Live-in Maids - Approximate cost ?

ii · Post by ii » Sun, 12 Jun 2011 7:45 pm

Hi there ...

I am very looking forward to my upcoming relocation to Singapore (from London UK) ! Its going to be a very busy year for my work and I was looking to acquire some help for domestic household duties.

How much would a live-in maid cost ? What range the does the cost fall into ?
And how does this compare to a regular visiting maid cost (to visit my apartment and do cleaning, washing, ironing, etc).

Thanks in advance for your help ! Appreciate it.

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Sun, 12 Jun 2011 8:39 pm

Figure a minimum of 1000/mo spread across the entire year. This would be a good rule of thulmb and would include medicals, salaries, home leaves, foods, gifts, other miscellaneous costs. It could be a wee bit less or considerably more if you pay your Foreign Domestic Worker a decent salary above the minimums required by the various ethnic embassies.

ii · Post by ii » Sun, 12 Jun 2011 11:56 pm

Thanks SMS for the quick response. 1000 SGD per month all inclusive sounds like a good deal.
How does this compare to hiring someone to come and visit my apartment to do cleaning, washing, etc. instead of live-in ?

Thanks again !

beppi · Post by **beppi** » Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:25 am

Live-out help costs S$12-15 per hour.

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:33 am

If you have never had a live-in domestic, it may take some getting used to. In fact, a surprising number of families cannot do it and opt for live-out maids due to the lack of privacy when having a live-in maid.

ii · Post by ii » Mon, 13 Jun 2011 4:00 am

Understood ... makes sense.

I think personally ... I am inclined to opting for the live-out help ... would be good to get some price ranges ... looks like it will cost 12-15SGD per hour.

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Mon, 13 Jun 2011 6:50 am

12-15/hour would be the minimum. with 17-18 probably being more the norm but rates can be adjusted based on how many times/hours/week you look at.

ii · Post by ii » Mon, 13 Jun 2011 6:57 am

ok .. got it ! With 17-18 SGD ... rates dont look that cheap out in Singapore. For example, I have a very good cleaner here in London who charges those rates. My understanding was that manual labour and help is pretty cheap out in Singapore ...

Good to get the real picture before I head out there ! Thanks again for your input !

ecureilx · Post by **ecureilx** » Mon, 13 Jun 2011 1:42 pm

I would add to SMS .. if you can't afford or budget atleast 1,000/- DONT GET A MAID

yeah, I know .. the thoughts of getting somebody employment flies out the windows sometimes ..

My own experience, disasters 4 times, before I decided to be maid-free ..

Levy + salary + incidental expenses + food + to have a happy maid, atleast every 6 months a visit home, negotiated / compensated by lesser off days = lesser headache .. works fine.

Part time maids alleviate the problems, but then again, you can't get WP holders as part time, and the others sometimes dont stick to the time ..

Saint · Post by **Saint** » Mon, 13 Jun 2011 2:21 pm

ii wrote:ok .. got it ! With 17-18 SGD ... rates dont look that cheap out in Singapore. For example, I have a very good cleaner here in London who charges those rates. My understanding was that manual labour and help is pretty cheap out in Singapore ...

Good to get the real picture before I head out there ! Thanks again for your input !

The biggest reason for that cost per hour is that only Singaporeans/PRs can legally work as part time cleaners.

ecureilx · Post by **ecureilx** » Mon, 13 Jun 2011 2:26 pm

Saint wrote: The biggest reason for that cost per hour is that only Singaporeans/PRs can legally work as part time cleaners.

message deleted.....

Sorry, ecureilx

Unfortunately, we don't suggest doing things that are illegal on this site. - moderator

Post by **x9200** » Mon, 13 Jun 2011 3:02 pm

ecureilx wrote:My own experience, disasters 4 times, before I decided to be maid-free ..

Is this had anything to do with the fact that you let them sleep on the kitchen floor or I confuse you with someone else?

ecureilx · Post by **ecureilx** » Mon, 13 Jun 2011 3:13 pm

x9200 wrote:
ecureilx wrote:My own experience, disasters 4 times, before I decided to be maid-free ..
Is this had anything to do with the fact that you let them sleep on the kitchen floor or I confuse you with someone else?

No sir, its' not me .. of course, I couldn't afford to rent a fully furnished apartment for them, but, they had their own room ..

Sleep in the kitchen ?? I am not a proponent of providing the master bedroom for the maids, with the best beds .. golf course view, etc. etc. and all.. but then again, I am not one of those who accepts letting a maid sleep in the kitchen floor ..

are you on to something chief ??

Post by **x9200** » Mon, 13 Jun 2011 3:21 pm

Apologies then

ii · Post by ii » Mon, 13 Jun 2011 8:28 pm

Thanks for everyone's input ... it certainly provided me a much better understanding now.

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Live-in Maids - Approximate cost ?

Live-in Maids - Approximate cost ?

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