The following article was published in the Straits Times on 21 Aug 2006.
More S'poreans opt for part-time maids
By Melissa Sim
Straits Times, 21 August 2006
Agencies see 50% rise in demand, as people seek more privacy, flexibility
HOUSEWIFE Kathleen Lee, 36, pays $1,200 each month for a part-time maid when she could be paying half that amount to get a full-time domestic helper.
She maintains that the premium is worth paying because she wants her privacy.
'I don't like the idea of live-in maids going through my documents and valuables when I'm not around, so this is the closest I can get to a full-time maid without having to worry about someone else being in the house,' said Mrs Lee.
Her maid, from A-Team Amahs and Cleaners, comes in four times a week, eight hours each time, to cook and clean for the family.
Mrs Lee is one of an increasing number of Singaporeans who have turned to part-time maids.
Agencies and companies that provide these maids say they have seen an increase of up to 50 per cent in their number of clients over the last two years.
Interest in these legitimate part-timers also spiked last month, companies said, after the media reported on the case of New Zealander Tanya Suzzanne Lavington, who was fined $8,260 for hiring a moonlighting foreign maid.
Said Homemaker cleaning company owner Alvin Kor: 'There were about three times more calls, and we couldn't satisfy all their requests.'
Other companies in the business include Amahs on Wheels, Comfy Homes, Comshine Housekeeping and Services, and CleanHouse Effect. They charge anywhere from $200 to $500 a month for weekly cleaning, depending on the size of the unit.
There are also independent house cleaners charging $10 to $12 an hour, for a minimum of four hours.
Agencies like A-Team Amahs and Cleaners specialise in matching such part-time maids to employers for a fee of $108 onwards.
Couples who need only an occasional helping hand with household chores find it more economical to hire part-time maids.
Said Madam Karen Ng, 40, a business administrative executive: 'Now that my children are grown up, there's no need for a maid to be there all the time. We just need her once a week and that's much cheaper.'
There is also the issue of reliability.
'There is a lot more quality control when you use a cleaning company because the supervisors will come around for spot checks. Also, if the amah is on leave or ill, there is always a substitute, so you will never be left without help,' said associate professor Audrey Chia.
The National University of Singapore Business School faculty member lives in a three-bedroom private apartment with her husband and five-year-old daughter.
Most of the part-time maids are aged between 30 and 50 and are either Singaporeans, permanent residents, or Malaysians with work permits.
Since no other foreigners are allowed, companies are finding it hard to meet demand. Most say experienced local housekeepers are a dying breed.
Madam Yip Oi Ching, 50, who works with Amahs on Wheels, has been in the industry for over 10 years and enjoys her work.
'It's very flexible. If I can't make it on a certain day, I can rearrange the schedule to fit my activities. The people I work for are quite understanding,' she said.
But not all clients are easy to please.
Madam S.A. Letchumy, 32, who works with Homemaker, once had a difficult customer who demanded that they use bleach to clean the whole house.
'We had to wear gloves and smell bleach for two whole hours each week,' she said.
The shortage of efficient part-time maids is definitely a problem for CleanHouse Effect owners Irvin Boo and Justin Ng, who say they even have to pitch in themselves.
'There are a lot of aunties out there who can do the job, but it takes a long time to train them, so everyone in our company needs to be hands on, even us,' said Mr Boo.
