(May I have your input please): Hiring a Filipino Maid

[pixie]

Dear mummies,

I will be employing one and she will start work some time in September and I will have to return back to work in October.

As agreed, she will have 2 off days in each month and her work mainly is to take care of the baby and do washing and ironing. As we are just a family of 3, we do not need her to cook at all. We will pay her her 3 meals and also necessities (e.g. shampoo, facial gel, visiting a doctor etc).


My question is with 3 years of working experience and currently she is drawing $400. Based on the current market, how much should I be paying her? I don't wish to short-change her but neither do I want to overpay her. I just want to pay her reasonably so that she is willing to take care of my baby and not always think she is under pay.

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[Just]

i think you have to see her first then decide. If she is very good and worth it, by all means be generous to her. Some maids have many years of experience working but their attitude sucks. One clever way: promise her performance bonus by the end of her contract. I'm thinking of 1 to 2 months bonus for my maid. That will keep her loyal to you and prevent her overspending. Many maids tend to spend whatever they earn.

 

[pixie]

Hi Just , we have met her and even interviewed her. Asked her how much is she expecting but she's very reasonable and said that she doesn't mind since we've yet to try her out yet. She is referred to us by our part time maid and told she is good with children. With her current employer, she started taking care of 1 kid but now she has to take care of 3 which is a bit too much to handle for her since she has to housework too. Recently, the mother of her female employer came to stay with them and the old lady has been rather mean so this maid decided to move on after the contract expires in Sept.

Is it normal to offer performance bonus to maids in general? Would really hear on the salary part from other mummies please

 

[Angelmum]

Dear mummies,

I will be employing one and she will start work some time in September and I will have to return back to work in October.

As agreed, she will have 2 off days in each month and her work mainly is to take care of the baby and do washing and ironing. As we are just a family of 3, we do not need her to cook at all. We will pay her her 3 meals and also necessities (e.g. shampoo, facial gel, visiting a doctor etc).


My question is with 3 years of working experience and currently she is drawing $400. Based on the current market, how much should I be paying her? I don't wish to short-change her but neither do I want to overpay her. I just want to pay her reasonably so that she is willing to take care of my baby and not always think she is under pay.

Thanks in advance for your input.

My current PHL helper still having old salary, before that crazy Indo $450 salary. She has off day. Got many friends. Asked me few days ago why Myanmar and Indo no experience can get $420/month. She told my mum, want her to stay, best is pay her $500+.

When sensed I'm not keen to be 'slaughtered', she said she needs money to buy a new house for her son as her sis chasing him out soon .... need 50000 peso, about S$1420. Thot she needs to speak to her sis to negotiate but was told no hurry??!!?? Dont know what's coming next. Waiting for her next card.

Sometimes, we don't want to short change them but is it worth paying? After paying, can they stay for 2 yrs and no more playing wild cards?

All the while, MOM just sit back, relax and collect easy money (levy) from us and kept putting us thru all these crazy salary hikes... when are we going to get reasonable protection from MOM and PAP?

So sick of finding, training and bear the inconveniences of having a domestic 'helper'.


My sis recently looking for maid, Phl 3 years of working experience $500. Myr with only 2 yrs exp is $450.

 

[Angelmum]

Is it normal to offer performance bonus to maids in general? Would really hear on the salary part from other mummies please

I'm offering performance bonus of minimum 1mth salary for completion of 2yrs.

Instead of paying high monthly salary, I prefer good performance bonus for completion of 2yrs, just like we worked full year, we get 13th month bonus.

 

[pixie]

Angelmum, thank you in taking the time to reply to all my queries! It's so clear and I fully agreed that some of these domestic helpers can be such a pain in the butt!

Btw, for $500/mth payable to Filipino maid does this include meals and necessities?

 

[ping26]

sorie, did not see this.

based on our extensive mkt research 1-2 month ago, experienced filipino maids r asking for about $400 or more with 4 off days, or $500 with 1-2 off day.

They are willing to take just $450 with expat family & 4 off-days. hmm...

 

[pixie]

Ping26, thanks for responding
So do we still pay for food and necessities such as toiletries if we are paying $450-500 to the Filipino maid (we will be giving her 2 days off monthly)? What is the usual practice here?

 

[mamapenguin]

sorie, did not see this.

based on our extensive mkt research 1-2 month ago, experienced filipino maids r asking for about $400 or more with 4 off days, or $500 with 1-2 off day.

They are willing to take just $450 with expat family & 4 off-days. hmm...

$450 with expat family? Tough luck but no such thing. With expat family they expect $500 min but more most of time. They will say that Php Embassy states rule minimum salary of 400USD. Also, they expect a year end bonus from employer. And every public holiday off. How do I know? My household is part expat.

My last Filipino maid drove me crazy with her constant non stop yakking on her mobile phone. If not on the phone, she will be busy gossiping with the other filipino maids in the condo. Does my head in. She's so full of pride she would get upset when I correct her when she was wrong. She did not own up nor did she apologise when she broke stuff. Granted she was good to the babies but she couldn't clean to save her life and that was her primary duty. When we finally terminated her contract, she told us we had to pay her transfer fee! No way.

 

[PrincessAriel]

I think since you are hiring one with experience, perhaps, you should let her try for 400 first? Coz no agency ma.
After 2 months, if she is really good, then increase according to what u think is worth of her. I used to have one filipino maid and for the first few months, she was so diligent. My family of 3 only too....take care of baby, do a few washing. Cooking...don't really require her to as we buy her dinner everyday. Lunch, she go and settle herself since got food in the fridge.
Off day was once a month but requested to have more at the later part. Then her attitude sucks, every time unhappy, showed us black face, esp me. MY hubby she dare not until the last day she want to advance her pay, as she is going back to her country for holiday. We wanted to give her when go to airport. In the end, before I went to work, showed us superb black face. Hubby cannot tahan, but graciously send her to airport. At airport, he got a shock. There were 15 filipino friends of her waiting for her there. We gave her a christmas present by telling her that her services is no longer needed.
I think we are not mean but reasonable people. We gave her a number of chances and kept going back to our pastors for advice, in the end never send her back till that last incident.
One thing is, we spent a lot on her than our children lor.
400+170 plus dinner (cost 3.30 per evening) already how much? got basic necessities too....
Another concern was that, after my 2nd one was born, her time dedicated to him. My gal, climbed windows all that, she dun bother...just kept sticking her ass in the room. My gal till 25months, she still dont know how to talk. Speak TAGALOG!!!!!!!!

 

[PrincessAriel]

exactly. they are full of pride. mine when i commented her that my child draws on the wall....she said "ya ya...." then she shut herself when i told her that, her job is to prevent her from writing on our painted walls. then face black!

then at nite kept talking on the phone under blanket, dun let me see. she think i blur blur....she was getting out of hand. good to kick her out of my household! I rather do the housework after work/weekends than having a stranger in the house.

 

[ping26]

$450 with expat family? Tough luck but no such thing. With expat family they expect $500 min but more most of time. They will say that Php Embassy states rule minimum salary of 400USD. Also, they expect a year end bonus from employer. And every public holiday off. How do I know? My household is part expat.
.

I am on another Expat mummy forum. They routinely put up names of maids' frens for transfer. Some maids r asking for $400-450 with 4 off days. But no agent will quote this price; 'expat' agents will demand $500 or more with 1-4 off day. We hv to boycott these cos the maids there r also erm the lucky-plaza-&-spaghetti-top type.

Some expat mummies will also offer another $50-100 as food allowance. Most lOcals don't give extra food allowance, unless there's no cooking at all. Most will pay for some toiletries & snacks, dep on yr budget

I haven't hired Filipino before.

 

[Angelmum]

Angelmum, thank you in taking the time to reply to all my queries! It's so clear and I fully agreed that some of these domestic helpers can be such a pain in the butt!

Btw, for $500/month payable to Filipino maid does this include meals and necessities?

Does NOT include meals and necessities. This salary comes with at least 1 off day.
Dont be surprised this rate is offered by local families in order to get hold of a phl maid. Many agencies would tell prospective employers this is the market rate and is already very reasonable! You can try calling agt to ask the rate of experienced phl and see how many willing to accept $420.

Agree domestic helpers are pain in the butt!


If I were to include whatever I need to spend on a maid, like insurance, agency fee, proper room + linen (can opt to rent out room but for her sake I lose $500/mth), levy, electricity, water, medical, transport, etc .... more than $1300/mth for just a domestic helper who could be a devil instead of being a HELPER!!

$400-500/mth is the minimum take home pay for FDW .... some working parents doesn't even get to keep so much after minus all the expenditure. Dont forget our living, education and medical costs are so high.

Do you know, my FDW just need to work 3-4 mths (if no loan to weigh on her), which is 35-50,000 peso ... filipino can own a house of 220 sqm in Manila Metropolitan Area? Told my FDW, my 92sqm 4-room flat, takes 30years to complete instalment yet it doesn't belong to me for eternity.

Who on earn brain-washed them Sporeans very rich!!

 

[emark]

Does NOT include meals and necessities. This salary comes with at least 1 off day.
Dont be surprised this rate is offered by local families in order to get hold of a phl maid. Many agencies would tell prospective employers this is the market rate and is already very reasonable! You can try calling agt to ask the rate of experienced phl and see how many willing to accept $420.

Agree domestic helpers are pain in the butt!


If I were to include whatever I need to spend on a maid, like insurance, agency fee, proper room + linen (can opt to rent out room but for her sake I lose $500/mth), levy, electricity, water, medical, transport, etc .... more than $1300/mth for just a domestic helper who could be a devil instead of being a HELPER!!

$400-500/mth is the minimum take home pay for FDW .... some working parents doesn't even get to keep so much after minus all the expenditure. Dont forget our living, education and medical costs are so high.

Do you know, my FDW just need to work 3-4 mths (if no loan to weigh on her), which is 35-50,000 peso ... filipino can own a house of 220 sqm in Manila Metropolitan Area? Told my FDW, my 92sqm 4-room flat, takes 30years to complete instalment yet it doesn't belong to me for eternity.

Who on earn brain-washed them Sporeans very rich!!

I used to engage maid services. However, maybe I am not so fortunate to have a responsible maid, she did not do her daily chores well. End up, my wife and I need to do the chores. Currently, I have 2 adorable kids, with the hetic job commitments, both me and my wife is urgently searching for a maid or maid part time? I do agree the money we spend on maid is so much and the maids are able to build houses over there.. so who will pity us???

 

[mummymaid]

Today spoke to my agt about salary for new maids, she said now $420.

She asked me why give in to experience maid asking for $500 and off day? I replied, since they get off days, they are very updated what's the market pay, cant hide from them.

Let's say I hired a filipino at $380, worked less then one year but threatened to leave if no pay increment, wont you give in? Knowing we are at disadvantage, get new maid also pay $420 so bobian, just increase loh.

My neighbour has a 10yr maid, earning only $400/mth, ... such maids are rare. They treasured the good relationship and not money-face. Modern maids are mostly lousy, not worth paying. But there's nobody to complain to, nobody to help us so what can we do, just pay and pay loh. Unless all employers stand up and fight for our rights, if not, the market rate of maids will keep going up as there's a strong demand, everybody paying, no decrease of maids in MOM data.

In Jan, the pay of Indo was rocketed to $450, now adjusted to $420, same as filipino. Myanmar, some agt still can get at $400 but looking at the communication issue, wont you feel less stress to pay another $20?