Yes, I should have said a mature Sri Lankan, the younger ones are less reliable. My experience with Filipina maids is all bad so I won't go there!
In Singapore you not only had to pay the maid but you had to pay the Government a levy, ($350 per month), to employ a foreigner instead of a Singaporean!
These days you would be lucky to get a Singaporean to work for you, then it is five and a half day week, food, won't live in, has to have health insurance and provident fund paid for!!! In the old days the Chinese Amah was the best!
Sorry, only my first paragraph is relevant! The rest is anecdotal ramblings!