Posted by
hapless
17 yrs ago
hi everyone, i'm about to begin the interview process and reading all the threads/posts here tremendous help.
I came across a piece of advice given : Interview the helper away from the home.
What's the rationale for that -does anyone know?
Also is HKD6000 the market rate for someone with 5-6yrs experience- thats what serveral of them are asking for right now.
thanks alot & wish me luck. i'm extremely worried to be honest.
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Nuri
17 yrs ago
There is no such thing as a market rate in this case. None of my friends pays more than HK$4,500
From personal experience, start with the minimum (HK$3,480) and increase/give bonuses. Keep in mind that DHs usually "sense" if you are not aware of the details in DH field and will try to get the most from you. Hence the 6K...
Also, do not expect that if the more you pay the better she will be. It is a 50/50 situation.
I am not sure about keeping away from home, but my advice: do not disclose your mobile phone number. If you don't hire someone, they usually pass your number to their friends and friends of the friends. I was receiving phone calls for about a month after an interview. They all started with "Hi maaam, I know you are looking for a helper. Please interview me". If you say you don't need a helper any more, others still keep on calling!
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nuri, thanks for the advice, i've obviously made all the mistakes already.
I asked her what her previous employer was paying - she and 2 others said 5-6K.
I have also given them my mobile.
One more question, how do you check their employment history? For eg : one says she's been here 6 yrs with 1 employer and then 8 mths with her 2nd and she's terminating them right now- how do i know if there are more undisclosed?
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You can normally see it from the passport, there is a sticker of visa and the name of the previous employer. Agree with Nuri, don't offer more than the minimum, give bonuses and gifts and she will be happy everytime you do that and she will think that she have to do better and she will receive bonus again.
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Don't agree about paying the minimum if you want an experienced helper you need to be willing to pay more for this experience just like you need too in any other job. People seem to forget that the minimum wage is exactly that the very minimum you can pay a helper which is what i would expect to pay a novice with no experience not someone who's been working for 5 years or more.
There are no guarantees with a helper no matter what you pay them but i know from my own feelings that i would not be happy being paid minimum wage in my own work when i have years of experience although i accepted it when i first started out of course.
Go with what your conscious tells you and what you can afford to pay and you shouldn't go far wrong. Your relationship with your helper is based on much more than just the money and having a good relationship with your helper will determine how well she works for you and a little bit of luck.
Good luck and be strong once you have made a call on what you require and what you can pay.
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mrsl
17 yrs ago
Agree with Moppet that a decent experienced helper should earn more than minimum, even if that's what they had been paid previously. However, I would not pay them all that you can afford either. Go with what you think is fair. Our helper earned minimum in her last job, but our house is almost twice the size of what her last one was, so she therefore has a lot more cleaning to do. It would have been unreasonable of me to pay her the same basic wage. I don't quite pay her double what she earned before either; we give her bonuses based on her performance and 'extra work' like dinner patries, house guests etc. The system seems to work for us as it keeps her motivated. You can always increase her salary after she has started, you cannot pay less than you have contracted to pay (not to mention the loss of goodwill).
I would not necessarily take every helper at their word that they were paid $6K plus. Plenty are, but they are definitely in the minority. To me, the right helper is certainly worth that amount of money, but I would still ask for proof of their previous salary (copy of contract, conversation with previous employer etc). If I found out that she had been lying to me about it, I would not employ her. It's not about the money but about establishing whether or not you can trust someone from the outset.
Good luck.
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thank you all for the great advice. Just to give you all an update, I called one of the madis I interviewed over the phone and she basically was too busy to come for an interview today and would let me know tomorrow her schedule........ Am I missing something?
I get the feeling I'm being manipulated.
its not a good start already.
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I aggree to moppet and mrsl.god bless u guys.
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If the candidate don't even come to your home, how much interest does she has to your employment?
Starting from minimum wage with due respect of the hard work by giving bonus, or let the newspaper suggest, record the bonus to be paid regularity and pay the bonus at the END of the contract to prevent being abuse or testing your "minimum" requirement, maintain the drive of doing better and avoiding other loyalty issues.
Appreciating employee good work is a fair act by employer but how to do it is a matter of art and experience.
If an employment started with 6K now would be local with higher education background, better mindset and skill sets. Why should you do this without testing ? You may pay higher if things really go right.
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