Do I need to pay my maid extra to babysit in the evening?

[ksl]

Duh?? Would you work for SGD400 per month from dawn to dusk? Maids aren't slaves!

Neither are other employees! They are foreign workers earning more here, than they would in their own Countries, and like SMS points out the hidden costs too, soon take it over 1.500 a month.

I must admit that my maid is having a life of leisure, she's lucky to work 4hrs a day.

Though she does push the limits and i have to remind her who is boss around here....so when i say don't push your luck, she asked what it meant, after I had explained my wife thought she was getting lazy not doing work correctly.

Actually she is far better off than my wife, if truth is known. Never forget that familiarity breeds contempt, if there is a weakness they will abuse it, the same goes in any working environment.

[daytripper65]

I probably have a nerve to weigh in because we don't have a full time helper, but are in the process of hiring one. We've been using part time helpers intermittently, and I can say that my husband and I both usually go out of our way to accomodate them, i.e. picking them at the station, driving them back to the station, giving an extra few dollars to make it a "round" figure, providing lunch for them during their 4 hours, etc.

Apparently not all full timers earn the same, as the one we are hiring was earning $550/month and we agreed to match it. In addition, I'm sure we will be even more generous with someone who is living with us and helping us on a day to day basis. Aside from the substantial initial costs (bond, PAI, medical, agency fee), we will provide a T.V., refrigerator, any furniture she needs, regular toiletries, not to mention aircon in her room. She gets every Sunday off, public holidays, and we will pay for her to return home once a year.

We are very easygoing, and I hope to build enough mutual respect with each other that she will not feel exploited and we will not feel taken advantage of. If we want to go out in the evening, which is rare, I might mention it to her in the morning, and, if I feel necessary, perhaps suggest that she sleep in and hold off on the chores during the day if I expect her to be up later than usual. I would hope that she doesn't expect a flat hourly rate above and beyond a fairly generous package and commiserate trade off.

In my opinion, it's a personal choice that depends on the relationship and balance you strike in renumeration and perks vs. expectations.

[road.not.taken]

I completely agree daytripper65. When our kids were young enough to need babysitting, we didn't pay our maids extra. They were always paid very well, and we were, I hope, generous employers by most standards.

We didn't go out much, except for a standing date on Saturday nights. It was a relationship that worked for us. She went out to have noodles with friends, 'doctor's appointments', errands when she wanted etc... and we certainly didn't dock her pay for her 2 hour long siesta after lunch. We struck a nice balance that worked well for us.

I'm not a Micromanager, and didn't want a 'nickel & dime' relationship with our maid. Pay her well, treat her well, let her know up front what you expect ~ and the rest will fall into place.

[AndyD]

Agree with the last 2 posts – the people here stating helpers are not slaves, and should not work past their 8 hours sound ridiculous, and probably don’t have helpers... Our helper is a part of our family, she does not graft from 7 when she wakes all the way through with 2 x 15 minute breaks and 1 x 45 minute lunch, yes she does everything she needs to but at her own pace, and when suits – she can pop out for hours at a time if needed, there is no clock watching. So babysitting just blends in with that, give and take, build trust and respect each other…

[Splatted]

Agree with the last 2 posts – the people here stating helpers are not slaves, and should not work past their 8 hours sound ridiculous, and probably don’t have helpers... Our helper is a part of our family, <snip>

As a bloke, I know I'll never be cut out to be a maid.

That aside, I doubt that every maid feels 'part of the family', regardless of how good you treat them, and no matter how royally you pay them.

Coming from a country where the standard working day is 7.5 hours, anything more is either over-time (paid at a premium rate), or taking advantage of a person if expected to work for no extra remuneration.

That's just my perspective only.

However, if it were something they knowingly signed up for from the beginning, ie 16 hour work day for $300 or $400 or whatever it is.. then they got what they wanted.

[Superglide]

We have had our maid for 7 months and have only asked her to babysit in the evening 7 times at the most (even though I would like to think it would be more like one a week in the future). She recently alluded to the fact that she expects to be paid extra for this and that the other maids on the street were being paid extra? Do employers really pay extra for their maids to babysit in th evening?

Of course not. In fact, I would bill and ask for refund of every single hour she is sleeping and not working.

What do they think, these maids? That they are human, or what?

They are a disgrace to the civilised world we live in, you and I.

[road.not.taken]

Your sarcasm and indignation are delicious as always Superglide!

[Superglide]

Thank you, ma'am.

Where have the bickering days gone...

[Vaucluse]

What a lot of hooha!

If the child is asleep the why pay the helper any more? On the odd occasion that we go out (yes, road.not.taken, we do separate ourselves from the littlest one occasionally now) we ask our helper, who is more of a nanny than maid, to place the thingy-thing in her room. You know, a sender in the child's room and receiver . . umm, like a one-way walkie-talkie . . . what are those things called?

She has her room on the ground floor and the littlest one is on the third floor . . . Why should she ask for or be entitled to extra money for that?

As has been stated, it is a matter of give and take. It doesn't take her the full day to clean the house and look after the child as she is in kindy . . . she has her leisure time during the day as well.

The thing with live-in helpers is that they are in a grey area between being 'family' and employees . . . so, neither rule applies 100%


Hey, Superglide, wanna fight?

[road.not.taken]

What a lot of hooha!

If the child is asleep the why pay the helper any more? On the odd occasion that we go out (yes, road.not.taken, we do separate ourselves from the littlest one occasionally now) we ask our helper, who is more of a nanny than maid, to place the thingy-thing in her room. You know, a sender in the child's room and receiver . . umm, like a one-way walkie-talkie . . . what are those things called?

I believe the term you're looking for is baby monitor.

[Splatted]

The thing with live-in helpers is that they are in a grey area between being 'family' and employees . . . so, neither rule applies 100%

And the difference is, you will never pay these 'practically family' employees the same rate as what you would pay real family who asked you for employment.

"practically family' is always the excuse given by people who think they are treating their staff so great, they shouldn't complain about the 16 hour work day. yes it's light duties, but even baby sitters back in western countries can get paid $30/hour.

But again, I'll repeat,.. if the long hours and ridiculously low pay is what they knowingly signed up for before stepping foot in the country, then they got exactly what they wanted.

[raden888]

Hey, Superglide, wanna fight?

Yeah, I wanna watch

[x9200]

Hey, Superglide, wanna fight?

Yeah, I wanna watch

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[Superglide]

Not sure how the link given relates to potential bickering or fighting between vaucluse and myself.

(Although I do remember, silly Vaucluse adores a classig Tagheuer, whereas myself, I have a far more refined taste and wear a stylish Baume Et Mercier, but that aside).

Vaucluse, hard to find a topic to fight about, we agree on almost everything...

But to make you feel homesick, here's a nice one:

Went to Cologne (Koeln) a few weeks back, Eastern weekend holiday break.

Koelle.... Tolles Wochenende, viel Koelsch, viel Theater (Oper, Klassisches Konzert, Museum Ludwig), Fantastisches Essen neben dem Rhein und wirklich ein sehr gutes Hotel, SAS Radisson an der falschen Seite des Rheins.

Waere schoen gewesen, dich dort an zu treffen...

[ksl]

Not sure how the link given relates to potential bickering or fighting between vaucluse and myself.

(Although I do remember, silly Vaucluse adores a classig Tagheuer, whereas myself, I have a far more refined taste and wear a stylish Baume Et Mercier, but that aside).

Vaucluse, hard to find a topic to fight about, we agree on almost everything...

But to make you feel homesick, here's a nice one:

Went to Cologne (Koeln) a few weeks back, Eastern weekend holiday break.

Koelle.... Tolles Wochenende, viel Koelsch, viel Theater (Oper, Klassisches Konzert, Museum Ludwig), Fantastisches Essen neben dem Rhein und wirklich ein sehr gutes Hotel, SAS Radisson an der falschen Seite des Rheins.

Waere schoen gewesen, dich dort an zu treffen...

At almost 60, i feel like i could do with a good fight, under the Queensbury rules, I need some f------ sense knocked into me sometimes. Just like the boys club days, when i was 10. Though respect is still the name of the game, slightly different today

Floyd Mayweather you are a hustler just like your daddy and not a sportsman, a disgrace to boxing! Pacman rules!