Filipino,Indonesian or Myanmar Maid

In Singapore, employers are allowed to hire domestic helpers from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand.

Indonesian maids and Filipino maids are most popular among employers in Singapore, but the popularity of Myanmar maids is rising up fast.

Below is a comparison of maids from these three countries. It should be noted personal capability, such as language proficiency, personal characteristics such as working attitude varies from person to person, regardless of maid’s nationality.

Filipino, Indonesian or Myanmar maid – Minimum monthly salary

As of September 2017, the minimum monthly salary of Filipino maid is the highest.

With experience, maid, regardless of her nationality, may request a higher monthly salary.

	Filipino Maid	Indonesian Maid	Myanmar Maid
Minimum monthly salary	From May 2017, the minimum monthly basic salary of Filipino maid is raised from $550 to $ 570	From January 2016, the minimum monthly basic salary of Indonesian maid is raised from $500 to $550	The minimum monthly salary is $450

Filipino, Indonesian or Myanmar maid - Communication

Filipino Maid

Indonesian Maid

Myanmar Maid

Communication

In general, Filipino maids are fluent in English. They are able to speak good English and understand employers’ instructions clearly.

If you are able to understand Bahasa Indonesia or Malay, Indonesian maid is perhaps a good choice for you.

In general, new Indonesian maids have problems with English. They cannot speak clear English and may not be able to understand employer’s instruction.

In general, proficiency of English among Myanmar maids is low.

There is a group of Myanmar maids, who have learned English from church, may be able to speak fairly good English.

There are some Myanmar maids who may be able to speak fairly good Chinese.

If you are not patient and can only communicate in English, you may want to hire Filipino maid.

To have a better gauge of maid’s English proficiency, it will be good for you to interview her.

Filipino, Indonesian or Myanmar maid - Religion

	Filipino Maid	Indonesian Maid	Myanmar Maid
Religion	Christian or Catholic	Muslim	Buddhist or Christian

In some families, because of a common religion, maids and employers attend church together on Sunday.

Because of religion, Indonesian maids cannot eat pork. However, some Indonesian maids can still help employers handle pork.

Filipino, Indonesian or Myanmar maid - Working attitude

Filipino Maid

Indonesian Maid

Myanmar Maid

Working Attitude

Some employers mentioned that Filipino maids tended to be lazy. If they find the duty too heavy, they may request to be transferred to another employer.

Some employers have also mentioned that the Filipino maids are “too smart” to employers for manage.

Many employers have mentioned that Indonesian maids tend to be hardworking.

Myanmar maids are said to be hardworking and have a good working attitude despite having problems in understanding instructions.

Filipino, Indonesian or Myanmar Maid - Other Important Considerations

Because of a big network of friends who also work as maids in Singapore, many Filipino maids may not miss home so much as compared to maids of other nationalities.

In general, Indonesian maids who are married are good at cooking.

Almost all employers agree that Myanmar maids have good temperament.

Addition points to take note:

Under the rule published on the Ministry of Manpower website, the domestic helpers need to have minimum 8 years of formal education with a recognised certificate and must between 23 to 50 years old at the time of application.

Looking For Maid?

You may refer to Indonesian maid, Filipino maid or Myanmar maid to find a maid of preferred nationality.

The points mentioned are the summary of the general perceptions that we find in online forums, facebook groups as well as views shared by neighbours and friends who have hired maids before, These may not reflect individual maid’s true personal ability or characteristics.