i hired a FDH with wage of $4000/mo under her contract. i know that $3500 is minimum wage, but am worried that i am not paying her enough. she is 29 years old, no prior DH experience, university degree. should i give her a raise after a few months? thanks for any advice.
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First, note that it is 3580 plus food allowance, which can be in the form of 740 cash per month (or is it 770?) or you providing food, or a combination.
Secondly, 4000 is fine to start with. As cara says, don't raise until she has proven she deserves it. Always always always connect any raise or bonus to proven performance which goes beyond the minimum requirement.
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food allowance currently is 740
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We hired our 1st helper on a contract of $4000 which she scoffed at and she turned out to be terrible . Our 2nd one we signed on for $3800 and when we told her how much we'd like to pay, her response was, 'oh no maam, that's too much'! She's brilliant and worth her weight in gold.
There's nothing to stop you signing at $4000 and then giving an occasional cash bonus of $500 every few months (or more often if you can afford it and she merits it). A regular level salary with occasional bonuses is more likely to ensure she'll put in the effort than a guaranteed high salary and gives you more flexibility.
We just gave our helper 2 weeks holiday with pay even though she's only been with us for about 7 months as her bonus and she was more than happy with that!
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I would not sign the contract for anything above the minimum. If you wish to give more than the minimum, it should be in the form of a bonus. This way of doing things has the added benefit of:
1. It does not enable the FDH to use your contract to try and get a higher wage with someone else
2. If things go wrong, and you need to pay out a month in lieu of notice, then you only pay 3580 and not 4000, 5000, 6000 or whatever else it says in the contract
If you are good to your helper and they in turn are good to you, there is no problem with giving them the basic wage plus a bonus every month, my helpers have no problems with this arrangement and both are paid way more than the minimum but the contract states 3580. The bonus is just that a bonus for great work.
I agree with everyone else, start with the minimum and tie raises in with good work, not just employer 'niceness'.
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That's a clever arrangement lagrue. However I disagree with your first point, about thinking of the next employer. If she deserves a higher wage she does. As with any employee proving you have been worth more is never a bad thing.
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axptguy38, I only say this because of my own experience. I had a very dishonest maid who I signed on the contract for $4500 (I paid her more from the outset because I believe she needed to be remunerated for the fact that I had a small infant at the time and she was coming from a family of an older couple who traveled frequently and the children had already flown the coop...so a harder job), and she left me within 3 months after she had been caught skimming the grocery bills (I did not confront her) but asked her to present receipts each time she bought the groceries, and rejected her (self) handwritten ones.
She used my contract to obtain a higher paying wage, the new employer did not speak to me (an acquaintance of my parents in law) and then fired her 3 months after starting also because a) she was skimming the grocery bills, b)she was sneaking off during the day to do part time for another family and was caught out. So in fact she doesn't not deserve the minimum wage, and definitely not a higher wage, she needs to be sent back to her country of origin and into a job where she can't steal and be dishonest.
I think if you know the person who has hired a brilliant maid, and they are leaving for some reason the by all means give them what they are entitled to BUT it doesn't have to be on the contract that's all. And don't believe everything you see on the contract.
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First of all you are talking about a specific case. You can't generalize about all maids from your specific case.
And I still disagree. And employer should be allowed to set whatever wage. Offer what you think she is worth. Experience should count, but the previous contract is just a guideline. If you don't think she is worth that money, don't offer it.
I would say always start at the minimum or close to it, then offer increases and bonuses based on performance. If she doesn't want to accept it, move on the next candidate.
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of course I'm a big advocate of employers being allowed complete freedom to set whatever wage they choose. In fact I don't follow the minimum wage myself, my suggestion is only about the execution of the contract itself, because you see what I did has ramifications on another employer and what they do will have ramifications for me.
truth of the matter is, most employers when presented with a higher wage contract will assume wrongly or rightly that the helpers is a 'keeper' and in my ex helpers case this is wrongly.
But of course this is a free country, my suggestion for employer protection only.
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Ah! No I understand what you are getting at. On the contract. And I agree. The contract may as well state the minimum or close to it. A good helper will be paid more regardless of what the contract states.
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More correctly, "A good helper SHOULD be paid more regardless of what the contract states."
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I interviewed a helper who wants $4000 not to work part-time. Question is, how do I know she won't anyways? She said she would prefer the extra money from us instead of working for other people 3 hours a week...
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If she sets that kind of "ultimatum" from the start, I would stay away.
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