The Burmese maids

[metisdead]

A post containing overly derogatory comments has been removed as well as a reply..

[kannot]

Sounds like you were more than fair. If your wife is Thai maybe the problem lies partly with her. I've seen a lot of Thais treat their employees very badly.

My Wife lives in Bkk im down past Hua Hin she comes down every 3 weeks for a few days.

[kannot]

Oh yes...........I ve been through 4-5 sets of Burmese staff on the last 18 months. heres what Ive found

1 they will leave with no notice at the drop of a hat, then realise later they want to come back ( we dont have them back)

2 some are very stupid some are ok none are on the ball so far

3 doesnt matter how well you treat or pay them it made no difference

4 most were too stupid to see when they were onto a good thing, those that did thought it was coming for free and would be lazy

5 they will all tell you EXACTLY the same story to leave "Father/Mother sick"

6 Some are so stupid they will leave 4 days before salary due and then not get paid by us as they are supposed to give us 1 months notice

I now use the Wifes Sister I gave up with Burmese but I need a man for the heavier stuff

Also tried one Laos couple, the girl was funny and had a great attitude but totally unable to learn anything, the boy was like a popstar and spent the whole time preening himself..............which was no good as they were working on the land and you get grubby.

I include a brand new VERY nice house with flush toilet proper western bathroom with big shower, fully tiled throughout fridge freezer ( new) new cooker all nice new built in kitchen wood cupboards, clothes, bed linen free rice, free motorcycle with unlimted free petrol/gas 1 day a week off 1 hour for lunch work 8-5 many times nothing to do free satellite tv and 30inch led tv, free internet

Salary 16000 per couple, wife to do cleaning husband for work on the land, they have to keep my very small house 50m2 clean and their own 48m2 house clean.

Strange as this sounds, they don't respect you as you award above their station which has the knock-on effect of having them think they are above their station and thus shouldn't need to do the work they're paid to do. Asian culture 101.

i watch them like hawks, any problems they are sacked immediately, we feed them back the drivel some have fed us "my Father sick"

You sound nice!!!!!!

And you sound like you have a wealth of "no idea"

[Halfie]

Sounds like you were more than fair. If your wife is Thai maybe the problem lies partly with her. I've seen a lot of Thais treat their employees very badly.

My Wife lives in Bkk im down past Hua Hin she comes down every 3 weeks for a few days.

Ah. Then it seems that they are just taking advantage of you.

[kurnell]

I love these sorts of posts and the idiotic comments from posters who a) can't afford a maid and criticize people for paying the market rate (I am sure these people complain it they are charged 15 baht for a piece of 10 baht fruit) or live outside Thailand and have no concept of life in Thailand. So, question for you do-gooders....where are these maids going to work if they don't work for expats or middle class/hi-so Thais??? A factory? A construction site?? Or are all you do-gooders going to find them jobs as lawyers or perhaps doctors?? Clueless!

[bannork]

I love these sorts of posts and the idiotic comments from posters who a) can't afford a maid and criticize people for paying the market rate (I am sure these people complain it they are charged 15 baht for a piece of 10 baht fruit) or live outside Thailand and have no concept of life in Thailand. So, question for you do-gooders....where are these maids going to work if they don't work for expats or middle class/hi-so Thais??? A factory? A construction site?? Or are all you do-gooders going to find them jobs as lawyers or perhaps doctors?? Clueless!

For a considerable time it's been hard to find a Thai maid as the young generation would much prefer to work in a factory, or even a building site, to some rich folk's home, simply due to the freedom.

After 5.00 pm or the end of a shift, they are free to mix with their friends, much better than being ensconced but detained in a comfortable home.

[kannot]

Sounds like you were more than fair. If your wife is Thai maybe the problem lies partly with her. I've seen a lot of Thais treat their employees very badly.

My Wife lives in Bkk im down past Hua Hin she comes down every 3 weeks for a few days.

Ah. Then it seems that they are just taking advantage of you.

Nope I take no crap, they get sacked if they are no good, others just leave with no notice.

[wow64]

Have a Thai and previously Philippine Nanny/Maid. Both were/are great.. Philli girl taught my daughter very well but didn't clean.. Thai girl is better at cleaning..house is spotless and my clothes have never smelt so good.. lol. my wife and daughter loves her also. She is part of the family now. She got referred to me from a college a work.

[thaipod]

This burmese maid is taking a lot of training we had to talk to her brother to reduce the phone time and now waiting for a couple of weeks to see if we keep her.

Just for the record my thai wife and myself over the years have employed maids and workers for 20 years and pay the legal wage with good conditions and treat the maids well.We take them on trips, and my wife orten buys clothes and food they like and pay for any medical expenses.

The reason we have employed alians is we found Thais unreliable and have had personal effects stolen.

[benj005]

Do you need a falang housekeeper?

I can do it for only $40k USD a year. I need full benefits, 3 weeks off for personal vacations, and a free place to stay.

[thaipod]

Thinking of getting a house boy / driver / car washer / dog walker / maintenance man.

[fatmoose]

A dog walker? Why dont you just walk the dog yourself?

[bodypaul]

Sounds like you were more than fair. If your wife is Thai maybe the problem lies partly with her. I've seen a lot of Thais treat their employees very badly.

My Wife lives in Bkk im down past Hua Hin she comes down every 3 weeks for a few days.

Ah. Then it seems that they are just taking advantage of you.

Nope I take no crap, they get sacked if they are no good, others just leave with no notice.

You sound nice as well!!!!

[bodypaul]

I love these sorts of posts and the idiotic comments from posters who a) can't afford a maid and criticize people for paying the market rate (I am sure these people complain it they are charged 15 baht for a piece of 10 baht fruit) or live outside Thailand and have no concept of life in Thailand. So, question for you do-gooders....where are these maids going to work if they don't work for expats or middle class/hi-so Thais??? A factory? A construction site?? Or are all you do-gooders going to find them jobs as lawyers or perhaps doctors?? Clueless!

Just an observation ......as I said before .... You sound nice!!!

[bkkgooner]

I love these sorts of posts and the idiotic comments from posters who a) can't afford a maid and criticize people for paying the market rate (I am sure these people complain it they are charged 15 baht for a piece of 10 baht fruit) or live outside Thailand and have no concept of life in Thailand. So, question for you do-gooders....where are these maids going to work if they don't work for expats or middle class/hi-so Thais??? A factory? A construction site?? Or are all you do-gooders going to find them jobs as lawyers or perhaps doctors?? Clueless!

Hold on a second now, you normally pay 50% extra on goods? The Thais must love you.

Did you just "do-gooder" as a negative thing? Oh christ you probably say things like "loony lefties" and "PC brigade".

Hiring maids is something I would never do just simply for the fact that it is an awful example to set for children, but if I was single or without kids I would happily hire a maid to do everything for me.

[Kaalle]

I used to have a Burmese girl come and clean ones or twice per week. She asked what I wanted done and she did it, I asked her about payment and she said it was up to me to pay her what I thought it was worth. Suffice to say I payed her good. From what I've heard it seems Burmese people have a reputation for being hard workers, maybe it different depending on region or whatever.

[kurnell]

I love these sorts of posts and the idiotic comments from posters who a) can't afford a maid and criticize people for paying the market rate (I am sure these people complain it they are charged 15 baht for a piece of 10 baht fruit) or live outside Thailand and have no concept of life in Thailand. So, question for you do-gooders....where are these maids going to work if they don't work for expats or middle class/hi-so Thais??? A factory? A construction site?? Or are all you do-gooders going to find them jobs as lawyers or perhaps doctors?? Clueless!

Just an observation ......as I said before .... You sound nice!!!

I'm a peach

[kurnell]

I love these sorts of posts and the idiotic comments from posters who a) can't afford a maid and criticize people for paying the market rate (I am sure these people complain it they are charged 15 baht for a piece of 10 baht fruit) or live outside Thailand and have no concept of life in Thailand. So, question for you do-gooders....where are these maids going to work if they don't work for expats or middle class/hi-so Thais??? A factory? A construction site?? Or are all you do-gooders going to find them jobs as lawyers or perhaps doctors?? Clueless!

Hold on a second now, you normally pay 50% extra on goods? The Thais must love you.

Did you just "do-gooder" as a negative thing? Oh christ you probably say things like "loony lefties" and "PC brigade".

Hiring maids is something I would never do just simply for the fact that it is an awful example to set for children, but if I was single or without kids I would happily hire a maid to do everything for me.

Is English your 2nd language?

[The Deerhunter]

This sort of post should be watched by the moderators & jumped or or locked quick-smart when it starts to go sour like this one. Does the OP think all Burmese are like this? Rocks in his head, surely. STAFF are very often ilke this. That is why you employ them & they don't employ you. You are very lucky when you get good honest household staff who appreciate good pay & conditions, work hard & don't steal. It is however very typical behaviour from spoiled Generation X & Y from all races. Good & bad!!!

[Digitalbanana]

1 they will leave with no notice at the drop of a hat, then realise later they want to come back ( we dont have them back)

.

Just curious what is the average life expectancy of a new Burmese maid hire? We have found they tend to last no more than a couple of weeks on average.

[Gecko123]

Just curious what is the average life expectancy of a new Burmese maid hire? We have found they tend to last no more than a couple of weeks on average.

I think the phrase you are looking for is: "average length of employment." Your post makes you sound like a serial murderer.

Edited August 29, 2014 by Gecko123

[forumuser10]

Just got another Burmese maid and already driving me crazy. Had a few Karen maids for the past 10 years and found them great workers , show them something once and never have to show them again.Great workers.

The new Burmese girl we have had to train and need to check her every couple of hours and is on the phone all day often stuck in her bra strap. I'm talking about from 6-00am to 9-00/10-00pm while slowly working away often talking to 3 to 4 others. This girl can eat, she has a huge bowl of rice and and other dishes we give her every meal, We don't know where she puts it.

Anyone out there have the same problems?

Had you not mentioned the phone, I would have thought you were talking about some dogs

[Metapod]

Don't know about Burmese maids but I just finished a 3 year contract in Phnom Penh and had 3 maids come in between 9 and 2 pm EVERY DAY, did the cleaning, washing, ironing, any shopping I needed doing, always willing to help in any way possible. They were fantastic! Total cost for this service - US$30 per/mth! I always looked after them though with tips when earned and small gifts and unwanted items from time to time, excellent service.

Sounds like a bargain right there.

[nontabury]

What an incredible bunch of racist posts here! Burmese are (all) like this (at least the one I know) and all Burmese are stupid... gee guys! Really?

I have employed a Thai maid for almost 10 years until I found out that she cheated on my all these years. Now I employ a Burmese girl and that has been the situation for quite some time. OK she is often on the phone while working, but that's really not my problem as long as her work is OK and done properly.

There is no fundamental difference between Thai, Burmese, Laotian or Cambodian maids: some are good and honest, some are bad. Just like the rest of us. Including us TV posters!

Agree, but I have to question your ability, you employed a maid for ten years before you found out she'd been cheating you. Where the hell was you and what were you doing?.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[dominique355]

What an incredible bunch of racist posts here! Burmese are (all) like this (at least the one I know) and all Burmese are stupid... gee guys! Really?

I have employed a Thai maid for almost 10 years until I found out that she cheated on my all these years. Now I employ a Burmese girl and that has been the situation for quite some time. OK she is often on the phone while working, but that's really not my problem as long as her work is OK and done properly.

There is no fundamental difference between Thai, Burmese, Laotian or Cambodian maids: some are good and honest, some are bad. Just like the rest of us. Including us TV posters!

Agree, but I have to question your ability, you employed a maid for ten years before you found out she'd been cheating you. Where the hell was you and what were you doing?.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Actually I don't know how long it had been going on, but certainly over 2 years. Here is what happened: We have a group of gardeners twice a month and we pay them at the second appointment. I used to give the money (plus a tip) to the maid and she was supposed to pay the gardener, but she kept the tip for herself.

One day my wife gave the monthly gardener money to her niece to give it to the gardeners. They thanked her so much and asked what was the extra money. The niece came to ask my wife and that's how the whole thing blew up.

Yep. My mistake to never check and ask for a feed back. I am too credulous.

It made my angry because the maid was VERY well paid, and the gardeners were really working hard for little money.

[kannot]

What an incredible bunch of racist posts here! Burmese are (all) like this (at least the one I know) and all Burmese are stupid... gee guys! Really?

I have employed a Thai maid for almost 10 years until I found out that she cheated on my all these years. Now I employ a Burmese girl and that has been the situation for quite some time. OK she is often on the phone while working, but that's really not my problem as long as her work is OK and done properly.

There is no fundamental difference between Thai, Burmese, Laotian or Cambodian maids: some are good and honest, some are bad. Just like the rest of us. Including us TV posters!

Agree, but I have to question your ability, you employed a maid for ten years before you found out she'd been cheating you. Where the hell was you and what were you doing?.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Actually I don't know how long it had been going on, but certainly over 2 years. Here is what happened: We have a group of gardeners twice a month and we pay them at the second appointment. I used to give the money (plus a tip) to the maid and she was supposed to pay the gardener, but she kept the tip for herself.

One day my wife gave the monthly gardener money to her niece to give it to the gardeners. They thanked her so much and asked what was the extra money. The niece came to ask my wife and that's how the whole thing blew up.

Yep. My mistake to never check and ask for a feed back. I am too credulous.

It made my angry because the maid was VERY well paid, and the gardeners were really working hard for little money.

All sorts of crap spoken in the replies ( not yours) as I said it really doesnt matter what you pay them, many simply dont care. Doesnt matter how well you treat them, how good their accommodation etc.

The only way to stop the runners is to withold half a months salary, they can leave anytime if they give us 1 months notice and with all their salary. When they drop us in the sh1t now I just keep all their salary except 1-2000 to get them outta town. They dont care about us so we dont care about them.

So far I havent seen them being dishonest, never had anything taken UNTIL the last one, who was the first Thai, stole as many clothes as she could carry, which we supplied.

[ammagic]

Having a maid is perfectly acceptable. It provides decent - and in my case - well paid employment. Far better terms & conditions than a factory job. And yes, some are good & some are bad - same as everywhere

[ammagic]

Having a maid is perfectly acceptable. It provides decent - and in my case - well paid employment. Far better terms & conditions than a factory job. And yes, some are good & some are bad - same as everywhere

[TheSpade]

The Burmese guys I know working in Thailand are some of the hardest working and honest guys you'll ever meet.

They get 1 day off a month. Work 15hr days. They rarely get paid on time. The work is thankless. Yet they never complain.

None of the money goes on themselves. They stay 4-5 in a basic, fan, apartment, eat 30B meals 3x a day, and send the rest back to their families.