Amal Al-Sibai Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — The ban on Indonesian and Filipino domestic workers continues and the lengthy waiting process for obtaining visas for domestic workers from other countries can often extend up to a year. To address this, households in Jeddah are resorting to employing workers who have overstayed their Umrah or Haj visas. After negative experiences with locally-hired full-time maids, dozens of households are opting for part-time workers who are paid by the hour or day. The rates of the part-time domestic workers range from SR75 to SR250 per day, depending on the size of the house. Jeddah resident Faten Muhammad prefers that her maid does her chores and leaves by midday. “Previously, I tried to find a full time maid who had overstayed her visa. One young lady who started out, requested her own room with a television and demanded that I subscribe to Indonesian satellite television channels as well. Obviously that arrangement did not work out. Next, I found a reasonable maid but I began to notice that she was not eating. Concerned for her health, I asked her what was wrong and she told me that she detested Arabic food. We went shopping to buy Indonesian food supplies so that she could cook her own meals but two days later she asked to leave," said Faten. “I learned the hard way that employing a part-time house maid who you do not have to fret over and worry about is far less stressful. She finishes her work and then goes to her own home to rest and live her own life. Although having a part-time maid may require more physical work at home on my part, it is less emotionally exhausting and at least it gives me peace of mind," added Faten. Buthaina Jaweed, an expat living in Riyadh, remarked, “When I wanted to interview a potential domestic worker, she ended up interviewing me instead; as if I was the employee and she the employer. She wanted to know how many kids I have, whether she would have her own private bathroom, how often she could take weekends off, and if I had a driver. Back in the US we routinely ask domestic workers for references and when I asked this young lady here, she actually laughed at me." Salma Draq, a mother of two girls and a boy refuses having a live-in maid because she feels that the children will tend to rely on the maid for simple tasks and become lazy and dependent. In some families if they are unmonitored by the parents, the children often gain weight because of lack of physical activity, and having the maid serve them snacks and junk food whenever they desire. “I am very comfortable with my domestic worker who arrives at 9 a.m. and stays until four in the afternoon, three times a week. That gives her more than enough time to complete the heavy cleaning. I delegate basic tasks to each of my children and they share the work and help me out on the housemaid's days off. My children learned to pick up their own toys, make their beds, and fold their clothes neatly when they change into their pajamas at night," said Salma. Working part-time for some workers is more preferable and profitable as they make more money per hour than full time housemaids who receive a fixed salary of anywhere between SR 800 to SR 1,800.
