How much to pay a helper

[sherwes]

Hi, I have found a helper that I would like to employ. Can anyone assist me with how much I should agree to pay her? She tells me that she is currently paid HK$4,500 per month. Does that sound correct? Thanks very much.

 

[LeahH]

That's less than we pay, but more than the minimum (3,400 or so). Like any job wages are dependant on experience, previous employment (not many people would be happy to be paid less than their most recent wage) and what you personally feel is appropriate for the amount of work that she will undertake.

 

[HappyV]

We pay our helper well over the minimum, but not quite that much. You should ask to see reciepts from her current employers - I have had friends ask to check, only to find that the prospective helper has inflated their current salary.

 

[snagito]

Our helper told us that $4500 was what she was paid, and when we checked the references it was true. We still didn't feel comfortable paying that much at the start as had no idea how it would all work out -- so offered her $4000 with $500 food allowance - so a total of $4500, rather than $4500 base plus additional food allowance. We also ask her to please use our rice, sugar, spices, whatever she needs etc to keep her expenses down.. Perhaps this could be a solution for you? The Philippine peso has devalued substantially so I think it is important to take this into consideration as well when thinking about what to pay helpers now.. Just a suggestion, hope helpful.

 

[barbiegirl]

We pay our helper the minimum wage, though she has been working in HK for a few years with different families, and she didn't ask for higher pay. I think it depends on the task nature, if it's only ordinary household and babysitting, minimum wage is good enough. But if it involves extra work or skills, especially if taking care of disabled or person with special needs, then you may need to hire someone with more experience, then pay higher wage is reasonable.

 

[spockey]

Employment agencies would advise you to enter a contract with minimum wage and negotiate a standard for bonus (off the record). That way, if things go sour, you aren't obligated to hand out a higher wage for poor performance.

 

[fairy-godmother]

recently, we hired a helper and were told the agency to pay her the min. But later learnt from our helper that she have to repay the agency almost $3000 (initial six mths) for commission, cost of training etc.. Like Spockey said, we offered her a bonus every month.

 

[LeahH]

I wouldn't consider babysitting i.e. looking after my child, my most precious possesion, in the same context as 'ordinary tasks' such as housework. Looking after children is a special skill and pay scales should reflect that.

Agree with Snagito, currency devaluation is a big consideration, as is the rising cost of basic staples such as rice in helper's home countries.

 

[barbiegirl]

As we are talking about how much we should pay our domestic helper, that is how we expect from them. For me, babysitting involves only changing diapers, feeding, taking a bath, and keep an eye on baby when I am away from home. I am a stay home mother, I'm the major person who spends most time (day and night) with my most precious possession (now mine is no longer a baby), so I only expect my helper to do ordinary household chores and the babysitting/childcare tasks mentioned above. My helper's contract will end soon, and she is happy to sign another 2-yr contract with us, I believe she must feel happy with her pay and like to work for our family, otherwise she would have looked for a new employer. Again, there is no fixed scale how you should pay your helper, it is a matter of expectation from both sides, and it is also an agreement between both employer & employee. A reaonable wage is the one that both employer and employee feel happy about it. But of course, a high wage won't guarantee a good helper, or vice versa. Some employers can afford higher wages and some can't, no need to compare with the others, just pay what you think it's reasonable to your helper and you feel comfortable with.

 

[aussiegal]

I tend to agree with Spockey. In the past we've paid helpers way above minimum wage and spoiled them with expensive tvs, clothes, dvd players but the two we did that for weren't even worth minimum wage and ending up expecting more and more and delivering less and less. Our new helper will be getting $4/month plus bonuses to keep her honest

I think paying them more than $4500 is actually a bit silly. They earn more than the average local does just by paying them $4000 and have accommodation, food etc paid for. Why go overboard, put the money in your kids piggy bank. You might not always be rich :yeah2