SINGAPORE: A domestic helper has turned to social media to share her frustration over an elderly employer who, she claims, criticises her “no matter what she does.”
Posting in the Direct Hire Transfer Singapore Maid/Domestic Helper Facebook group, the helper said that her employer “puts her down” almost every day, with the harshest comments often directed at her cooking.
“I already told them during the interview that I didn’t know how to cook well, and they said they would teach me. But in reality, no one has taught me anything. Still, I’ve been trying my best, cooking in my own way every day,” she wrote.
“No matter how hard I try to improve, she [my employer] always says, ‘You don’t know how to cook.’”
She added that her employer also blames her for nearly every problem in the household, including mistakes caused by the employer herself.
“I feel like she just doesn’t like me,” the helper wrote, adding, “Whatever she says, I always try to be patient. I never talk back. But she always blames me for everything.”
Feeling stressed and exhausted, she asked the online community, “Should I try to explain myself to her? Should I just keep quiet and endure it? Or should I look for a different job? If you have any good advice, please share it with me. Especially during cooking time.”
“Ask her what kind of food she likes.”
In the comments, one netizen shared some advice based on experience, saying, “Singapore elderly are like this one. They constantly criticise nonstop; that’s the way they were raised as children, and that’s the way they communicate. Just finish your contract and go; don’t take her nagging to heart.”
Another echoed this sentiment, writing, “Elderly are just like that, very annoying. Even my own mother. We can’t change them, just have to be patient and brush it off.”
Others, meanwhile, suggested a practical way to handle the situation. One suggested, “Next time you cook, ask her to stand beside you. Then you keep asking her what ingredients to put in and what the next step is. If not, you just tell her nicely, ‘Madam, if my cooking is not nice, you can cook yourself and let me taste it. Sometimes elderly employers ah… really headache… then their children also will blame helpers.’”
Another added, “Why don’t you start by looking at cooking videos. Ask her what kind of food she likes. Soupy? Fish? Chicken? Spicy? Before anything, ask for her opinion : I’m learning this, but can I try to cook this dish? You need to tell her what you know or what you don’t know.”
In other news, a domestic helper from Myanmar was allegedly told to pay S$1,000 after she accidentally broke a drinking glass that her employer claimed was a limited-edition item.
The case has sparked online criticism, especially after it emerged that the same glass is being sold at a local retailer for just S$60 for a set of two.
Read more: Employer allegedly wants to charge S$1k after helper breaks drinking glass
