Hiring a maid for the 1st time, what to expect?

[BonMot]

This post is ridiculous. Put the wages aside.

 

I want to come to Thailand and live the dream...a one woman machine who can ...

 

Cook (western food)

 

Clean throughly

 

Do laundry, iron

 

And at the end of her long day after she's fed me and before she rides off on her bicycle in the dark...

 

Give me an hour's massage (properly trained of course).

 

You forgot the handjob mate.

 

What was it? 4k a month lol.

 

You should hang out with Sparktrader.

[Bangkok Barry]

2 hours ago, weelittletimmy said:

 

If you bothered to read my reply above you'd know. But I'll repeat it: I can do all of the above, but I have a full-time job + other time sinks. If I spend 3 hours a day cooking and cleaning, I will lose money compared to hiring someone to do it. It would be financially idiotic for me to do this in a country with such low labor costs. I hope this answer is worthy of the manly independence you demonstrate every week when you get down on your knees to scrub your toilet.

If, as you say, you need three hours a day to cook and clean, I'd suggest that you are doing something wrong and need to consult a time and motion manager.

 

Strange that, common with many posters on this site, you hide where you are from and refer - several times - only to 'my country'. I find that weird. I'm from the UK. London. And I do clean my toilet, but not on my knees. I was brought up to be able to take care of myself.

[weelittletimmy]

20 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

If, as you say, you need three hours a day to cook and clean, I'd suggest that you are doing something wrong and need to consult a time and motion manager.

 

Strange that, common with many posters on this site, you hide where you are from and refer - several times - only to 'my country'. I find that weird. I'm from the UK. London. And I do clean my toilet, but not on my knees. I was brought up to be able to take care of myself.

The reason I don't post my name and origin is because I think it's personally identifiable info (even if partial) that I don't want to leave behind for someone to connect the dots and identify me in the real world.

 

I already know you won't get it. You're a boomer who grew up in a tiny world in the 80s or or whatever, you think the Internet is like a pub, and there's nothing wrong with posting whatever comes to your mind under your real name on Facebook. I live in an entirely different world. I can get fired for something mildly controversial said 5 years ago that I don't even remember, if some motivated troll goes through my history and sends some old post to my western employer whose HR department is obsessed with political correctness. It's happened to someone I know. So I can either post personally identifiable information but limit myself to only writing the most bland of comments, or take precautions to remain unidentifiable and be free to speak my mind on any subject. I prefer the latter.

 

Given how proud you are of scrubbing your toilet on all four to save a couple of hundred baht, I expect you will also have an exaggerated sense of importance/pride for the fact that you don't take precautions online like I do. Whatever. It just tells me you have nothing to lose (retired boomer) or never have a controversial take on any subject (most young Brits today, as a result of being raised in a surveillance state).

 

[richard_smith237]

On 7/30/2022 at 1:29 PM, Bangkok Barry said:

I'm a little confused. You're an adult but appear unable to look after yourself. Unable to cook or clean or do laundry. If you are able to do those things yourself you don't have to worry about how much or trustworthiness or security.

You’re confused about ‘quality of life’ ????

 

He doesn’t want to do ‘those things’... he prefers to pay someone else to clean, do his laundry and cook..... & Why not ???

 

None of this suggests he is incapable of looking after himself - thats just your hyperbolic projection.

 

One of the enjoyable facets of living in Thailand is cheaper labor and being able to pay others do some of the work you don’t want to. 

 

[richard_smith237]

20 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

If, as you say, you need three hours a day to cook and clean, I'd suggest that you are doing something wrong and need to consult a time and motion manager.

 

Strange that, common with many posters on this site, you hide where you are from and refer - several times - only to 'my country'. I find that weird. I'm from the UK. London. And I do clean my toilet, but not on my knees.

Where he is from is of no relevance whatsoever to a thread about having a maid to clean, cook and do laundry. 

 

As is the amount of time it takes up in the day...    Even if prepping, cooking a couple of meals a day, then doing the dishes etc, them perhaps cleaning a little... then laundry a couple of days per week... It all adds up....  

 

IF the cost of getting help is cheap there is no reason whatsoever to go for that. 

 

I have no idea why you are attacking the Op for wanting something that many many people in Thailand have.... Maids here can be a godsend. 

 

Once my Son was about 6 months old we got a Live in Maid / Nanny...  (no cooking though)...  about 12,000 baht per month - she was awesome and made things so much easier for my Wife... 

 

I wouldn’t have a ‘live in maid’ now as I prefer the privacy - but having someone come around and clean the house couple of times per week is perfect - It free’s up so much more time for my Wife. 

 

20 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

I was brought up to be able to take care of myself.

Yet you weren’t brought up not to jump to silly conclusions and assume the op can’t take care of himself because he wants a maid ???... 

 

Now.. Good for you for cleaning your own toilets (not on your knees)... the op wants to pay someone else to do that stuff......  that in no way means he is unable to do so himself.

 

[Bangkok Barry]

2 hours ago, weelittletimmy said:

You're a boomer who grew up in a tiny world in the 80s

Always a mistake to make assumptions about someone you don't know. You're wrong. But the bottom line is that I am able to take care of myself and don't need three hours a day to clean and cook, and you do. It has nothing to do with 'saving a couple of hundred baht'.

[Bangkok Barry]

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

I have no idea why you are attacking the Op for wanting something that many many people in Thailand have.... Maids here can be a godsend. 

I wonder how people who don't live in Thailand cope, those who can't afford a maid (servant). Where I come from people stopped using servants 100 years ago. Life must be very tough for them. But everyone I know, both friends and family, somehow manage to get by without, and seem to live full and active lives. I just find it odd that some adults are unable to tackle everyday tasks without help, and I wonder what they do with all the spare time they have by passing on the taking care of themselves to others. 

[Henryford]

Easier, and maybe cheaper, just to eat out and take your washing to the laundry.

[JayClay]

6 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

But the bottom line is that I am able to take care of myself and don't need three hours a day to clean and cook, and you do. It has nothing to do with 'saving a couple of hundred

Maybe he has more disposable income than you?

[Doctor Tom]

OP, I come to this without reading the other replies, so some of this may have been covered. or not.  I have employed live in and live out maids and cooks in Hong Kong, Taiwan and here.   What I found out:

 

Only go by the reputation given by past employers, like you.

take  references you can trust

Interview before you commit yourself

never use family members

have a probationary period and a written contract.

produce a weekly work sheet. so there is no doubt what you expect and pay for.  

Don't be her friend, you are the employer

Pick married, late middle aged, but beware those with school age kids, do not allow other of her family members on your property, especially the husband/boyfriend.   

 

This may be over the top for your needs, but I give it from past experiences. 

[Bangkok Barry]

3 minutes ago, JayClay said:

Maybe he has more disposable income than you?

I repeat, as you appear to not understand what I wrote - it has nothing to do with saving a couple of hundred baht.

[Doctor Tom]

On 7/30/2022 at 3:11 PM, 2 is 1 said:

Get nice 150 cm/ 40 kilogram "girlfriend" she do all those things + extra.

never ever do this, unless you want big,  big trouble 

[richard_smith237]

5 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

I wonder how people who don't live in Thailand cope, those who can't afford a maid (servant). Life must be very tough for them. But everyone I know, both friends and family, somehow manage to get by without, and seem to live full and active lives. I just find it odd that some adults are unable to tackle everyday tasks without help, and I wonder what they do with all the spare time they have by passing on the taking care of themselves to others. 

Either a basic level of comprehension eludes you, or you’re either being deliberately obtuse.

 

There is a difference between.... ‘unable to do’ ... and ‘prefer not to do’....

 

 

Its about standard of living... My Wife and I don’t want to do out own house cleaning etc... so we hire someone else to do it... Simple.

 

I don’t want to wash my own car, so I pay someone else to do it.

 

And this one’s a shocker....  We regularly go out for meals.... and its not because my Wife and I can’t cook for ourselves !!!! 

 

[richard_smith237]

23 minutes ago, JayClay said:

31 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

But the bottom line is that I am able to take care of myself and don't need three hours a day to clean and cook, and you do. It has nothing to do with 'saving a couple of hundred

Maybe he has more disposable income than you?

I think he’s simply decided to attack the Op and is sticking to his opinion without realising how exaggerated and flawed is comments are..... 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

14 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

19 minutes ago, JayClay said:

Maybe he has more disposable income than you?

I repeat, as you appear to not understand what I wrote - it has nothing to do with saving a couple of hundred baht.

And... neither does hiring a maid have anything to do with not being able to look after yourself. 

 

It's simply paying someone else a very affordable wage to do some work (washing, Laundry, Ironing, cooking) that the Op would prefer not to do himself and thus give him more time to do the things he does enjoy....

 

It [having a maid] is not a tough concept, its one many have warmed to in Thailand... except and your friends it seems. 

 

I also pay people to paint my house etc not because I can’t, but because there are other things I’d rather spend my time doing. 

[Bangkok Barry]

29 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

And... neither does hiring a maid have anything to do with not being able to look after yourself. 

 

It's simply paying someone else a very affordable wage to do some work (washing, Laundry, Ironing, cooking) that the Op would prefer not to do himself and thus give him more time to do the things he does enjoy....

 

It [having a maid] is not a tough concept, its one many have warmed to in Thailand... except and your friends it seems. 

 

I also pay people to paint my house etc not because I can’t, but because there are other things I’d rather spend my time doing. 

You raise some reasonable points.

[falang07]

So you want a maid who will also give you free massages (I am sure you expect the extras, too :-)) and want to pay her a few thousands a month? C'mon, you either pay a proper price (i.e. tens of thousands per month) and can expect some win-win situation and a reasonable trust in there (she gets reasonable money so she will be happy, too), or you can not afford such a maid and this is not going to work.

[rwill]

We pay our housekeeper 350 baht a day.  She works 5 days a week.  I have had about 5 different housekeepers over the years.  The first one we hired cleaned really good but was stealing from us.  A few we let go because they didn't do a good job or refused to do things how we wanted them done.

It's really hit and miss as far as getting a good one goes.

[kingstonkid]

When I lived in a house I paid my maid 5k a month to clean everyday (dust wash floors etc)  laundry 2 days a week and to look after the cat.

 

Now that I have moved to an apartment I find it easier just to buy my food at Lotus and do my own cleaning and looking after the cat.

 

Ironing to me is relaxing and therapeutic cleaning the house is a simple case of sweeping the floor running a wet mop over it.

 

Even looking after the cat is simple.

 

Before you get a maid I would suggest that you get yourself organized in country and make sure of everything you are doing.

 

Take a couple of weeks to figure out what you want.  If you are not going to be in country long (1 year) then it makes no sense to try to teach a Thai how to grill and cook food to western levels. 

 

[The Hammer2021]

Good service  staff are excellent  here and can be an important  part of  your life. Treat them with respect. NEVER raise your voice to  them. Smile  at them even  when you  are angry even if you are in the right. 

[SAFETY FIRST]

On 7/30/2022 at 2:55 PM, weelittletimmy said:

 what to expect

anything else

Stolen belongings 

[hotchilli]

On 7/30/2022 at 2:55 PM, weelittletimmy said:

Question 4: anything else you think I should know? I've never hired a maid before. I don't even know what else I should be asking.

Take a quick cooking class pick up a broom and do it yourself.

[scorecard]

On 7/30/2022 at 3:47 PM, marin said:

As said before you are dreaming.  You want a chef, they are a lot more than 3600 a month. Best to put this idea aside. Getting a maid for just a few months is not going to be easy unless she works for an agency, and knows she can get work once you are long gone. 

 

Do you want a maid/cook or massage girl?

 

We have had the same maid for 24 years, she came when the twins were born, the twins are now living and working in America and she is still with us. Basically has become a family member. 24 when she came and 48 now. 

 

 

Trust and honesty are the key. For simply a maid you can check pricing at maid agencies on Phuket. 

if you hire a maid through an agency or hire her/him direct ensure you have a copy of both sides of her Thai ID card or her/his Myanmar ID and Thai work permit document, scan/photo it and e.mail the scan/photo to yourself. Do this day 1 or before she/he starts not 3 months after she/he started.

 

If you hire a maid through an agency don't get involved in 'send the money to us (agency) every month and we will pay the maid for you'.

 

Why? There's a good chance the agency will take 10% or whatever every month, on top of some initial fee. 

[zzzzz]

ALL the bickering/BS aside:
a good maid will cost ya 500 baht/day for cleaning, laundering, cooking for 4 hours or so
want a massage, plenty if not ALL of the massage parlors offer an outcall service,  500 baht/hour+tip

 

[samtam]

On 7/30/2022 at 2:55 PM, weelittletimmy said:

I'm staying at Surin beach for a couple of months and need someone to cook and clean a few hours a day. Ideally they should speak basic english so I can explain what to cook (western-style healthy grilled meat and veggies mainly, I guess I can use Google Translate for that, Youtube videos, etc).

 

I googled "phuket maid service" and found https://www.ayasan-service.com/en/location/maid-phuket  , and was about to pull the trigger but thought to ask here first.

 

Question 1: I was warned by my farang neighbor to be careful and that he wouldn't do it because "they" can't be trusted. I was planning to give the maid a copy of my house key, so she can prepare things even when I'm not around, or when sleeping. The only things of value I have at the house are 20k cash backup in my closet, and a laptop. That's literally it, everything else is gym and beach gear with no resale value. Nothing to be paranoid about, right? What are the odds of waking up one night to a home invasion by her boyfriend and his friends? Thailand seems extremely safe to me but my neighbor has been here 10 years and he says there's lots of crime and I just don't see it.

 

Question 2: Ayasan's pricing page says 3600 baht/month for a part-time maid, but they list a single price for all of Thailand. Given that Phuket is the most expensive area in Thailand, I expect it will be more. How much can I expect to pay?

 

Question 3: initially I planned to hire a local massage girl, figuring I'd be getting free daily massages on top of cooking/cleaning, my experienced farang neighbor said absolutely not and it would be unsafe because they are so untrustworthy. He's the one who told me to look for a maid agency "at least" to have some vetting (he doesn't really trust agency-vetted maids either). Is that such a bad idea?

 

Question 4: anything else you think I should know? I've never hired a maid before. I don't even know what else I should be asking.

I am very wary of this company, (in Bangkok). They have some reviews which suggest they are a racket, (to put it politely), and my recent experience would endorse that. They seem to churn and burn...supply a maid, then she resigns and you are locked into a cycle of new fees.

 

Their Bangkok office is also chaotic, with follow up not taking into account what was agreed during interviews and LINE message conversations.

 

I am at my wit's end, having tried all the resources I know to find a cleaner, who has good ironing skills. Any helpful suggestions readily welcomed. I have lived in Bangkok for 18 years and had long term employees for most of that time, but Covid has upended the market, and the scarcity is all too apparent.

[samtam]

On 8/1/2022 at 4:42 PM, Doctor Tom said:

OP, I come to this without reading the other replies, so some of this may have been covered. or not.  I have employed live in and live out maids and cooks in Hong Kong, Taiwan and here.   What I found out:

 

Only go by the reputation given by past employers, like you.

take  references you can trust

Interview before you commit yourself

never use family members

have a probationary period and a written contract.

produce a weekly work sheet. so there is no doubt what you expect and pay for.  

Don't be her friend, you are the employer

Pick married, late middle aged, but beware those with school age kids, do not allow other of her family members on your property, especially the husband/boyfriend.   

 

This may be over the top for your needs, but I give it from past experiences. 

Excellent advice, which I always follow. Sadly, the availability of recommended potential employees seems very limited at present.

I tried the agency mentioned in the OP, but it is unreliable, untrustworthy and very unprofessional. There is no screening, so the fees are a racket.

[Hummin]

On 7/30/2022 at 12:52 PM, Mac Mickmanus said:

Girlfriends who get paid 10 000 Baht a month only usually give sex , they don't usually do any domestic work at all , no cooking or cleaning or anything for 10 K

What do you really know? I'm Impressed by your interest and always willing to share your experience. However this statement was hilarious ????