FDW Certified

I mentioned a few posts ago that we are hiring a helper, known officially as a Foreign Domestic Worker.  In order to secure a work permit for Jennifer, our FDW, I had to take a 90 minute (not 3.5 hours as I previously thought) online course to learn how to be an appropriate employer and what all the employment laws are for FDWs.  I envisioned something super boring... but wow, it was anything but.



First of all, my overall impression of the training was that they provided some helpful information (for example, we need to pay for Jennifer's journey home after her contract is over with us.)  But throughout the training, I felt like the the nature in which they spoke of the Foreign Domestic Worker made me very uncomfortable.... like this person is a pet, not a human.  That's a blunt as I can be about it.  It actually made me a little sick.  

In addition, there were several elements of the training that focused on how not to treat your FDW. The graphics are a bit ridiculous, which is why I had to show them here, but the fact that they need to include this is in the training reveals a very real issue in Singapore- mistreatment of helpers.  Throughout the training, the government (Ministry of Manpower) really drives this home.  They cover abuse, they cover not docking pay for mistakes, they cover what constitutes a balanced diet (they show a food pyramid), they cover what adequate rest should be for a woman who is working as an FDW.  And they they even show newspaper clips of stories of employers who were caught abusing their FDWs and the ramifications.  That said, I think the ramifications for mistreating a helper (see visual) are pretty minor (2 weeks in jail) considering you can apparently be sentenced to death for trafficking pain killers here.

I'm trying to be open minded- I appreciate that the MOM requires this training.  They did have sections about how to reduce miscommunications due to language barrier and how to create a good relationship through positive reinforcement.   They also have a section on other options instead of hiring an FDW.  They are obviously making an attempt to improve conditions, but I can only imagine what is going on behind closed doors for some of these women.  I keep envisioning the movie "The Help" and wonder if we are doing the right thing by contributing to this industry... but at the same time, for everyone reading this, obviously you know that Rob and I will treat Jennifer as we would a nanny in the United States, and we will make her part of our family.