What will my house-keeper / maid do all day?

[tom in bangkok]

I will soon be moving into a house in Bangkok (from a condo) and my partner and I found that it would be a bit cheaper to hire a house-keeper/maid (who can also drive our car) to live with us than it would cost us to take a taxi/grab to the train station twice a day (four trips total).

 

The house has a very small bedroom with ensuite for a maid (seems too small for someone to live in IMO) so we'd be able to accommodate her, but I'm wondering what she will do all day? We aren't moving into a medieval castle that takes days to clean... just a 4br house with some land for a good garden. If she cleaned it top-to-bottom every day, I'd imagine she would still have at least two-thirds of the day with nothing to do.

 

I don't like driving here so we'd give her our car keys and a credit card to go grocery shopping with while we're working, so aside from this and the pick-up/drop-off at the MRT station, I really don't think she'll have much to do after sweeping up day-old dust. I don't want her to cook most nights because it's something I really like doing myself. One can only have so much Thai food, right?

 

So... what would she do when there's nothing to do? Wouldn't she get bored and lonely?

 

What are your thoughts if you have a maid?

 

PS: I'd like to have the maid eat dinner with us often. Maybe she'll enjoy it and maybe she'll let me teach her something about western food -- hopeful or reasonable?

 

 

 

TLDR; what will my maid do when everything's done already?

[richard_smith237]

You'd first have to find a maid who can drive, then you are hiring a maid and a driver (in one). A driver starts at about 15,000 baht a month (but they are not usually live in). 

 

Idea's for what can your maid do? after cleaning, washing, ironing, driving etc...  A vegetable garden ???

 

 

We were in a not to dissimilar situation - we employed a live in maid / nanny (12,000 baht per month). Once our son started school there was very little for her to do.

We now employ a maid to visit twice per week (3 BR house - cleaning, washing, ironing) 800 baht per day (she's incredible !). 

 

You may wish to consider hiring a private driver, and have a maid clean your place once or twice per week. 

 

 

[tom in bangkok]

10 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

You may wish to consider hiring a private driver, and have a maid clean your place once or twice per week. 

This is what I suggested, but my partner said he knew of a few maids who can live-in and drive a bit for about 12k/month, so he talked me into the idea.

 

I still think it's weird having someone live in a small box of a room though.

[CNXexpat]

A Thai with a mobile phone is never bored, don´t worry.

[CharlieH]

you know the saying about Devil and idle hands, I would sit and ensure you compile a list of duties/tasks, some daily and repetitive others twice weekly and so on. Have structure and a proper routine or it may come off the rails. Dont blur the lines from being an employee.

Personally there is no way I would give a credit card to a maid, but thats your choice.

 

Just a suggestion.

[Happy Grumpy]

Sublet her out to others.

 

1-4pm working for the local garment factory.

 

4-5pm manning the traffic lights. 

[tom in bangkok]

21 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

you know the saying about Devil and idle hands, I would sit and ensure you compile a list of duties/tasks, some daily and repetitive others twice weekly and so on. Have structure and a proper routine or it may come off the rails.

What kind of tasks? Digging a hole to get to Brazil ????? I can't think of anything that would take up a lot of time as far as daily/repetitive tasks go except for polishing door handles and light switches after every use.

 

21 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Dont blur the lines from being an employee.

Do you reckon the occasional/frequent shared dinner would blur the line too much?

 

23 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Personally there is no way I would give a credit card to a maid, but thats your choice.

Receipts for purchases and a supplementary card for her should sort this out I think. Worst case there's always the chargeback option if abused?

[timendres]

To solve the issue with CC's, you could setup a separate bank account with a Debit card, so you can control just how much money can be absconded with. Limits the damage. Charge it up one a week or once a month, depending on the balances required.

[CharlieH]

30 minutes ago, tom in bangkok said:

What kind of tasks? Digging a hole to get to Brazil ????? I can't think of anything that would take up a lot of time as far as daily/repetitive tasks go except for polishing door handles and light switches after every use.

 

Do you reckon the occasional/frequent shared dinner would blur the line too much?

 

Receipts for purchases and a supplementary card for her should sort this out I think. Worst case there's always the chargeback option if abused?

I don't know the set up, how you like to live, or the area the house in, dusty etc.

But as a blind list, based on what ours did this might point you in the right direction, but it takes time to "click," or work properly and it's in constant adjustment as to what works for you and the standards you want maintained.

 

Ok just as ideas and tasks.

 

Bathrooms, showers, toilets./towels etc cleaning replenishing

Bedrooms beds/making/changing etc floors and furniture cleaning

Kitchen area / trash out/ wash dishes/ work surfaces/cooking areas ,drying /storing

Fridge check clean replenishing.

Living areas , dusting / polishing, sweeping/hovering / washing floor (dependent on floor covering)

Windows /blinds/drapes / glass 

Outside ground level sweeping clearing disposing

Exterior Windows doors access areas.

Laundry : Washing drying ironing, storing.

Shopping/replenishing storing.

 

[tom in bangkok]

Thanks Charlie. Just looking at that list makes me feel like it would take one person almost a whole day to complete. We'll see how it goes with our live-in, so I suppose it's good news if she's done a good job and has time to kill at the end of the day.

 

I like to tell my boyfriend that cleaning our condo will "only take an hour if we work together" but it always takes longer and our once-monthly cleaner takes a good 4 hours to do it herself. He tells me to clean the bathroom in exchange for him cleaning the rest of the condo. He hasn't yet realized that the bathroom is the easiest to clean.

 

Is anyone able to chime-in on eating with the maid or just generally treating her almost like family? (even though she lives in a tiny room)

[CharlieH]

You wouldn't get that done in a day, that's why some tasks are twice a week, others just once a week and the daily routine.

 

As for eating with you, again, takes time to see how you fit, personally I would keep it entirely separate for awhile and let it evolve, see how you "fit" and adjust accordingly, the more friendly and familiar you are the less likely you are to correct and assert and then it can go downhill quickly.

 

Thought about rules and boundaries for her as she is going to be living there ? 

[neeray]

Obviously OP has no concerns about the loss of privacy with boyfriend. Bringing a stranger into the picture and expecting her to integrate like family sounds quite challenging to me.

 

Ever heard, "my home is my castle"?

[smutcakes]

I have a maid and like you it does not take to long to clean, but probably in between someone being part time and full time would be ideal but not easy to find. My maid has been with me for about 5 years and other than her cleaning the most important thing for me is i trust her implicitly and can always count on her to do things whenever/wherever are needed. Having someone around all the time i can trust is worth the salary alone for me.

 

Because she has spare time i have told my maid that i am happy for her to have other jobs or cleaning jobs if she does have spare time with the proviso that my house is always clean and she is always on call.

 

I would not worry to much about them having spare time, she can go see friends, family or twiddle her thumbs.

[NCC1701A]

have her research hidden CCTV cameras on Lazada.

[JAS21]

10 hours ago, CharlieH said:

I don't know the set up, how you like to live, or the area the house in, dusty etc.

But as a blind list, based on what ours did this might point you in the right direction, but it takes time to "click," or work properly and it's in constant adjustment as to what works for you and the standards you want maintained.

 

Ok just as ideas and tasks.

 

Bathrooms, showers, toilets./towels etc cleaning replenishing

Bedrooms beds/making/changing etc floors and furniture cleaning

Kitchen area / trash out/ wash dishes/ work surfaces/cooking areas ,drying /storing

Fridge check clean replenishing.

Living areas , dusting / polishing, sweeping/hovering / washing floor (dependent on floor covering)

Windows /blinds/drapes / glass 

Outside ground level sweeping clearing disposing

Exterior Windows doors access areas.

Laundry : Washing drying ironing, storing.

Shopping/replenishing storing.

 

Ss above plus, mow the lawn, take the weeds out of the lawn, trim the hedge, water the garden, plants,wife’s orchids, hedge.

 

she has been known to help me mix cement when I’m doing a little job.

 

However even with these jobs she does have a fair bit of free time.

o, and quite often cooks for us.

 

we have a midsize three-bedroom house in 126 square was plot.

basically, we just leave it to her, but she has been with us about six or seven years now

 

The bedroom and shower room is adjacent to the outside kitchen. and after about 6 PM we don’t ee you to next morning.

 

She is actually away for two weeks at the moment, I quite like it, but I’m not sure I would like it full-time.

 

Judging by her skills with the wheelbarrow, no way should she drive! 
 

I will add that she is 100% honest, can’t say that for all maids

[lopburi3]

12 hours ago, tom in bangkok said:

I don't like driving here

So why have a car at all?  The amount you save by not having car/insurance/driver/fuel/repairs will pay for any taxi/van service you may want and you provide income to those that need it.  Living in city there is no need or reason to have car in my opinion.  

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

11 hours ago, tom in bangkok said:

 

Receipts for purchases and a supplementary card for her should sort this out I think. Worst case there's always the chargeback option if abused?

 

Don't think so, at least, not with Thai credit cards...  If you give the card to someone and they make purchases with it, you're typically on the hook for those, regardless of whether the purchase was within or not within your directions to the other person. Typically, you can't go back to the Thai bank later and challenge that kind of transaction.

 

 

 

[Isaanbiker]

I don't like driving here so we'd give her our car keys and a credit card to go grocery shopping with while we're working, so aside from this and the pick-up/drop-off at the MRT station, I really don't think she'll have much to do after sweeping up day-old dust.

 

I don't understand why you'd have your maid eat dinner with you? Isn't that something you'd do with people you know well, some friends?

 

  With all respect, but hiring a female who can drive a car well enough and do your housework seems to be very difficult to find.

 

I've got no idea why you even bought a car when you don't feel comfy, and you don't like driving here? Strange. 

 

 Don't you think that a taxi would be much cheaper?

 

 And giving anybody, you don't know your credit card is an invitation for fraud. 

 

She could go shopping somewhere else, leave a considerable bill, and never come back to you. 

 

I don't know why I get the feeling that you want to have more than somebody who's doing your housework and drive you to the train station. 

 

  And the title of the thread is bizarre. Do you want to know from total strangers what your maid will do all day long? 

 

  How should anybody here know what Noi, Lek, or Portnhip will do all day? 

 

 

Noi might be into porn websites, Lek might update her Facebook all day long, and Pornthip might party all day long with all her friends plus some guests from the street. 
 

 

  

   

 

   

Edited October 31, 2019 by Isaanbiker

[TSF]

12 hours ago, CharlieH said:

you know the saying about Devil and idle hands, I would sit and ensure you compile a list of duties/tasks, some daily and repetitive others twice weekly and so on. Have structure and a proper routine or it may come off the rails. Dont blur the lines from being an employee.

Personally there is no way I would give a credit card to a maid, but thats your choice.

 

Just a suggestion.

Absolutely, reading OP about giving maid keys to the car and the credit card plus dining together...a recipe for disaster. There must be distinct & firm lines between maid & master in Thailand.

 

And the maid will find plenty of things to do when she finishes her daily chores....like sleeping & watching TV & sleeping & talking to neighbors & sleeping...

[bergan]

I used to have a maid, chef, driver and several other staff I really didn't need, for work permit purposes, before we came around to getting staff that we could actually make money from in my company. Anyone can clean, so why not look for a chef/cook (instead of a maid) and task him/her with cleaning the house as well? That way, you can be quite sure the person will not even learn to cook western food, but actually appreciate it. That's my experience, anyway. Our chef/cook was very happy to learn how to make western food. He did all sorts of other stuff as well.

[Lacessit]

If there's room for a garden, tell her half the produce is for you, and the other half she can keep to sell in the markets. Sharefarming. If she has any gumption at all, she will jump at the chance.

No way I would give my long term GF a credit card, let alone a maid.

[IssanMichael]

If you get a maid/driver and she drives and cleans ok then don't worry about her spare time, at least you are providing a living to someone

[meechai]

Jeez Bwanna

Your paying her something like $13 a day & your worried whether or not you can

find things to keep her busy all day long? (for her own sanity of course ????)

 

She will drive 4 trips, grocery shop & clean your house & your wondering what she will do with all the spare time???

 

Look at it this way...anywhere else in the world $13 would buy you maybe 30 minutes if your really lucky ????

 

[jak2002003]

16 hours ago, tom in bangkok said:

This is what I suggested, but my partner said he knew of a few maids who can live-in and drive a bit for about 12k/month, so he talked me into the idea.

 

I still think it's weird having someone live in a small box of a room though.

Have you asked yourself why you partner is so keen to have a female 'maid' live in your house 24/7..... and he already KNOWS one who wants to live-in?  

 

What are you doing to make your house so dirty and messy that is needs cleaning every single day,  with only 2 adults living in it?  Usually gay people always have clean and tidy houses.

 

You have a 4 bedroom house.... yet you want to put the 'maid' in the tiny box room that even you say seems to small.... why not give her one of the spare bigger bedrooms????  Your posts seem really selfish and patronising to you potential maid... you even ask if you can let her eat at the table with you..... she is a human being... not a pet dog!   And, what are you on about,... 'trying to teach her about Western food', like she is some backward cave woman from some isolated jungle tribe who has never heard of pasta?  

 

Why do you even have a car?  The grab taxi is so cheap, much cheaper then keeping a car.  

 

29 minutes ago, meechai said:

Jeez Bwanna

Your paying her something like $13 a day & your worried whether or not you can

find things to keep her busy all day long? (for her own sanity of course ????)

 

She will drive 4 trips, grocery shop & clean your house & your wondering what she will do with all the spare time???

 

Look at it this way...anywhere else in the world $13 would buy you maybe 30 minutes if your really lucky ????

 

Exactly.  What is this guy thinking?!?!?  Seems like they want a toy / pet servant to boss about, paying her peanuts and expecting her to wait on them 24/7 every day with no personal life, living in a tiny box room, and even want to 'educate' her on Western ways.   Maybe the guys partner is also after something extra off the maid too.  

Edited October 31, 2019 by jak2002003

[Sheryl]

Keeping a 4 BR house clean is a bigger job than you think and especially so in Bangkok with the pollution.

 

Add to that the laundry, and it is easily enough to fill most of  the day. Ask her to do some shopping for you and that will top it off.

 

She certainly won't mind if she has an hour or two extra time here and there.

 

it is not at all not at all normal in Thailand for maid to eat with her employers. It would make most maids very uncomfortable. She will make friends with other maids and other local people around and have her own set that she likes to take meals with etc, leave her to that.  Thais are very gregarious and she'l llikely  have a whole network of friends nearby  in no time.

 

A good approach is to make clear what work you expect to have done and tell her that as long as she gets it done (and doesn't fail to pick you up from work!) she can arrange her schedule as she sees fit. 

 

And of course you need to decide on days off. You might like to let her take off on weekends and work holidays, that gives you some privacy at home while also giving her a chance to visit her home, or do whatever. She will then be all the busier come Mondays.

 

Regrading the tiny room this is typical of servant quarters here. Don't worry about it. Thais do nto spend much tiem alone in their rooms, she'll just use it for sleeping and any other free time she'll be outside socializing in the neighborhood.

 

P.S. credit card for shopping is a very bad idea. Give her cash in the amo8nt you expect her to spend and ask for and check receipts.  There will almost surely be some bill padding but at least like that you can keep it to a minimum.

[natway09]

A good TV set       problem solved

Not sure about this car thing & I hate eating off the floor

[1FinickyOne]

she will talk on the phone with friends and complain about having to garden

[Tomahawk21]

I don't like driving here so we'd give her our car keys and a credit card to go grocery shopping with while we're working, so aside from this and the pick-up/drop-off at the MRT station,

 

good luck with that one 555

[geisha]

You do not employ a housekeeper to work non stop 7 days a week for a start ! For example, She gets a day and a half off. Evenings are her own.  A plainly written rota ( as someone wrote above) on the fridge, which you check now and agin to see it’s been done nicely. 

4 rooms from top to bottom , windows, ironing all the shirts, changing the beds , a half day shopping, driving you all to work, will easily fill her week in my opinion. If you find someone good, it would be wonderful. Otherwise, just employ a cleaner one or two whole days a week. How important is driving you to work ? Will it save you both hours ? Comfort ? If so, go for live in ( make the room nice) or someone local who can come every morning , drive you both, and then clean till midday. 

[geisha]

PS, no meals together. Keep it professional, she probably wouldn’t want to eat with you.