(Straits Times) Plan For More Male Helpers In Singapore Hits Snag

[Guest Guest]

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/plan-more-male-helpers-singapore-hits-snag-20140914 (link has video)

 

Plan for more male helpers in Singapore hits snag

 

A push by a local maid agency to bring in more male helpers to Singapore has hit a snag because it has been found to be "not practical".

 

Homekeeper, which last year announced plans to bring in up to 100 male "maids", has decided there is not enough interest after bringing in 10 from Myanmar.

 

Issues include the longer time it takes for a male helper's work permit to be approved, the fact that he cannot be transferred to another family and families' reservations regarding living arrangements.

 

"If there are women living in the house, families are not comfortable with a male helper also staying under the same roof," said Homekeeper general manager Mark Chin.

 

 

The role of live-in male helpers is to take care of elderly men, who might be too heavy for female maids to lift. They are paid around $600 a month, compared with around $2,000 for a male nurse.

 

A Manpower Ministry (MOM) spokesman said there are around 30 male helpers here, and applications to bring them in are "very rare" and allowed only in "exceptional situations". There are more than 200,000 female maids here.

 

Last year, Homekeeper decided to bring in more male helpers after saying there was a strong demand for them to take care of elderly men who may be bedridden, given the ageing population. But it found that getting approval for a helper would take one to three months.

 

Families who wanted a male helper were willing to wait in the beginning, but as their needs grew more urgent, they became more impatient, Mr Chin said. Sometimes, prospective employers had to seek the help of their Members of Parliament to try to get the applications approved, he added. But this is only part of the problem.

 

One 32-year-old male helper from Myanmar decided to return home after four months because the job was not what he had ex-pected. He thought he would only be taking care of the elderly man he was attached to, but he was asked to do housework as well.

 

He could not be transferred to another family because MOM approves work permits for male helpers only on a case-by-case basis.

Homekeeper chose to bear the return expenses for the male helpers who wanted or needed to be repatriated. Out of the 10 male helpers the firm brought in, six have left.

 

The owner of employment agency JRS Business Express, who did not want to be named, said she has brought in one or two male helpers, adding that the application process is "quite tough".

 

As for families who hope to hire male helpers, Mr Chin said his firm will still bring them in, but on an ad-hoc basis.

 

 

[123ZZZ]

Helper looks really good in picture

[Guest -Curious-]

He has a very big heart. Barely any at his age has the patience to take care of an elderly with dementia.

[glowingember]

I might have seen them before... At GBB.

There was an older asian with the man in wheelchair and the helper.

It feels wonderful knowing there is a Homekeeper option should one become old and frail.

[Guest Guest]

Looks like shane pow

[Guest guest]

This is a video featuring him.

 

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/plan-more-male-helpers-hits-snag-20140914#xtor=CS1-10?movideo_m=968102

[Guest guest]

Helper looks cute. I think he is PLU.

[Guest Loopy]

If helper is ugly, will there any story at all?

[Guest pow kah leow]

VEry Shane Pow indeed

[Guest Guest]

LOL if helper is handsome, will there be stories of ur bf caught u sleeping with ur male maid instead of the usual 'male employer sleeping with the female maid'?

[Dorkable]

That 24yo male helper could easily be a model with his good looks and leanfit bod.

[abang]

Let me tell you that looking after an immobilised person isnt easy.

 

Take my mother as an example....

Whenever her FDW goes on off-day, I have this task of looking after her from 9 am to 6 pm.

 

Although Ms FDW washes and clothes her accordingly, mommy dearest still needs to be attended to - sleeping, sitting, moving around, listening to the sounds from TV, phablet, drinking water, having a snack, lunch, taking medicine and special request...

Yes there is no going to toilet because of adult diapers!

 

Imagine that compounded with cleaning the flat, cooking the meals .. that to me is a lot of work!

Thank you Ms FDW....

[glowingember]

It's a balance with FDW. And we have to count our lucky stars whenever we are able to engage a good one. Now I'd better stay as healthy as possible and accumulate enough money so that I can hire a home keeper when I'm old and helpless.

[Guest asyrus]

Talk about gender roles...

 

So Boss of MOM think its ok for a young female maid to handle the old dude's pee pee infront of his daughters or his wife? 

 

Like why issit ok for an old auntie to enter the gents to clean the toilet while its not not ok for the old dude to clean the ladies? 

 

The ladies got cubicles and sinks only ....the gents got uncovered urinals somemore wor...

 

Ladies got menopause...men oso got andropause y'know...

 

Ever got incident the toilet cleaner is some young gal from china...she even got guts to peep ...sweep floor in toilet until sweep next to u standing at the urinal...

 

Dey MOM ... get with the times dah... never read newspaper issit? Dunno what is male rape issit?

[fab]

Helper looks cute. I think he is PLU.

U think or u hope?

[Guest Guest]

Talk about gender roles...

So Boss of MOM think its ok for a young female maid to handle the old dude's pee pee infront of his daughters or his wife?

Like why issit ok for an old auntie to enter the gents to clean the toilet while its not not ok for the old dude to clean the ladies?

The ladies got cubicles and sinks only ....the gents got uncovered urinals somemore wor...

Ladies got menopause...men oso got andropause y'know...

Ever got incident the toilet cleaner is some young gal from china...she even got guts to peep ...sweep floor in toilet until sweep next to u standing at the urinal...

Dey MOM ... get with the times dah... never read newspaper issit? Dunno what is male rape issit?

That's why most toilet cleaners are older women... they are less captive by their estrogens AND they have seen EVERYTHING. I can imagine the horrors of encountering such young women in the toilet. It's like encountering a peeping tom RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of a ladies room for the ladies, IMAGINE THAT!!!

[alien]

That 24yo male helper could easily be a model with his good looks and leanfit bod.

Agreed, the male helper can be model with his cute face. So from this report, male helper cannot do housework?

[Guest Guest]

Over here , because of super women power , male like these are treated as second class with no dignity at all ! They eventually just become another maid or laborer for the many high pitch irritating yelling aunties ......just look at those many hen pecked smelly Chee bye loving husbands and boyfriends and those quiet males here ....it's really unbelievable these men have gone through army ....it's more like female can make a better army troop for defense !