SRAGEN, Indonesia: When the chance to work as a caregiver in Taiwan came knocking at Madam Wahyuni’s door in early 2024, she thought long and hard about the opportunity. 

After four years of being home in her village in the low-lying plains of Central Java, the 40-year-old - who has 10 years of experience working as a domestic helper in Saudi Arabia - said she was initially reluctant to become a live-in worker once more.

“Back home, I can do whatever I like and go wherever I like. You can’t do that anymore if you’re working at someone else’s home,” Mdm Wahyuni, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told CNA.

More importantly, Mdm Wahyuni said she was still traumatised by her last employer: A 50-year-old Saudi mother of three adult children whom she worked for from 2018 to 2020. 

Her former boss, she said, used to make her work 19-hour days with little break or time to herself. She would scold Mdm Wahyuni whenever she thought her domestic helper was working too slowly or for tiny mistakes. She barred her from using the home’s WiFi whenever her employee wanted to have a video chat with her family back home.

But the prospect of earning NT$20,000 (US$631) a month as a caregiver in Taiwan was very lucrative.

It was night and day compared to the 50,000 rupiah (US$3.2) a day she made selling vegetables at a local market back home. 

The pay was also higher than the average monthly salary of a maid in Saudi Arabia (US$532), the United Arab Emirates (US$586) and Qatar (US$547).

In May 2024, Mdm Wahyuni made her way to Taipei where she now works as a caregiver to an octogenarian widow and her adult son who has disabilities. Unlike her former employer in Saudisolisbet, her new employer has been very kind to her, she said.

• From
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