Advice on pay for dom. help please

Noodle

So, we have found a new ayah, and she works alright. I'm happy to keep her. She has been here for two days and today asked if we could pay her more.

A couple of days ago someone posted the following in another thread:

On May 1, 2000 the Pune Shahar Molkarin Sanghatana made public a pay structure for domestic work. It reads as follows:
Washing clothes and utensils (one person) - Rs. 100 per month.
Sweeping and mopping (one room) - Rs. 60 per month.
Cooking one entire meal (four persons) - Rs. 800 per month.
Diwali bonus - one month's salary.
Four weekly offs per month; 20 privileged leaves per year.
Extra wages for guests, Diwali cleaning, chopping vegetables, cleaning bathrooms, and any other extra chores.

According to this our pay should be enough - it's 1,000 Rs a month for the following work:

- 1.5 - 2 hours/day, Sundays off
- daily work entails: dishes (2-person household), sweeping and mopping floors: 2 bedrooms, kitchen, living room, mopping the bathroom floor, take the garbage down to the bin
- once a week: sweep and mop the third bedroom (mostly unused room), sweep the terrace, clean one of the three bathrooms (toilet, basin etc)

Do you think 1,000 Rs is reasonable?

I like her and want to keep her, and if I'm too miserly I'm happy to pay more. But we have been paying between 800 and 1,000 for this work before - it seems the normal pay and has always been accepted.

Another question: she comes from a bit further away, she needs to take the bus to get here. Should we pay something towards the bus fee?

Thanks for your take on this!

__________________
If in hole
stop digging.

Indian saying

Nick-H

Not knowing Pune rates... but it sounds ok to me.

You could always add the bus fare.

shashank.aggarwal

whoa..my house seems to be a bit bigger than yours..and our maid does mopping and sweeping..7 days a week..Rs.400.

No Dishes though..!!

Rs.1000 should be fair enough...not to worry about..and she feels that this is less she will ask for more..and of course.. you are not supposed to give them whatever they ask for..!!

__________________
Spineless

Travelogue - Around India

Noodle

I know! Just want to be fair.

Our flat is very large though, large rooms, and a large terrace (all in all almost 2,300 squ ft).

mani

thats good advice. See her circumstaces, what other jobs could she get if she does not do your work and what will she be paid for that. IMHO Rs. 1000 for 2 people's household is more than fair. I would not give her more.

Hope this is of help
Mani

birds

Hi Noodle,

What we suggest in these kind of cases is a small bonus which they will get after six months (to coincide with some festival or so). Of course they get it only if the work continues to be satisfactory. So far this always worked.

Apparently there is a Jewish curse which says 'I wish you a lot of staff'.

Good luck!

Noodle

To be fair I have to say: 2 humans and 4 animals, which make a lot of dirt, mainly hairs.

But still, yeah, I also think 1000 is good. Just wanted to see your feedback.

Thanks so far!

Noodle

Birds, yes, we told her today that if she still works well and is reliable after 6 months we will consider raising the pay.

Ha! Yes, I understand ...

Nick-H

I was told by a palm reader here that I would be important and in charge of 2,000 people.



I think I was supposed to be pleased !

Noodle

Nick he meant us, all the IMers who are looking up to your daily guidance

Nick-H

Good Grief!

Ok... that'll be Rs100 each please....

Noodle

Yes, you have to pay us 100 Rs each!

Daily, of course!

Noodle

Ok. After working two days for us she hasn't turned up again.

This is the second time in two weeks that this happens (with another woman last week the same story) - which is why I'm wondering if the pay really is enough.

Damn, I just don't get these women! Why can't they directly say what's wrong?

birds

Because they are not German or Dutch!

It is not the pay but you are probably getting the wrong ones, those who have worked with foreigners and know they can take some foreigners for a ride (so if they see they can't with you they will move on to the next one).

Get one who is not used to work for foreigners. In the beginning that is a bit of a pain because you have to train them but once that is done they tend to be good. Take one which does not speak much English, so is less employable.

I grabbed one from a construction site. Speaks only Tamil dialect but understands any language you speak if she has too .

Alternatively, you can move to Goa and I can help you finding one here.

Noodle

birds, this sounds logical but these last two had not worked for foreigners before (although maybe heard about the astronomic sums some of them here pay), and they both spoke not a word of English.

Yes, that's true! This last one for example poured the dirty floor mopping water all over the toilet seat. I've had some who just poured it out all over the bathroom floor ...

I've had one who used the dog shampoo for mopping, and one who who soaked my leather boots in a bucket of water (they were dirty, so needed a wash, right?).

Not to mention the one who went and got the cloth we use for toilet cleaning to wipe the kitchen counter with (I was just in time to prevent that!).

And so on ...

Nevertheless, I need one of them to turn up and clean this place up!!!