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Pay for domestic helpers
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| posted by Wondering 479 days ago |
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Can anyone give me an idea what the pay for a helper is. Full time or hourly if just part-time. I will really need someone to help with school pick up and drop off and a few domestic chores. Do families share helpers ?
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| The Designer |
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| posted by HKBloke 479 days ago |
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Foreign helpers must be full-time live-in unless they have PR which is very rare. Government set wage for a domestic helper is ~3,600/mth + government tax of 2,400 per qtr. A large majority of expat families pay a premium to this because a) they can, and b) they think it is right. I would say that most expat families pay btwn 4-5k per mth + 1 mth extra @ chinese new year.
To be honest with kids it's not worth messing about with (legal) part time - just hire a full time one. The freedom and assistance u get is one of the big benefits of living in HK.
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| Newbie |
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| posted by Wondering 479 days ago |
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Thanks for all the help HKbloke.
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| Junior Member |
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| 1340 Posts |
| in Shangri-La |
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| posted by migao 478 days ago |
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Besides good conscience, what does one get by paying a higher fixed salary to the helper? Would some kind of bonus system be a better performance motivator? I guess the locals here are pretty much sticking to the minimum salary plus some kind of subjective system of red packets (?). They think it's fair because they are providing housing which is very expensive, and as a benchmark in Singapore the helpers seem to get clearly less (about HKD 2000/mth?).
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| Senior Member |
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| posted by Load Toad 478 days ago |
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quote:
some kind of bonus system be a better performance motivator
Good grief you are paying someone to clean s**t up after you. What performance targets are you going to set?
You used to speak the truth.
But now you're clever.
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| Junior Member |
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| 1340 Posts |
| in Shangri-La |
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| posted by migao 478 days ago (edited 478 days ago) |
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If that's the only task you hire them for you can measure how much s**t was left on daily basis.
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| Senior Member |
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| posted by Load Toad 478 days ago |
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You didn't answer the question.
C'mon - lets hear; 'Migao's Performance Targets for DH Employees'
You used to speak the truth.
But now you're clever.
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| Junior Member |
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| 1340 Posts |
| in Shangri-La |
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| posted by migao 478 days ago |
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Or alternatively you can measure the speed...
Seriously, I've got no idea. Just curious how the locals are doing it with the red packets as most of the DH market is playing according to local rules.
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| The Designer |
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| posted by HKBloke 478 days ago |
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Locals pay what they can get away with, expats pay what the DH deserves......which is why expat families generally end up with better helpers.
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| Senior Member |
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| posted by Load Toad 478 days ago |
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Red packets are given out on key festivals and the amount included is essentialy at the discretion of the giver with usually some reference to tradition with regard the actual number. i.e. someone may give new notes with a value including the number 8 or such.
You used to speak the truth.
But now you're clever.
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| Regular Member |
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| posted by westdoor 478 days ago (edited 478 days ago) |
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quote:
Originally posted by HKBloke
................ expats pay what the DH deserves........
.. but there are are large proportion who only pay the minimum.
Also those that do pay more than the minimum do they really pay what the DH "deserves" I suspect not 
I have a cunning plan ........
     
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| Senior Member |
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| posted by Load Toad 478 days ago |
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Most of the DH I've employed have said they prefer to work for Expats - there must be some advantage in doing so....some locals have told me expats 'spoil' DH's by paying too much or being 'too soft' on them and therefore 'ruining' the market.
Feel free to discuss the rights n wrongs in those statements.
You used to speak the truth.
But now you're clever.
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| The Designer |
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| 4126 Posts |
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| United Kingdom |
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| posted by HKBloke 478 days ago |
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quote:
Originally posted by westdoor
quote:
Originally posted by HKBloke
................ expats pay what the DH deserves........
.. but there are are large proportion who only pay the minimum.
Also those that do pay more than the minimum do they really pay what the DH "deserves" I suspect not
what pay do you think a DH deserves westdoor ?
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| Regular Member |
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| posted by westdoor 478 days ago |
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How about HK$ 50 per hour?
So assuming an 8 hour day, 6 days a week the monthly salary would be HK$9,600.
I have a cunning plan ........
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| Senior Member |
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| 12613 Posts |
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| posted by Lola 478 days ago |
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Well, to be fair, not all expat employers are ace to DHs. I remember going to friends' (she was American, he was British) very swish 4-storey home in Stanley and being shown around ~ and despite all the space and their obvious wealth, the DH's quarters consisted of what looked to me like a cupboard slung up on the side of the backyard.
Dancing madly sideways
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| Senior Member |
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| posted by Load Toad 478 days ago |
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For sure Lola there is a lot of variation in treatment. There should be some minimum standards for accommodation IMHO.
You used to speak the truth.
But now you're clever.
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| Junior Member |
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| posted by jesswill 478 days ago |
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I agree with Lola, I did a bit of voluntary work for helpers for domestic helpers (who by the way always need support monetary or otherwise hdh@stjohnscathedral.org.hk ) and there are some expats that treat their helpers very badly as well.
That said generally expats seem to treat their helpers better (and it's true that all the helpers I've met want to work for expat families)
up to not much
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| Junior Member |
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| posted by jesswill 478 days ago (edited 478 days ago) |
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double post sorry
up to not much
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| Regular Member |
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| posted by Mango 478 days ago |
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just nonsense. i see expat flats and chinese flats due to my job everyday and there is no difference at all between expats and chinese employers how they tread their helper. some is just bad the other are better, but it have nothing to do with expats or locals.
almost always friendly and polite
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| Regular Member |
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| posted by puyi 478 days ago |
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I guess if the pay per hour was 50 bucks and the domestic helper is on call about 8 hours a day then that equates to $400 per day ..therefore $2800 per week and $11200 per month hmmm then take out their rental ($7600)on the s**tty bed in the kids room or in the kitchen or the boxsized room and that leaves $3600 per month ........but then we all know they aint paid $50 an hour and their rental aint worth $7600 and they aint on call 8 hours a day...more like at beck and call for 15 -18 hours a day..........and paid $10 per hour
darren rudd is a sinophile
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