'Check out maids yourself before hiring them'<\/p>\n
A string of robberies involving dishonest domestic helpers has
\nadded to the already high crime rate in the city. Police recently
\nbusted a syndicate specializing in robberies with the help of a
\nmaid planted in the household. The Jakarta Post talked to several
\ncity residents over the latest trend in robberies.<\/p>\n
Santi, 28, is a working mother. She resides in Pondok Jaya
\nsubdistrict, South Jakarta, with her husband and son:<\/p>\n
I don't believe in the domestic helpers provided by the
\nmanpower agencies as there have been many negative reports about
\nthem.<\/p>\n
I cannot deny that economic hardship has motivated them to
\nresort to crime. In addition, young female maids tend to behave
\nmischievously once they start dating.<\/p>\n
Besides, there are also criminal syndicates that employ
\ndomestic helpers as accomplices in robberies.<\/p>\n
A friend of mine experienced that nightmare when her newly
\nhired housemaid stole her cellular phone on the first day of
\nwork.<\/p>\n
So, the safest way to employ someone is to hire a domestic
\nhelper whose personal identity, personality and background we
\nknow well. It's also good to know their sponsors who should be
\nheld responsible should anything untoward occur.<\/p>\n
But, on the other hand, I suppose not all manpower agencies
\nare unreliable. Those registered with the manpower ministry are
\nmore reliable, I guess. My current maid was recruited from such
\nan agency. I had no other choice but to take a maid from the
\nagency as it's difficult to get a good one by myself.<\/p>\n
However, I plan to get a new one to look after my son, but I
\nwill look for one whom I can pay a lower salary. Now I have to
\npay Rp 350,000 (US$38.8) to the agency per month for my maid.<\/p>\n
To avoid such crimes, I guess, the employer should be extra
\ncareful to keep their valuables in a safe place. Because, in a
\nway, carelessness on the part of the employers encourages the
\nmaids to steal their valuables.<\/p>\n
Edi, 31, is a driver for a company director in Sunter, North
\nJakarta. He lives with his wife and two children in Cimanggis,
\nWest Java:<\/p>\n
I think it's difficult to know whether a maid is trustworthy
\nor not.<\/p>\n
Perhaps, those maids who steal are not working alone. I mean
\nto say that they are in cahoots with criminals.<\/p>\n
Even hiring a domestic helper from a manpower agency does not
\nguarantee the housemaids' credibility.<\/p>\n
I had once searched for a maid for my Korean boss. When I got
\none, my boss was asked to pay the agency as much as Rp 1 million
\nto reimburse the fee for the training it had given to her.<\/p>\n
Then the agency asked for a high salary for the hired maid and
\nlater on ordered that the salary be paid directly to the agency,
\nsaying that it was the agency that would pay the maid.<\/p>\n
My boss complained that the agency was too demanding. Worse
\nstill, the agency was not responsible for the maid when she ran
\naway from my boss' house a month later without any reason.
\nFortunately, she left without stealing my boss' belongings.<\/p>\n
Fida, 29, is a housewife and employee at a private company in
\nCentral Jakarta. She resides in Ciledug, Tangerang with her
\nfamily:<\/p>\n
I reckon that it's not easy to get reliable domestic helpers
\nto do our household work.<\/p>\n
There are many maids who have the wrong motives in working for
\nfamilies.<\/p>\n
We don't want to hire domestic helpers from a manpower agency
\nbecause we have no assurance about the quality of the maids, and
\nthe hiring fee is so expensive.<\/p>\n
I'm just afraid that we may hire the wrong person who
\nconspires with criminals who direct them to steal from the family
\nthey are working for.<\/p>\n
Therefore, my family has always tried to get maids from known
\nsources. I mean to say that we always keep our ears open for
\ninformation about good housemaids or sometimes we go directly to
\nthe villages where there are potential domestic helpers. If one
\nseems reliable, we'll hire her.<\/p>\n
At the moment, we have four housemaids working with us. Thank
\nGod, they work well. And they have been working with our family
\nfor more than two years now.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/check-out-maids-yourself-before-hiring-them-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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