Maid / Nanny Salary Guide

[mca27]

Hi

We are considering to relocate to Singapore and have 3 young children all under 12 months. We would require a nanny / maid.

Could someone indicate how much we should expect to pay per month for someone on a full time basis.

Also, would someone be typically found via an agency or just word of mouth..?

Many thanks
MCA27

[familyof5]

it really varies enourmously depending on the experience of the maid. Typically, maids who have worked for 'expat' families and cared for children demand higher pay.

some of the children's indoor play centres have noticeboards and departing expats sometimes advertise 'transfer maids' (ie a maid to transfer to another family) there.

You could also look at the classifides section on this website.

You might like to check out some of the agencies on line. this is the one I used. I don't know how it compares to other agencies, it's the only one we used and our maid has worked out very well. It has a helpful search function, which includes salary requirements.

http://www.kaiwamaid.com/sgmp/index.asp

To check out the others, i'm sure if you google there will be plenty of available sites. Remember also that you pay a kind of tax to the government on a monthly basis too, so factor that in to the equation. Though having full time live in help in Singapore is certainly more affordable here than back home. Well, depending on where you are from I guess.

I have 3 very young children too, including twins. I am very greatful for our maid....our place has never been tidier! Good luck

[bruinbear]

An experienced maid should cost you about $350 to $450/month (depending on nationality of maid) for her salary plus another $265/month for the foreign maid levy.

[road.not.taken]

We pay our maid $750/month. For what your asking her to do -- then I'd say that's a good starting off place.

[sillingw]

pretty much agree with RNT, you pretty much get what you pay for. Look for a transfer maid from an expat family as they can come with stronger references and you can face-to-face interview. If you pay the lowest rate, you are likely to end up with someone who barely speaks English, has no idea of western safety and hygene standards and has just arrived from a rustic village in the back of beyond. RNT is paying at the high end, I pay 600 SG$ with a 13th month and bonus at Christmas and New Year. The range is from around 300 SG$ upwards but I would emphasise again you will get what you pay for.

[aussiemeg]

Hi there

The pay range is about right. You can do things like pay $400 pm and then pay for a mobilephone or cable tv or just pay cash. In my experience cash is often preferred.

Originally we went with a transfer helper from the noticeboards at Tanglin. She was fantastic for the first 2 years but then got arried. THis time we have a wonderful helper who had only worked for a chinese family before but she is so wonderful with the kids and pets and cleaning we could not be happier. The fact she speaks bahasa, mandarin and english is a huge bonus for us a sinlgelingual family.

It seems you most likely have a set of multiples there so you can join twinsplussing.com and send a message out in case someone's maid is available who has had twins or triplet experience but I don't think that is necessarily a requirement.

We have only had indonesian maids and never had a language problem. bt we have sent them on a safety CPR course when they start and it has been great.

hope this helps
Megan