what choice would u make?

[seashells]

i am planning to keep a dh..and hav been in a lot of agencies....hav gone thru a lot of applicants....filipinos and indonesians.

just in your opinion,and experiences.....what would u prefer.....are indonesians better or filipinos....and in what way????

may be it will help me make my decision,

thanks:thanks

 

[MLBW]

I would choose the person I "clique" with best--the one that my intuition tells me is the best. Having said that, I think there are advantages and disadvantages to choosing between Philippino and Indonesian culture.

I know that the Philippines share a lot in common with the Judeo-Christian roots of Western culture (celebrating Christmas, going to church) and that English is widely used the country and may even be a compulsory course in school. Of course if you're not from a Western country (European, American etc...) this might not even be a big deal to you.

However, I've heard it said that Indonesians are somewhat newer as a group of domestic workers in HK and tend to be less demanding (as far as wages and benefits go) and maybe even harder working overall. I've heard that this is some peoples' experience--that they think Indonesians are more honest.

In the end, choose the one that your "gut feeling" tells you to.

 

[LeahH]

I don't think you can say that a specific race is 'more honest' than another .... Phillipino's make up the biggest group of foreign workers in HK by far, Indonesian FDHs are signficantly smaller - therefore people's negative experiences with Philippinos are more commonly heard.

As to being less demanding, it's lack of knowledge as to what is fair in many cases. Some (poor) employers like Indonesians because they don't have the support network in place that Philippino's have because of their greater numbers - e.g. they are easier to take advantage of.

Food might be a good criteria, a few friends of mine with Indonesian helpers simply love their cooking! Otherwise, as MLBW says, choose the person your instincts tell you is right for your family.

 

[MLBW]

I don't think you can say that a specific race is 'more honest' than another .... Phillipino's make up the biggest group of foreign workers in HK by far, Indonesian FDHs are signficantly smaller - therefore people's negative experiences with Philippinos are more commonly heard.

As to being less demanding, it's lack of knowledge as to what is fair in many cases. Some (poor) employers like Indonesians because they don't have the support network in place that Philippino's have because of their greater numbers - e.g. they are easier to take advantage of.

Food might be a good criteria, a few friends of mine with Indonesian helpers simply love their cooking! Otherwise, as MLBW says, choose the person your instincts tell you is right for your family.

I'm just saying what I've heard from the local population here--not a judgment of my own as I never found an Indonesian or Philippino worker that fit well with our family and instead hired a local Chinese person to help us and loved that arrangement.

 

[HappyV]

Whenever I've heard my 'local' friends talking about the 'differences' beetween P and I helpers, it's always come down to two things: pay and work. As in - how little can I pay them, and how hard can I make them work?
Honesty is an individual trait, as is trustworthiness, work ethic and salary demands.

I would look at individuals, rather than the colour of their passport.

 

[mushi]

i would also say go for the individual only as the race doesn;t matter....phillipinas are more informed of their rights so if u need someone more flexible u can hire indonesian/indian helpers....but i ahve heard that philippinas are more efficient since they r trained better.....all said and done i had strated interviewing with a lot of fanfare determined to find the right one....i ended up being interviewed myself sp. by phillipinas and some also rejected my offer though i liked them!!! i finally found a phillipina who was as desperate as me to get hired since her visa was expriring the next day and so started our relationship...like all re'ships we have our ups and downs but have finally learnt hw to work together.....so best of luck!

 

[val23]

Hi,

It really depends. Some Filipinos are very hard working and so are with some Indonesians. Here is what I think or heard from friends:

1. Most Indonesians do not eat pork because they are Muslims.
2. I've heard from many friends that Indonesians have better work ethic. I think some Filipinos work very hard though. So it really depends. But it's better not to hire a helper who came from an employer that spoiled her.
3. Make sure you let your prospective helper know that you do not want them to borrow money from loan sharks or be a guarantor for their friends.
4. Some Indonesians speak Mandarin. But many don't speak English.
5. Ask the prospective helper if she is flexible with day-offs. (some other days instead of Sunday)
6. Make sure she doesn't smoke. I've passed by the hangouts of the Indonesians in Causeway Bay on a Sunday and the smell of smoke is just horrible.

It's really difficult to generalize. I have a Filipino helper and she is good enough. She may not be smart but so be it. She is honest and works ok. Of course sometimes she may not do her job properly (mood swings, personal problems) but those I just let it pass. Please note however that I am totally not picky with regards to food and I dont look for dusts (which I am sure I'll find if I look) around. The only thing that really annoyed me was when the loan sharks kept on calling my house everyday. The problem is solved now so we are back to normal.
On the other hand, I've got a friend who has an Indonesian helper. He has a 1 year old baby and boy she really does take care of her well. Their family has no complaints about her. My complain though is that when they come over, I'd have to have food without pork because of the their maid.

Hope this helps.

 

[seashells]

when i asked about who is better,i didnt mean about their origin or colour????

I obviously meant about ur experiences with ur past helpers.....!!!!Thats all.


:gl:

 

[seashells]

Thanku all so much for ur replies....

And there is still one more thing that i would like to ask here........would u consider a maid that has terminated her contract?????i was shocked to see (both filipinos and indonesians) so many of them their with their broken contracts.....and if u asked them their employers ref or number,obviously they refuse....!!

i somehow think its better to hire one with the finished contract....what about u????



:thanks

 

[MeowMeow]

If I'm you, I would like to hear both sides of their stories (helper & previous employers).