Foreign households find convenience in having helpers
By Chris Supangkat
JAKARTA (JP): Although Jakarta cannot be compared to romantic Paris or picturesque San Francisco by the Bay, most expatriates seem to like it here just fine.
It's one of the more modern cities in Southeast Asia with just about any creature comfort any foreigner would wish for at much lower prices than what can be gotten, say, in the United States.
One of the best "perks" Jakarta has to offer is servants.
Be it a laundress, nursemaid, houseboy, gardener, driver, or guard, most helpers are affordable here.
Getting them is also super fast for foreigners.
An invisible network of friends, office workers, or acquaintances can pass on a maid, babysitter, or driver within a week or so.
As expatriates move around a lot and want to find employment for their servants before departure, they often put up announcements on bulletin boards all across town, at places like the Hero supermarkets and Kemchicks.
Or you can find helpers just by chance.
Vivie Fraikin, a Canadian housewife, recalls how she got her nanny. "My husband met this lady who was moving out in the elevator here (at the apartment) ... and he said he was looking for a nanny and she told him about Suheni, everybody apparently wanted her..."
Or, there's always the American Women's Association (AWA) on Jl. Lauser No. 12, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, which holds a Servant's Registry on Wednesdays and Fridays.
It brings together locals seeking work and expatriates looking for helpers.
The registered locals have worked with expatriates for at least a year, and have letters of reference and valid identification cards (KTP). For every placement, a fee of Rp 15,000 (US$6.99) is charged of the employer.
The AWA has even published two books to help newly arrived expatriates adjust. One is called Introducing Indonesia, which has a detailed chapter on finding to firing house staff (even locals can find a few tips).
There is also the International Community Activity Center (ICAC) in Kemang, South Jakarta, a foundation that also helps expatriates settle in faster. Their bulletin boards are usually also pinned full of information on job seekers.
Adjustments
Getting along with your help knows no boundaries, race, or culture. It is a matter of personal taste and attitude, and lots of pot luck.
Luck meaning you don't get a maid who breaks things or who has a personality quirk or both, as what happened in the case of Magda Henkel, an Egyptian housewife married to a German.
Having lived in Jakarta for a year-and-a-half, so far she's had bad experiences - disobedience, theft and downright rudeness.
Magda said, "I had my own washing in my washing machine and she literally took my washing out ... and put it in the basket ... and then I find her clothes in the washer and I asked where are my clothes, she said, `here.' And then she told me, `Madame, spin it'."
Her maids also had so many friends over that guests would call the back quarters the "Cafeteria." Magda said they also ruined several pieces of her best kitchenware. Now without a staff, she is rethinking her household policy.
But most expatriates fare quite well.
Mrs. Fraikin, who employed Suheni when her daughter Maddie was still three months old, says that so far everything is dandy.
"I didn't have to tell her anything, she just does it ... because it was my first baby ...she was sort of like a coach."
Another great match was between Lela and the Galantes. She started working for them four years ago when their child, Michael, was four months old.
Pam Galante said, "I wanted somebody who was ...not passive. Lee is a very good disciplinary for him (Michael)..."
Her husband Chris added that Lela is "great" with their son. "...We told her to speak Indonesian with him always and don't speak English to him ... (Lela) should be in the educational field."
Now Michael is a thriving bilingual child with a penchant for kangkung. Meanwhile Lela has had the opportunity to gain computer and secretarial skills and is now working part-time at a well-known hospital.
Although good "matching" is important, successful workers are generally flexible, willing to learn, and know what their employers prefer.
Required qualities of helpers include health, cleanliness, honesty, and discretion.
Strangely, language is no problem although only few helpers speak English.
Things go well enough when both sides are willing to make a little effort, resort to creativity in sign language and have a dictionary handy.
Privacy
Of course, for some, having servants is a new experience. It's great when someone cooks and cleans for you, but it also means some discomfort.
For one, your privacy is compromised. Also, expatriates complain of having to repeat orders.
Some problems are culturally related.
Take Fumiko Saito, a housewife, and her cook. "...Japanese cooking is quite delicate. You have to do several things ...(it needs) a lot of patience... something you have to teach them very well..."
Overall, it's a small price to pay for good services.
And when helpers return to their villages during the annual Ramadhan holidays, most expatriates take the `helpless' situation in better stride - unlike Indonesian households.
Magda said, "I really enjoy it when the kids make their own beds ... spend family time together."
For them it's a period of time where privacy is regained, without the scrutiny of a house staff.
Advantages
Working for foreign households, say the workers, means higher wage and more benefits, respect and equality, better organization and clear, shorter work hours.
Generally, Asian expatriates, particularly Japanese, pay less than their European counterparts -- but much more than the average of Rp 50,000 ($23.29) in local households.
Asians pay between Rp 90,000 ($41.92) and Rp 200,000 ($93.15) for maids, while other expatriates' range is Rp 150,000 up to Rp 200,000 a month, although both pay overtime and provide extras on holidays.
Medical costs are often covered by employers.
Suti, who works for a German couple, says, "The good thing about foreigners are the rules, resting hours you rest, working hours you work ... It's organized ... on holidays you get days off."
Many helpers don't live at the residences - usually no space, or either side prefers it that way.
Opportunities are also plentiful. Many servants are sent by their employers to courses teaching cooking, English, or even bartending and office skills. There are also those who have the opportunity to move with their employer overseas.
Whether most of them will continue to work for expatriates gets a thumbs up. The Saitos' nanny said, "Rather than working for an Indonesian - I mean the pay is larger and there is rest time." What simpler reasons can there be.
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