I just want to share my recent experience with my housekeeper:
In my previous post, I mentioned that I have a housekeeper whom a pay PhP7k / month. Well, she didn't even stay for 1 month.
She was the sister of my brother's housekeeper. I gave her PhP2,500 for her and her sister's transportation (the sister had to go back to her province to fetch our housekeeper because she doesn't know how to commute within Metro Manila) and food allowance. Before coming here, we agreed also that she could take a leave from November 15 to 17 so she can attend her son's Sacrament of Confirmation rites.
One week after she started working, she asked for an advance of PhP3k, which was fine with me since I want her to stay longer with us. Before leaving for her hometown, she asked if she could have the rest of her salary (PhP4k) so she could buy items that her son needs for the Confirmation and other stuff. Since she had been with us for just a little over 3 weeks, I gave her PhP3k instead of PhP4k.
For her trip back to her hometown, I had one of my assistants commute with her to the bus station. I gave her the number of my assistant so she can be fetched from the bus station on November 17. Come November 17, my assistant received a text from her saying that she cannot go back because her husband, who by the way is an alcoholic according to her, wouldn't let her because there would be no one to attend to their kids and that the grandmother already has her hands full taking care of other grandchildren.
Our housekeeper's sister, who in turn is my brother's housekeeper, said that our housekeeper would come back if she could take 2 days off every 2 weeks to go back to her province to see her kids.
The thing is though may not be a lot to us here in the city, it actually goes a long way in the province where the cost of living is lower. I think what will happen if I agree to her terms is that she would ask for an advance before she goes home, and then extend her stay there until she runs low on funds. My husband and I need regularity and predictability in our schedules and routines. So, I said, "No thank you."
I have another candidate from General Santos City. I hope she's not like the last one. Or like one of my parents' housekeeper way back, who used them to buy her a plane ticket from Mindanao. She worked for them for a month, left without notice, and reunited with her long-time boyfriend in Manila.
It's hard to find a good housekeeper who would stay for a long time.