. While I was browsing the website, I found this filipino girl looking for job as her expat employer has to leave the country. I met up and interviewed her and really like her. At the same time, she is attending to few interviews too and some are willing to offer her higher price. I was really hoping she would choose me.

Then, come last week, the maid now said she wants to continue working but wanted to go back for 2 weeks in November and the new maid has made up her mind and willing to come work with us. Now I am struggling to make decision between the old and new maids.

Old maid:

• will she return if I let her go
• People always said old is better than new. Is it truth? Better the devil you know?
• She almost has no money left, she send most of her money back home each month as the family is struggling so I have nothing to hold back.

New maid:

• Is she going to be good, good enough for my children?
• is my children going to like her?
• Is this unfair to my children since they get on so well with my current maid?

Tonnes of questions in my mind but most office colleagues and friends voted for the new maid. In order to give it a go, I have suggested the new maid to come over on Sundays to spend some time with us and the kids and will decide from there.

What do you think OLD or NEW?

Maid Issues (4) - Facebook Group

My blog reader has recently invited me to join a group called 'Maid Stories' in Facebook. I have read the topics and stories. Quite a informative group with information like 'horror' and 'good' stories, market prices of maids, illegal maids, maid behavior, maid agencies and contacts of maids.

Do check it up if you are interested and there are some 'blacklisted' maids too and hope you do not have one of them in your home!!!

Maid Issues (3) - Check this out

I accidentally came upon this blogspot. If you are hiring maid, do check up the following blogspot whether or not your future or current maid's name is listed.

http://singaporemaidcomments.blogspot.com/

Maid Issues (2) - Problematic Maids

We have heard lots of story about the maids' behavior, some are good, some are really bad. My good friend has the worse of luck when come to maids. In just less than 2 years, she already had and lost 3 maids. She has an elderly mum with all sort illness and 3 children aged between 1-5 years old.

Here is her horror story:-

1st maid - Indonesian
Upon the expiry of her contract, she decided the maid is not to the expectation and decided to send her back. Now, thinking back, she was the one who give her the least problem.

2nd maid - Indonesian

Came for 2 weeks and ran away. This was the beginning of the hell of her life. She received a phone call from the embassy the next day informed her that the maid has ran to the embassy for help, claiming abuse by the Employer. She claimed that my friend's mum has physically abused her. My friend's mum is in her late 60's and is a dialysis patient and struggling with all sort of illness. When met up at the Embassy, my friend was shocked with the ironing wound and knife-cut wound all over her body. The maid said she is willing to settle the issue and go back home if my friend is to pay her 2 years of wages. At that time, my friend was furious, she denied and refused to pay her. We were the one, who advised her to pay up and treat this as nightmare as her mother would not be able to handle the backward and forward to the police station for investigation and worst case scenario, if it go to court. Her mum may stand a chance being locked up during investigation.

With my friend's refusal to pay, the maid went and lodged the police report the next day. As usual, police turned up for investigation and few trips to the police station.

The Embassy became suspicious when the maid told them she needed to go back urgently as her baby was sick but in actual fact, her status is single and at the same time, my friend received a sms from the maid's mum informed the maid that all are well at home. 

After couple of months, the matter was still unresolved and my friend stand firm on not paying the money. I guess the maid became impatient and instead demanded RM500 to go back and my friend still refused. At the end, the agency paid her RM100 and send her back. 

Imagine this, they are willing to hurt themselves to gain the 2 years wages and go back home and do that again to their next employer. I guess to them, this is quite an easy money with short term pain.

As a result of that, my friend has suffered great deal of loss of time for work, loss of payment to agency and suffered mental stress. 

After the experience, my friend decided not to take on Indonesian maid and change to Cambodian. 

3rd Maid - Cambodian

Came to work for 4 months and undergone 1-2 session of consultations with the agency. Basically, communication problem, not able to handle simple task even like cleaning the floor, hang clothes after wash, clean/storage of stuff brought from market, preparation of food to cook and etc.

Again, the maid was sent back to the agency and she suffered loss of all fees to the agency, time loss and all sort of inconvenient.

4th maid - Cambodian (name :Horn Mun  passport :N0813691)

Highly recommended by the agency. She worked in Malaysia before and able to speak Mandarin, B. Malaysia and some English. Her work was acceptable but bad attitude towards the mum. She worked for about a year. My friend's confrontation of her attitude towards the mum set up the problem. She ran away yesterday leaving behind the little daughter with the mum (she was asleep), her passport (just renewed) and some cash.

Again, my friend is not able to turn up at work, mum is quite ill and little daughter is only less than 2 years. I sympathised with her situation but I can't really help much.

The reason of writing this, was hoping others could share their experience and list out those problematic maid's details like name and passport number and country of origin, so others would not re-employ them.

I will try to get the maid's details from my friend. She is very traumatised now and need time to organise/re-arrange her life.

Maid Issues

Maid or no maid? I was a firm believer of not having a maid until the arrival of the twins. Both of myself and my husband used to share house works when that was just the 2 of us. The maid? We don't trust them, too many scary or horror story about them!!

When my eldest son arrived, I was exploring the option of babysitter or hiring a live-in Chinese maid. I am not the type of person who can stay at home and engage into this 24 hours, 7 days a week and 365 days job without any financial freedom and break. I have the experience of doing this for a month after the confinement lady left. I realised that I do not have the patient and became more emotional. My husband and I used to have a chat of our work, life and occasionally met up for a drink. Since I was babysitting at home the whole day, all I wanted to do when he get home is for him to take care of the baby, so I could prepare dinner (not even bother to be creative), shower and prepare the baby's milk bottle or do any balance of the house works. I realised this was not healthy for our relationship, I need to get back to work. I felt good after going back to work and look forward everyday to come home to see my husband and the baby and to cook for them.

OK. Here is my journey of trying to get a nanny or maid for my precious children while we are at work.  At first, I got my neighbour to babysit. My babysitter decided to become alcoholic less than 2 months taking care of my baby. Thank God, my son was in good health and not harmed. Appreciated my neighbours who have given the information about the behavior of the babysitter. I took my baby back and  decided to get a Chinese live-in nanny. At the beginning, I went through an agency to hire my very 1st Chinese nanny.

Some of you may not know such an agency exist, right? Here are the 2 agencies that hire out local Malaysian maid, mainly Chinese and some Indian.

1. Susan Domestic Agency 

• Location : Cheras and Jalan Pasar off Jalan Pudu
• Contact : 016-331 8040
• Charges: Agency fee - 1 month of the maid's salary. Maid's salary = RM1300-1600/month (depends on live in or not)

I got my first nanny through this agency. However, for whoever wish to engage their service, my advice is you need to be patient. The lady boss, she is a very loud, bad manner person. If you do not have the patient, you will not be able to even listen and talk to her any further. I was pre-warned about her attitude. So at the end I got my nanny.

2. Yee Ku 

• Location : Jalan Pasar Off Jalan Pudu (next door to Susan's)
• Contact : 012-609 1273
• Charges: Agency Fee - RM800. Maid's salary = RM 1300-1600/month

The agency will usually provide a 2 months warranty. If you are not happy, you could change. The live-in nanny will basically take care of the baby, cook for us and including doing the house works. They have to go on a break a day per week.

My 1st nanny has done an excellent job in taking care of my son but unfortunately she gone crazy after 8 months after I banned her from taking my baby out everyday to hawker/restaurant outside to have her meal. I was worried that my son or they could be a target of kidnapping or robbery.

With the short notice, I was desperate to get a replacement. I have called all confinement ladies listed in my previous blog and was hoping that 1 of them will be interested to work for me for long term, I wasn't ready to go back to the agency to face the very rude Susan and pay her a month of agency fee again. I did not come to know Yee Ku only till later.

Running out of luck, I resorted to China Press to see whether there is any more maid agency who provide Chinese maid. Then I noticed there are few ads looking for Chinese maid. I was desperate that I call to the persons who advertised and apologised to them that I did not want to apply for the job but would like to enquire them about the responds and their luck in getting the maid. The feed backs were good. All of them who advertised have managed to get a maid within couple of days.

So I called up China Press. The cost to advertise for 3 days was only about RM110. So I placed the ad. and within few days, I have received 7 calls and has arranged for the meet up/interview. So, I got my 2nd nanny finally and minus the agent fees. Yeah!

Then the 2nd nanny worked for us for about 13 months. When I knew I was pregnant with twins, I know I need to get a maid. No way my nanny is able to handle 3 children. Lucky enough, my brother suggested her formal Filipino maid and I managed to get in touch with her and she was willing to come over and work for me. I was not willing to get a stranger through agency to come and stay with us.

Then come another problem. My nanny was not able to cope with 3 children. She decided to quit but promise to do so till I get a replacement. Here we go again, maid problem!!! I think God has been very kind to me from the time I got pregnant. My maid sister is willing to come over and work for me.

So, now I have 2 Filipino assistants who have done an excellent job taking care my children and also the house is spotless clean but the cooking is not so good-la. 2 out of 3 is good enough for me. Priority is the children.

Confinement Lady

Confinement Lady is the person who cares for your baby and you after the delivery. You are supposed to be confined in the house for a period of 30-40 days so your body can recover properly. The confinement is to prevent 'wind' to get into your body so you would not suffered body ache and headache later. 

The confinement lady job scope includes :-

1. cooking . Most the diet will be of ginger, rice wine and traditional Chinese herbs.
2. Prepare bath water for yourself and baby. Some opted for traditional boiled herbs, some opted those easy herbal shampoo. But usually there is a restriction of time when you can wash your hair. Some of them will disallowed you to wash your hair up to a period of 1 month.
3. care for your baby e,g wash, clean, sleep and feed the baby. If you are first time mum, she will also teach how to care for your baby. If you allow them, they usually will sleep with the baby during the night, so you could have a good rest.
4. some minor house chores e.g cleaning, ironing and etc.

The charges are ranging from RM2800 to RM3500 inclusive of ang pow.

I have compiled a list of confinement ladies abstracted from forums and blogspots:-

• Kui Sia - 012-419 1528 (from Ipoh- willing to travel)
• Wan Jie - 012-388 6847
• Hua Jie -  012-367 8436
• Sally -016-375 3288 (from penang)
• Aunty Chin - 019-758 0034 (from Segamat-often travel to Singapore)
• Aunty Chia - 012-529 7236
• Ah Lin - 016-691 0517
• Ah Geok - 016-503 6387
• Man Jie - 012-217 2605
• Mui Cheh - 016-394 5709
• Siew Ling - 017-249 6998
• Har Jie - 012-931 8072
• Foong Jie - 012-438 0925
• Yook Jie - 012-687 2988
• Kam Jie - 016-340 8133
• Yoong Jie - 016-340 8133
• Yoong Jie - 016-624 0522/012-972 6072
• Ah Fong Jie - 016-220 0955
• Lan Jie - 03-4149 5217
• Wu Shen - 012-661 3114
• Ah Tai Che - 016-950 1123
• Aunty Ah Kiaw - 04-442 4489 (Sg. Petani)
• Coco - 016-287 1130
• Moi Cheh - 016-394 5709
• Agnes Cheang - 017-811 0072
• Wan Cheh - 016-397 5849
• Auntie Yin - 019-309 3218
• Madam Lee - 65-9853 1484 (Singapore)
• Esther - 012-692 5511
• Ah Ngor - 012-571 9040
• Pearl Ong - 017-613 5192
• Kam Cheh - 017-365 5301 (Trengganu)
• Catherine - 012-662 2795

Ladies with bad comments:-

• Jennifer - 012-2905 0170
• Eng Cheh - 016-5468 7777

I hope the list above would able to assist you in selecting a suitable confinement lady. There is also other option for you i.e confinement centre like:-

• Pei Ling, SS2 - 03-7877 8000
• SHL Care, Kepong - 03-6251 6133
• SN-Nanny, Sri Petaling - 03-9058 3693
• Feng Chai, Puchong-012263 5071

 If you have any experience of a good confinement, you are welcome to comment and add-on the contact to the list above.