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'Ego cannot feed your hungry stomach': Filipino degree holder shares why she became a domestic helper in Singapore

"Why I study so hard just to become a helper like this?"That is the question a Filipino degree holder working as a domestic helper in Singapore said she used to ask herself, according to a TikTok video posted by Singapore Mandarin radio station YES 933 on Sunday (Sept 13).Over time, however, she came to realise that being a domestic helper...

AsiaOne Singapore2026-09-14 15:39查看原文 ↗

"Why I study so hard just to become a helper like this?"

That is the question a Filipino degree holder working as a domestic helper in Singapore said she used to ask herself, according to a TikTok video posted by Singapore Mandarin radio station YES 933 on Sunday (Sept 13).

Over time, however, she came to realise that being a domestic helper was about more than a job title.

"Your ego cannot feed your hungry stomach, right?" she said.

For her, the practical aspects of the job matter most.

In the Philippines, she said, conversations often revolve around earning an income and supporting one's family. As a result, she learned to look beyond job titles and focus instead on the earning opportunities available in Singapore.

"It's not about the job title. It's about how they pay you more than what you earn back [in the Philippines]," she said.

She added that the salary in Singapore gave her a better chance of achieving her goals.

Among her aspirations is to save enough money to eventually open her own coffee shop, where she's "the CEO" and can set her own schedule, waking up whenever she feels like it.

From domestic helper to business owner

For another Filipino domestic worker, working as a helper also did not mean giving up on her ambitions .

Jocelyn Mompal's employer, Wang, 75, encouraged her to take courses in entrepreneurship, time and money management in Singapore in 2008.

Wang paid for the classes and Mompal later used what she learnt to run a travel agency and shoe store in Iloilo City.

She also used her savings to invest in a condominium unit in Manila.

Her experience showed how education and support could help a domestic worker build another source of income for the future.

Mistaken for a domestic helper

For others, the job title can influence how others view them.

In another AsiaOne story, a Malaysian executive working in Singapore said she felt "triggered and sad" after being mistaken for a domestic helper at a Bedok laundromat.

The woman, a senior account specialist, said she felt judged.

She also recalled being stopped by a condominium security guard and asked if she was a resident.

Her experience made her question whether people were making assumptions about her background at first glance.

She said people should not judge others based solely on appearances.

helmy.saat@asiaone.com

“我为什么这么努力学习，最终却只能成为这样的帮手呢？”

据新加坡华语电台 YES 933 于周日（9 月 13 日）发布的一段 TikTok 视频显示，一位在新加坡担任家庭佣工的菲律宾大学毕业生表示，她过去常常问自己这个问题。

然而，随着时间的推移，她逐渐意识到，做一名家政帮工不仅仅是一个工作头衔。

“你的自尊心填不满你的肚子，对吧？”她说道。

对她来说，工作的实际方面最为重要。

她说，在菲律宾，人们的谈话往往围绕着如何赚钱养家糊口。因此，她学会了不要只看职位头衔，而是关注新加坡提供的各种赚钱机会。

“这与职位头衔无关。关键在于他们给你的薪水比你在菲律宾挣的要高，”她说。