How much to pay a helper
- Thread starter sherwes
- Start date
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.
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
Registered User
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.
fairy-godmother
Registered User
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.
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.
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
Registered User
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.
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
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
barbiegirl
Registered User
Agree with aussiegal 
. Same idea here but we do in a different way, we pay minimum wage to our helper, and we give her extra money/small gifts on special occasions, and it works well, our helper is happy with this.
. Same idea here but we do in a different way, we pay minimum wage to our helper, and we give her extra money/small gifts on special occasions, and it works well, our helper is happy with this.
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Paying an employee a wage that is reflective of the work they are doing and the value they bring to your life is not 'going overboard' - regardless of the amount.
I worked as a Nanny/au pair for two years and was paid well above the minimum by a wonderful family I lived with and was thankful for it. My domestic helper's remit is much the same as mine was - just a different 'job title'
Everyone has a sliding scale that determines how much they are prepared to pay for goods and services - I value the massive contribution that my helper makes to my family life and pay her in line with this.
As Barbiegirl says, there is no official scale. This is what I'm comfortable with and I'm certainly not alone - a large number of people I know take a similar approach.
I worked as a Nanny/au pair for two years and was paid well above the minimum by a wonderful family I lived with and was thankful for it. My domestic helper's remit is much the same as mine was - just a different 'job title'
Everyone has a sliding scale that determines how much they are prepared to pay for goods and services - I value the massive contribution that my helper makes to my family life and pay her in line with this.
As Barbiegirl says, there is no official scale. This is what I'm comfortable with and I'm certainly not alone - a large number of people I know take a similar approach.
If only men thought the way you do LeahH us wives would all be earning a lot of money as we undoubtedly make our families lives a lot easier
In defense of all of us plebs who only pay $4 or 4.5k/month (!) my two cents is that whilst it's nice to pay someone (any employee) who is good at their job at the higher end of the wage scale i would never pay anyone more than that or even the very top. It's unnecessary and in the long term if too many people do this it could lead to wider problems. Your helper will come to expect it from future employers and will also tell all her friends who will then wonder why they are not getting this amount. They might start to feel resentful, won't do their job quite as well, will keep an eye out for better paying jobs etc. Many people can't actually afford to pay more than minimum wage but need a helper so that they can work etc. What happens when they are unable to afford decent help for their home?
And what about the helpers who aren't all that good? They'll expect the same money regardless as no one thinks they are rubbish at their job.
Most people in any case favour good working conditions over slightly more money and i've spoken to many helpers who've said the same thing. I too worked as an au pair and believe me i didn't do it for the money despite being paid more than what was expected. Not really hard when you know how little the job pays. I loved the family i worked for, i loved the kids and i liked the other perks that came with the job, holidays in great places, unexpected presents etc.
I don't think it's appropriate or even nice to suggest that by paying a helper more than most of us do (and i think most people here pay the very reasonable amount of between 4 and 4.5) that you are in any way better than us or value more than us 'the massive contribution' helpers make to all of our lives.
In defense of all of us plebs who only pay $4 or 4.5k/month (!) my two cents is that whilst it's nice to pay someone (any employee) who is good at their job at the higher end of the wage scale i would never pay anyone more than that or even the very top. It's unnecessary and in the long term if too many people do this it could lead to wider problems. Your helper will come to expect it from future employers and will also tell all her friends who will then wonder why they are not getting this amount. They might start to feel resentful, won't do their job quite as well, will keep an eye out for better paying jobs etc. Many people can't actually afford to pay more than minimum wage but need a helper so that they can work etc. What happens when they are unable to afford decent help for their home?
And what about the helpers who aren't all that good? They'll expect the same money regardless as no one thinks they are rubbish at their job.
Most people in any case favour good working conditions over slightly more money and i've spoken to many helpers who've said the same thing. I too worked as an au pair and believe me i didn't do it for the money despite being paid more than what was expected. Not really hard when you know how little the job pays. I loved the family i worked for, i loved the kids and i liked the other perks that came with the job, holidays in great places, unexpected presents etc.
I don't think it's appropriate or even nice to suggest that by paying a helper more than most of us do (and i think most people here pay the very reasonable amount of between 4 and 4.5) that you are in any way better than us or value more than us 'the massive contribution' helpers make to all of our lives.
barbiegirl
Registered User
In HK, as far as I know, most families hire helpers are to take care of babies/children and to do household chores, this is their basic job nature, and it is also the reason for the existence of helpers. There is no offical scale, but government has set a minimum wage as a reference, so they think it is a reasonable wage for a domestic helper who are provided with accomodation and food. Like I said, we should pay a reasonable wage according to the job nature, minimum wage is good enough to hire a helper to carry out ordinary household chores and babysitting/childcare, as this is their basic job nature. Some families who require helpers to look after members with special needs may need to pay more for a helper with this kind of experience. To pay higher wages are up to the employers, but I think it should be kept within a reasonable scale. I agree with that bonus or extra money like red packets are a better option to show your appreciation to a good helpers.