Paying Our Maid Enough?

[bbw]

and i'm sorry to ask it again, but i'm still not clear on how much we should be paying our maid.

she has worked with us for more than a year, and it's just me and my finance. she usually just does general cleaning and laundry but recently started cooking for us.

we were paying her 1,500 baht per week for six days per week and the work is usually pretty light unless we have a party. there are days (occassionally weeks) at a time when we're both traveling and there's no one in the house at all. but she's really great and she goes above and beyond if she needs to or is asked. also, we consider her to be part of our family.

my finance says we're overpaying based on what his thai colleagues pay in their households. his point is that she has a pretty easy job and we treat her well and she's the already making more than she asked for, but some friends of mine just told me i'm underpaying her.

since we just asked her to start cooking occassionally, i'm wondering if it's the right time to give her a raise?

please, can anyone offer guidance?

[lazeeboy]

and i'm sorry to ask it again, but i'm still not clear on how much we should be paying our maid.

she has worked with us for more than a year, and it's just me and my finance. she usually just does general cleaning and laundry but recently started cooking for us.

we were paying her 1,500 baht per week for six days per week and the work is usually pretty light unless we have a party. there are days (occassionally weeks) at a time when we're both traveling and there's no one in the house at all. but she's really great and she goes above and beyond if she needs to or is asked. also, we consider her to be part of our family.

my finance says we're overpaying based on what his thai colleagues pay in their households. his point is that she has a pretty easy job and we treat her well and she's the already making more than she asked for, but some friends of mine just told me i'm underpaying her.

since we just asked her to start cooking occassionally, i'm wondering if it's the right time to give her a raise?

please, can anyone offer guidance?

i pay my maid 6k a month ,i think this fair ,if she has i or 2 days off in a month i still pay her all her money but let her know i know she had a couple of days off ,if i have a party or bbQ i give her extra with is quite often ,she been with me on and off for 12 years ,only having a couple of years off cause of the birth of her baby .

[torrenova]

We're paying my wife's aunt 4k per month with a promised bonus a couple of times a year (perhaps 3*4k or 2*5k). She works 5 days a week and covers some evening babysitting.

She is proving lazy and not up to the task and if it were not for the family connection and the baby, she would be given a week to shape up or ship out. I hope we can convert her as my wife will not have a stranger in.

She earned the same saleary before in a hairdressers with one day off but we have sort of substituted the extra day off for the nightime babysitting. The bonus is really just a witholding of salary at about Bt500-1000 per month so that they know they lose something if they leave or have to get sacked.

[bbw]

lazeeboy and torrenova, thanks so much! do you think it matters that we're in bangkok?

torrenova, good luck with your situation.

[torrenova]

Yes I do think it matters that you are in Bangkok but your situation matters more.

If she is live in, with her food all found and no travelling etc. then the Bangkok extra cost is largely immaterial as she has no expenses. If she is living out and paying her own way, then Bangkok has some marginal extra costs but you are paying her the equivalent of Bt6500 a month now (52*1500/12).

Ask yourself some questions. She has worked for you for over a year, do you think she deserves a raise ? Perhaps but unless you go to monthly salary, you would have to go to Bt2000 per week for simplicity. That would be the equivalent of Bt8,667 so you could go to Bt7000 or slightly more per month if you want.

As for you asking her to do extra chores like cooking now, then you as I offset, you talk about times when you are not there and she is not required.

Does she need the money ? Perhaps that is where you should look and how much you value her.

[little_muppet]

we pay our maids 7500B/month (2maids) live-in and we got 3 large dogs. since i am the lady of the house now, our female maid never have to cook at all coz i prefer to cook myself. so i think we pay her too much now.

but i dont want to cut her salary because they clean house perfectly.

[sonicdragon]

We have 2 live-in maids (mother and daughter). We pay them 10k total but their food is provided.

[little_muppet]

yes our maids are husband and wife with a kid, they got 15k altogether which is alot more than other maids in this area (i think)