Although most new Indonesian maids speak little English when they first arrive in Singapore, they have been known to pick up English, Mandarin and even dialects relatively quickly. This sits well with employers and their elderly family members who appreciate the effort to communicate in a language they are familiar with. Furthermore, it is not uncommon that some of the elderly family members speak Malay too, a language similar to Bahasa Indonesia. Muslim families have also appreciated the hiring of Indonesian maids who share their same religion.
Also, some come with cooking experience having done the same for their own families back home. In terms of familiarity of tastes, families who love spicy food can look forward to similar tastes in dishes like curries and chicken rendang. We have had success stories where the Indonesian maids managed to quickly learnt off from their employers on preparing home-cooked fare Singapore families have for daily meals, from stir-fried vegetables to Chinese steamed dishes.
Some Indonesian maids have been known to be rather shy and employers have had to handle a longer “ice-breaking” period before some comfort sets in between the maid and the family. In addition, most Indonesian maids do not consume pork because of their religion although many have been willing to handle pork for their employer family’s needs.
Salary range: $550 – $700
