Foreign households find convenience in having helpers

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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