Where does your helper sleep?
- Thread starter jenayds
- Start date
It's very interesting reading everyone's replies, thanks.
My latest thought was that I could curtain off half of the baby's room so the helper still had a private space but we could still use a bit of it for the baby/change table etc. At the moment we have moved his cot into our room anyway, and I don't know when we'll move it back in.
If we do that the space isn't that much bigger than the storage area, but she'd have the benefit of airconditioning and a TV/DVD for herself. Then when the children are old enough to go into bunks (if we get special bunks then that could be in about a year) she could have a room to herself. Any comments?
Also, where could I get wooden bunks made in HK? I am thinking of something like this: http://www.bunkloft.com/Junior Frontier Bunk Bed Slide.html
My latest thought was that I could curtain off half of the baby's room so the helper still had a private space but we could still use a bit of it for the baby/change table etc. At the moment we have moved his cot into our room anyway, and I don't know when we'll move it back in.
If we do that the space isn't that much bigger than the storage area, but she'd have the benefit of airconditioning and a TV/DVD for herself. Then when the children are old enough to go into bunks (if we get special bunks then that could be in about a year) she could have a room to herself. Any comments?
Also, where could I get wooden bunks made in HK? I am thinking of something like this: http://www.bunkloft.com/Junior Frontier Bunk Bed Slide.html
I'm pretty sure you can get custom made beds at Jade Rattan in WanChai.
I think it is far preferable that you learn to live with not having the ideal storage amount and let her have the storage space for herself. Everyone needs privacy in their life and deserves the chance to unwind in peace, let alone to turn the light off when they want
Lots of helpers do live out but it's a risk for all concerned. I'm not sure how strict the gov is on enforcing though. It seems to be another one of those things that are legislated against but not really enforced, like the selling of fake bags, clothes, watches etc all over HK. Had to laugh the other day when i saw that someone had been busted in Kowloon for selling a fake watch. Yeah, like that doesn't happen every second of every day here.
Good luck and get used to living with as little as possible!
I think it is far preferable that you learn to live with not having the ideal storage amount and let her have the storage space for herself. Everyone needs privacy in their life and deserves the chance to unwind in peace, let alone to turn the light off when they want
Lots of helpers do live out but it's a risk for all concerned. I'm not sure how strict the gov is on enforcing though. It seems to be another one of those things that are legislated against but not really enforced, like the selling of fake bags, clothes, watches etc all over HK. Had to laugh the other day when i saw that someone had been busted in Kowloon for selling a fake watch. Yeah, like that doesn't happen every second of every day here.
Good luck and get used to living with as little as possible!
In my old small flat, it was a 3 bedroom which we lived in before we even had kids. One was the master bedroom, one was made into a home office and the other was a spare guest room. I got pregnant and the spare room became my LO's room. Then we hired a helper and there was a small room inside the kitchen with its own bathroom that was meant to be a helper's room but it was really small. All our rooms were small. My LO's room could only fit in a crib and closet and changing table and nothing else. The home office could only have a desk and bookshelf and a small cupboard and nothing else. So the helper had to stay in the room in the kitchen but she said she'd rather stay there than to share a room since she'd rather be in a small space with her own bathroom than to have to come out to use the guest bathroom while we were watching TV in the living room etc. She liked how she can sleep anytime she wanted in her own room, read or listen to music. I also prefer that because LO slept at 8 pm and we had the monitor in our room and prefer that we go get LO in the morning rather than have the helper get LO.
I have interviewed many helpers and quite a few have told us that they'd really rather have their own personal space no matter how small than to share rooms with kids.
I have interviewed many helpers and quite a few have told us that they'd really rather have their own personal space no matter how small than to share rooms with kids.
barbwong_130
Registered User
It is not illegal to have a live out help IF it has been OKed by the Immigration Department. The problem comes that they changed their policy (not the law) on 1st April 2003. So if you are hiring a help after this date it is much harder to prove that you need one to live out - harder but not impossible.
I managed it but we are a household of six (four adults and two children aged 14 and 7) already living in a three bedroom flat with no separate helper quarters. I’ve heard of lots of people who have been refused a live-out helper but when you actually looked at their living conditions the reason they couldn’t accommodate the helper was because they choose to change bedrooms into other living spaces, like studies etc. I don’t think the Immigration Department approves of this. (Although I think it is a reasonable thing to do with a spare bedroom - but is it spare if the helper needs it?)
I managed it but we are a household of six (four adults and two children aged 14 and 7) already living in a three bedroom flat with no separate helper quarters. I’ve heard of lots of people who have been refused a live-out helper but when you actually looked at their living conditions the reason they couldn’t accommodate the helper was because they choose to change bedrooms into other living spaces, like studies etc. I don’t think the Immigration Department approves of this. (Although I think it is a reasonable thing to do with a spare bedroom - but is it spare if the helper needs it?)