Helper goes MIA after 2-word reply to S’pore employer who bought her return ticket to visit ailing mum
A mother of three who paid for her domestic helper’s return flight to Myanmar said she was suddenly ghosted after the helper arrived there, leaving her with an unused return ticket and additional household chores to handle.
Speaking to Stomp, Angeline said that her helper, who had been working with the family for five months, had requested time off to visit her mother in Myanmar.
The 37-year-old business owner shared screenshots of text messages purportedly from her helper in an Aug 7 Instagram post. One message read: “I don’t want to stay. I want to go home and take care my mom. I can’t stand to see my mother cry.”
Angeline explained that her husband — who is a doctor — had reviewed the medical reports for her helper and said it “wasn’t a life-threatening emergency”. However, she agreed to let her helper return to Myanmar, understanding that she wanted to be with her family.
Employer says helper confirmed she would return to S’pore
The mother of three has two helpers — one focused on caring for the youngest child, while the other, who had requested to return to Myanmar, mainly handled cooking and cleaning.
Before purchasing the tickets, Angeline said she asked her helper whether she wanted to return “for good” or intended to come back to Singapore to continue working.
“Either answer would have been okay. I simply needed the truth so I could plan accordingly,” she wrote. “She said she will come back, so I bought return tickets for her.”
After purchasing a $437 two-way ticket for her on July 20, with the outbound flight scheduled for the following day, she said that her helper replied:
Thanks Mdm.
But subsequent texts from Angeline checking in on her went unanswered.
Angeline also revealed that her helper did not board the return flight.
Helper goes MIA after thanking employer
“I’m not angry that she chose to leave. I’m disappointed that she chose to lie and take kindness for granted,” said Angeline.
She told Stomp that she “half expected this to happen” and was searching for a replacement, but felt it was “wasteful” to have paid for a return ticket she didn’t use.
When asked about her helper’s mental state before the move, Angeline recalled that she “seemed ok”.
She added she recognised that helpers “come and go”, and that this was the fourth time she had hired extra help.
“Wish there could be some law to protect us,” she mused.
The post garnered over 2,200 likes and 1,000 shares, as many netizens shared similar experiences in the comments.
However, one netizen raised a different perspective, suggesting that the helper might have intended to return but “changed her mind last minute”.
“It’s so hard to leave her family once she is with them — but it’s difficult voicing it out and potentially being asked to return the flight money. Just a POV, not an excuse,” the netizen added.
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