Howdra

Sounds like a good plan - all the best! :)

We have a second live-in maid from Howdra, not sure if same rules apply but this is how it worked: they come with a few ladies (three in our case), you interview them in front of the agency rep, if you like one, she'll start within the next couple of days. I am not sure our maid is entitled to a leave though, I think they said she has a 2-year contract and only goes back after it's completed. Regarding first aid training, I just double-checked with our maid and she told me it's a half day training and it sounded quite superficial to be honest. I also wouldn't say it seems like they've received an extensive training in housekeeping/cleaning, looks more like quite a basic one. When we got the first three maids to interview, two of them were not matching the profile I provided to Howdra, the third one seemed to meet most of the requirements so we went ahead with her. On her second day she asked if she could sleep out (she wanted to go to Abu Dhabi to see her cousin), I said I don't mind but she has to get agency's approval because according to the contract she is not allowed to sleep out. Then she broke up in tears saying she had no money and needed to go to her cousin to borrow some, that she was really unhappy with the agency, and that in general she wants to go back to the Philippines as soon as possible because she hates it here. Anyways, I managed to get the agency to agree for her to go to Abu Dhabi but it only helped her mood/state of mind for a short period of time and she was in general quite unhappy and not really motivated to stay or do her job. It took me three months to get a replacement because the agency kept saying they are not getting the right profile candidates from the Philippines. We have highs and lows with our second lady but in general I am quite happy with her. Sorry for the long post, I guess what I'm trying to say is - don't put your expectations too high just because they come from an agency and are supposed to be trained in this and that, be efficient and motivated employees like one might expect them to be. Interview your candidates very carefully and make sure you ask personal questions, too - just to get a feel of how happy/satisfied with her deal she is. If she is to spend most of her time with the baby, I assume it's pretty important for you that she stays positive and is able to keep her spirit up. It may not be that apparent during the interview especially because they are supervised by an agency rep, so don't be shy to ask as many questions as you deem necessary, and don't rush into anything - you'll have a lot more headache if you change your mind afterwards. HTH and good luck

I have a Howrda live in maid, there were not many to choose from and our first maid only lasted 4 months before we asked to change her. The 2nd one has been with us a year and is due to go home this month she is great compared to the first one and we have had no issues with Howdra, and it can't be that bad if our maid is coming back to Howdra and back to us in a months time.

Are you talking about a live-in maid or a part-time maid?

Hi TDB, Yeah I have used them for years now, I was not aware that they were first aid trained but, so thanks for that. Mine comes 4 hours a week as that is all we need, we have had 3 changes of maids in the last 2 years and each one has been fine. One new maid I wasn't happy with, so a Howdra supervisor attended the following week and I had a list of things I wanted done (specifically) and we have been satisfied with her since.Anything you want doing around the house just ask them and be specific. The only negative is that if you go on holiday and you do not need the maid to clean, you still have to pay for the time that the maid would usually come to clean. Also one more negative that I am not happy about, if the maid is sick, another will accompany her and the majority of them will still work even when sick, otherwise the sick maid gets charged a fee by Howdra (for being sick!). There is my 2 cents ;o)