Part-time Maid in Delhi

JesKaliebe · Jan 2nd, 2006, 14:49

Ok, so have been staying here (New Friends Colony, South Delhi) for about 2 months now, and really starting to feel like home around here.

However, I am slowly getting tired of eating out every night, and have found cooking for myself a bit tough here.
So I have been thinking about getting a maid 4-5 days a week to cook for me, only evening dinner.

The woman who does the same for some of my neighbours have been asking me a couple of times now if I am interested in her cooking for me as well.. And every time we get to talking salary, she wants me to come up with a figure.. The thing is, I don't know how much to offer her.

I am gonna talk with my neighbours as well, however I'd like your opinion too.
How much should I offer her for cooking dinner for me 5 days a week and also shopping the groceries for making the food.

Furthermore, how much will shopping for the meat, rice, vegetables etc. for the food be, on an average monthly basis?

Mejse · Jan 9th, 2006, 13:00

Hi there co-dane!

We have a half-time maid. He comes tree times a week the whole day and cleen, shop,cooks, washes and so on. We pay him 2500 Rs. a month. You should maybe concider the same model. The maid will often do the shopping in the morning ore durring the day and much of the amazing indian food that you from now on will get - not a word about the delhi restaurant scene! - takes quite a long time to prepare.

I dont know about the expences for the food. Vegs are of cause exstremly cheap and if you primarily eat chicken besides, you can keep a very reasonble budget. We just leave the maid some money when he comes and he will give a receipt and the change.

- og godt nytaar til dig her i koooolde delhi...

best Mejse

Adventurer_Prince · Jan 9th, 2006, 13:59

Yes Around 1500 to 2500 is better for Maid , 2000 to 3000 will shopping for the meat, rice, vegetables etc. for the food be, on an average monthly basis?
and it depends also , How many times do u eat at home,
well, Have nice Time!
Ali

Tapestry · Jan 9th, 2006, 15:06

I have a woman come for just 1 to 1 1/2 hours in the morning, Monday through Saturday (I ask her not to come on Sundays) to cook and wash the floors, or to do laundry and wash the floors. Periodically she dusts, but only if there's time. I pay her Rs. 1200 per month. I buy the groceries myself from the veg seller who comes through the colony, and I buy my own pulses, etc, and maybe pay Rs. 150/wk (I don't eat meat). Each morning I set out what I want her to work on - either cook or wash clothes - knowing that she has only until 9am to do it (the time when I leave the house).

This arrangement may work for you if you do not want anyone in your house when you are not there.

A couple of tips I learned: (1) if the food is just for you, only have her make the portion you would eat that day, or until she cooks again, (2) if you have leftovers you clearly will not be eating, it may be appropriate for you to give them to her to take home, (3) if you are having her make something using dried beans, you will need to soak them overnight beforehand, (4) for my maid, even if there is time there are certain things that are not her pervue: she does not make the beds and she does not clean bathrooms.

Good luck.

Mejse · Jan 9th, 2006, 15:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tapestry

I have a woman come for just 1 to 1 1/2 hours in the morning, Monday through Saturday (I ask her not to come on Sundays) to cook and wash the floors, or to do laundry and wash the floors. Periodically she dusts, but only if there's time. I pay her Rs. 1200 per month. I buy the groceries myself from the veg seller who comes through the colony, and I buy my own pulses, etc, and maybe pay Rs. 150/wk (I don't eat meat). Each morning I set out what I want her to work on - either cook or wash clothes - knowing that she has only until 9am to do it (the time when I leave the house).

This arrangement may work for you if you do not want anyone in your house when you are not there.

A couple of tips I learned: (1) if the food is just for you, only have her make the portion you would eat that day, or until she cooks again, (2) if you have leftovers you clearly will not be eating, it may be appropriate for you to give them to her to take home, (3) if you are having her make something using dried beans, you will need to soak them overnight beforehand, (4) for my maid, even if there is time there are certain things that are not her pervue: she does not make the beds and she does not clean bathrooms.

Good luck.

...you might have reasons that I dont know about, but I would say that if you find a maid with good references it is no problem. I would myself never have a maid that i could not trust to be alone with my stuff !

And - please mind me for saying - to give someone one hour and a half to do a good job is a hard challange....

Tapestry · Jan 9th, 2006, 16:07

I have her come while I'm there so that I do not have to give her a set of my keys, since I live alone. I know someone whose maid copied all her keys, including the keys to her suitcases. My apt has already had an attempted break-in by those who worked at another house in the same colony - absconding with jewellrey and cash. Also, a family I'm close to has had plenty of things disappear including all the good pashminas, etc, by those who were trusted and treated as real members of the family. It's a comfort thing to have her come before I go to work, but if one is comfortable letting others be there while the house is empty, that's fine. It's up to your comfort level. I do trust my maid, but I still wouldn't have someone come while I'm not home.

And actually she does a great job in an hour and a half - we have a really efficient system down so it works for us.

Mejse · Jan 9th, 2006, 16:39

There is a lot of bad stories going around. And most are true! But I also think that sometimes there is being created an athmoshere of distrust and paranoia in expat communities. I find that unhealthy and not very just to the many people who do an honest job. I would always look for staff through the embassy services and contact my stafs former imployer. That way your do the outmost you can do to make sure that you get genuine people. And they DO count for 90%!

But, you should not be naive, and as you say, it is a personel choice. I enjoy the fact that I have people around me that I trust with both my pashminas and my cash. And I do belive, that they enjoy the fact that i show them trust. I'snt that what its all about..?

JesKaliebe · Jan 18th, 2006, 12:05

Thanks for your great replies guys, there definitely are some good points in there.
I still haven't found a maid for cooking, but I may end up engaging the women who is cleaning for me 1½ hour every morning for cooking to.. The only minus is, she doesn't speak English at all, and my hindi is, to say the least, not exactly up to par. So we already have a lot of manuel-like (watch fawlty towers) situations. Anyway it hasn't created problems yet, just adds to the fun

As for trusting the people who work in your home, indeed that it a new situation, especially being from a country where domestic help is not common.
I've also heard a lot of stories, but haven't had any problems so far with my cleaning maid, which is also why right now she would be the best option for cooking.

Thanks for your help everybody!

Og Mejse - også godt nytår til dig - i ikke-længere-helt-så-kolde Delhi..

Jan 2nd, 2006, 14:49	#1
JesKaliebe Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: New Friends Colony Posts: 47	Part-time Maid in Delhi Ok, so have been staying here (New Friends Colony, South Delhi) for about 2 months now, and really starting to feel like home around here. However, I am slowly getting tired of eating out every night, and have found cooking for myself a bit tough here. So I have been thinking about getting a maid 4-5 days a week to cook for me, only evening dinner. The woman who does the same for some of my neighbours have been asking me a couple of times now if I am interested in her cooking for me as well.. And every time we get to talking salary, she wants me to come up with a figure.. The thing is, I don't know how much to offer her. I am gonna talk with my neighbours as well, however I'd like your opinion too. How much should I offer her for cooking dinner for me 5 days a week and also shopping the groceries for making the food. Furthermore, how much will shopping for the meat, rice, vegetables etc. for the food be, on an average monthly basis?

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Jan 9th, 2006, 13:00	#2
Mejse Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Delhi Posts: 5	Hi there co-dane! We have a half-time maid. He comes tree times a week the whole day and cleen, shop,cooks, washes and so on. We pay him 2500 Rs. a month. You should maybe concider the same model. The maid will often do the shopping in the morning ore durring the day and much of the amazing indian food that you from now on will get - not a word about the delhi restaurant scene! - takes quite a long time to prepare. I dont know about the expences for the food. Vegs are of cause exstremly cheap and if you primarily eat chicken besides, you can keep a very reasonble budget. We just leave the maid some money when he comes and he will give a receipt and the change. - og godt nytaar til dig her i koooolde delhi... best Mejse

Jan 9th, 2006, 13:59	#3
Adventurer_Prince Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: New Delhi Posts: 237	Yes Around 1500 to 2500 is better for Maid , 2000 to 3000 will shopping for the meat, rice, vegetables etc. for the food be, on an average monthly basis? and it depends also , How many times do u eat at home, well, Have nice Time! Ali

Jan 9th, 2006, 15:06	#4
Tapestry Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Delhi Posts: 325	I have a woman come for just 1 to 1 1/2 hours in the morning, Monday through Saturday (I ask her not to come on Sundays) to cook and wash the floors, or to do laundry and wash the floors. Periodically she dusts, but only if there's time. I pay her Rs. 1200 per month. I buy the groceries myself from the veg seller who comes through the colony, and I buy my own pulses, etc, and maybe pay Rs. 150/wk (I don't eat meat). Each morning I set out what I want her to work on - either cook or wash clothes - knowing that she has only until 9am to do it (the time when I leave the house). This arrangement may work for you if you do not want anyone in your house when you are not there. A couple of tips I learned: (1) if the food is just for you, only have her make the portion you would eat that day, or until she cooks again, (2) if you have leftovers you clearly will not be eating, it may be appropriate for you to give them to her to take home, (3) if you are having her make something using dried beans, you will need to soak them overnight beforehand, (4) for my maid, even if there is time there are certain things that are not her pervue: she does not make the beds and she does not clean bathrooms. Good luck.

Jan 9th, 2006, 16:07	#6
Tapestry Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Delhi Posts: 325	I have her come while I'm there so that I do not have to give her a set of my keys, since I live alone. I know someone whose maid copied all her keys, including the keys to her suitcases. My apt has already had an attempted break-in by those who worked at another house in the same colony - absconding with jewellrey and cash. Also, a family I'm close to has had plenty of things disappear including all the good pashminas, etc, by those who were trusted and treated as real members of the family. It's a comfort thing to have her come before I go to work, but if one is comfortable letting others be there while the house is empty, that's fine. It's up to your comfort level. I do trust my maid, but I still wouldn't have someone come while I'm not home. And actually she does a great job in an hour and a half - we have a really efficient system down so it works for us.

Jan 9th, 2006, 16:39	#7
Mejse Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Delhi Posts: 5	There is a lot of bad stories going around. And most are true! But I also think that sometimes there is being created an athmoshere of distrust and paranoia in expat communities. I find that unhealthy and not very just to the many people who do an honest job. I would always look for staff through the embassy services and contact my stafs former imployer. That way your do the outmost you can do to make sure that you get genuine people. And they DO count for 90%! But, you should not be naive, and as you say, it is a personel choice. I enjoy the fact that I have people around me that I trust with both my pashminas and my cash. And I do belive, that they enjoy the fact that i show them trust. I'snt that what its all about..?

Jan 18th, 2006, 12:05	#8
JesKaliebe Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: New Friends Colony Posts: 47	Thanks for your great replies guys, there definitely are some good points in there. I still haven't found a maid for cooking, but I may end up engaging the women who is cleaning for me 1½ hour every morning for cooking to.. The only minus is, she doesn't speak English at all, and my hindi is, to say the least, not exactly up to par. So we already have a lot of manuel-like (watch fawlty towers) situations. Anyway it hasn't created problems yet, just adds to the fun As for trusting the people who work in your home, indeed that it a new situation, especially being from a country where domestic help is not common. I've also heard a lot of stories, but haven't had any problems so far with my cleaning maid, which is also why right now she would be the best option for cooking. Thanks for your help everybody! Og Mejse - også godt nytår til dig - i ikke-længere-helt-så-kolde Delhi..

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