Seasonal maids in demand as Idul Fitri nears

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

When her domestic helpers choosing to return to their hometowns to celebrate Idul Fitri festivities, businesswoman Nitayudi can feel assured that her household is well taken care off, thanks to hired seasonal maids.

Nitayudi, who is also the chairwoman of the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Businesswomen Association (IWAPI), said that she has used seasonal maids for almost five years now to substitute for three regular maids when they take the Idul Fitri holidays.

"My husband is the eldest in his family, so many family members come to visit us during Idul Fitri. So it can get very hectic, and I just can't do it alone," the mother of two told The Jakarta Post over the phone.

The absence of regular domestic helpers around this time of the year has brought about the popularity of seasonal helpers, and supplying companies are embracing the opportunity.

The Melati Foundation in Depok, for example, said that so far the company has supplied 30 seasonal helpers and expects to supply more than 60 helpers this year.

"Usually we start to get orders two weeks before the holiday," one of Melati Foundation's head, Ewin, said.

He said that the helpers -- all of them female between the age of 17 to 30 years -- come from villages in Central Java and Lampung who were recruited by the company's agents there.

The helpers are paid between Rp 40,000 (about US$4) and Rp 50,000 a day for working a minimum of two weeks, Ewin said.

"It would be a rip off for the girls if they work less than two weeks, especially with the cost of transportation rising," he explained.

Melati Foundation charges prospective employers a fee of Rp 200,000 for each of helper it supplies.

"This way the helpers receive their salary in full, and not reduced for our commission," Ewin explained.

Security is often an issue when hiring seasonal workers, and many people such as Nitayudi said they prefer hiring helpers whose backgrounds are known to her.

"I was first introduced to the service by a relative of one of my regular maids, and the seasonal maids he supplies are those whose families he knows," she said.

Meanwhile, the Melati Foundation makes sure that each of its helpers comes with a current identification card, letter of permission from her parents or husband, and a letter from the subdistrict head.

"We also know exactly where they live, so if there is problem we can easily track them down," Ewin said.

In hiring a helper, the Nelly Asih Foundation in Tangerang said that it was important to first interview the prospective workers before hiring them.

Through its website http://ytkna.tripod.com/ the company said that prospective employers should be careful with the helpers's real intention in working, and whether they are prepared with the job ahead of them.

"Many helpers come to the city following their friends who have done it before and were successful, but they were unprepared or unqualified for the kind of work," Nelly Asih said in the website.

The website also warns that "although majority of the girls are honest, they can still be tempted to do illegal things when their employers are careless in placing valuables".

On the flipside, prospective employers contacting either Melati Foundation or Nelly Asih Foundation should come equipped with a copy of their current identification card.

"We also have a set of guidelines for employers, including that they should treat their helpers humanely, not to hit them, and to give them proper meals," Ewin said.