How did you find GOOD household help?

Hello, everyone... I will be relocating to Cebu with my two young kids in a few months. I'd going to want to hire household help, probably live-in if the amenities are available, to help with general cleaning, shopping, cooking every now and then, and possibly even help with the kids.

Is it possible to hire an all-in-one like, or are "yayas" hired separately?

I have a lot of general questions of how the whole "help" thing works. I currently live in Mexico, and my cleaner comes twice a week, and then I pay her extra for babysitting. I am hoping to find one person for it all. So any advice, suggestions, job descriptions, pay scales, etc. would be most helpful. And most importantly, I want to find someone GOOD whom I can trust with my kids, my house, my belongings. How did you find good help?

Thanks!

in the family and friends I found 2500 to 3000 peso a month everything in looking after the children's do shopping but I wood say do the shopping your self this is in bogo shopping on the market or sm but all Wes look at your back
ok never speak a bout the church or watt you like to do don't drink with them never go out at dark on your own never getting inwolft in helping same won I bin round the world 2 times and I got on very well but I were looking carefully over my shoulder san remio and bogo are safe Cebu careful sr you find your food fahren wans electric cost a round 1500 peso gass is 800 peso water is 1000 peso hospital carful don't go to Mindanao danger wen teak taxi right the number of  doctors wen ill looking after you very well dasend nead prived hospital gov is ok  the have prived room
so is good I can say that eheheheh
I am won
but no longer I am now pensioner lifing in England Germany php us but most of the time uk
have good time ther
dr.schildt

You ask in truth.  In the better neighborhoods.  Live in maid 24/6  Up at 5am.  Works till 8pm.  Pay not sure. As I don't have one.  Up at 5 am set up kitchen 6am wash car, 7am takes kids to park, school, 8am cleans house. 10 am walks to store to resupply house. 12 fixes lunch, 1pm cleans house inside work till time to walk down and pick up kids from school. Fix's supper, washes dish's, see's kid's to bed. Goes to sleep.  But that is a general day for one.  Some do light yard work. run errand  what ever.  Never ask about there pay. They stay working all day.   Just ask one they all know a person looking for such a position.  I am considered mean. I take my own kid to the park and wash dish's in the house. cook my own supper. And make the wife work. We shop together. So no maid here.  But I do talk to the maids some and so does the wife.  So I do know that if you ask a maid here they know some one.  Often a lady returning from a oversea's position and trained as a super maid.

Hi! I know that this information and link would help you much.... Everything is written in English I mean the "Kasambahay Law" or hiring anyone for a household help.

To avoid conflict with your worker and the Government please follow the newly enacted law... available at the link below. It gives you instruction from documentation, wages, rest day etc... please follow the link

http://www.gov.ph/2013/01/18/republic-act-no-10361/

I hope this could help and welcome to Cebu, Visayan territory, the Philippines

rangerover wrote:

in the family and friends I found 2500 to 3000 peso a month everything in looking after the children's do shopping but I wood say do the shopping your self this is in bogo shopping on the market or sm but all Wes look at your back
ok never speak a bout the church or watt you like to do don't drink with them never go out at dark on your own never getting inwolft in helping same won I bin round the world 2 times and I got on very well but I were looking carefully over my shoulder san remio and bogo are safe Cebu careful sr you find your food fahren wans electric cost a round 1500 peso gass is 800 peso water is 1000 peso hospital carful don't go to Mindanao danger wen teak taxi right the number of  doctors wen ill looking after you very well dasend nead prived hospital gov is ok  the have prived room
so is good I can say that eheheheh
I am won
but no longer I am now pensioner lifing in England Germany php us but most of the time uk
have good time ther
dr.schildt


how many times have you been in mindanao?   what danger are you referring to?

guerrita81 wrote:

Hello, everyone... I will be relocating to Cebu with my two young kids in a few months. I'd going to want to hire household help, probably live-in if the amenities are available, to help with general cleaning, shopping, cooking every now and then, and possibly even help with the kids.

Is it possible to hire an all-in-one like, or are "yayas" hired separately?

I have a lot of general questions of how the whole "help" thing works. I currently live in Mexico, and my cleaner comes twice a week, and then I pay her extra for babysitting. I am hoping to find one person for it all. So any advice, suggestions, job descriptions, pay scales, etc. would be most helpful. And most importantly, I want to find someone GOOD whom I can trust with my kids, my house, my belongings. How did you find good help?

Thanks!


hi -have sent you private message

guerrita81 wrote:

Hello, everyone... I will be relocating to Cebu with my two young kids in a few months. I'd going to want to hire household help, probably live-in if the amenities are available, to help with general cleaning, shopping, cooking every now and then, and possibly even help with the kids.

Is it possible to hire an all-in-one like, or are "yayas" hired separately?

I have a lot of general questions of how the whole "help" thing works. I currently live in Mexico, and my cleaner comes twice a week, and then I pay her extra for babysitting. I am hoping to find one person for it all. So any advice, suggestions, job descriptions, pay scales, etc. would be most helpful. And most importantly, I want to find someone GOOD whom I can trust with my kids, my house, my belongings. How did you find good help?

Thanks!


Good Luck, I have been firing and looking for 2 years now...Like finding a needle in a haystack for a honest,reliable loyal one...

There are "all-around" maids who can do housework and baby sitting. It will depend on you if you want to hire both a maid and a nanny or "yaya". How old are your kids? How big is your house? Do you think just one person can manage the work load and still do her job well?

My experience: I have a 7 1/2 and a 4 1/2 year old. Four years ago, I had a maid and a yaya for each child, because we live in a big house, I work full time, and it's really hard to take care of an infant and a toddler at the same time, especially so if they're not your kids. And besides, a yaya might quit if the work load is too much to handle. As the kids grew older, were potty trained, and became more independent, I hired just one yaya and a maid. The yaya makes sure the kids stick to their routines, preps them for school, acts as a peacekeeper to the kids' sibling rivalries, helps the maid, and updates me on the events of the day. I guess one good all-around maid can do both housekeeping and baby sitting. But she might not end up happy, feel alone, and quit in a few months.

Hi guys... piece of advice. Please be very careful in hiring someone to be your yaya or anything. Happy hunting. :)

:)

Hire a older  maid who has done such. Live in usually 6 day's on. Pay around 500 piso a month extra over what she would make.  If possible go to the better gated subdivisions.  And hand out a few flyers to the maid's there.  Word spreads fast. Ask for reference's. Police back ground. and you should be set. Many here.  In the Philippines ask and you will find.  You can look for months here on your own and never find.  Remember Philippinie's do not do all the American way.  They have there own way of doing much.   One thing you need know here is it is out of stock, not available here, and how to ask around for anything.  Soon you will be able to find anything here once you learn how to ask.

From what I see of maids were I live.   Maid.  Gets up cooks breakfast, gets children ready for school.  Takes them to park.  From park depart to gate and see older children get on trike to school with bags. Younger children take to school on trike.  Return home do laundry yard work house work.  Husband and wife are away for the day working.  All seems to get done as they keep there jobs.  Maybe go to store to buy a little.  Usually husband or wife shops for most.  Afternoon maids depart to school for younger children. Return to park for short time. Park is kind of gathering point before and after school.  Take children home and start supper. Older children gravitate to the basket ball court. Park, bike ride, and such.  After supper kids parents are home they seem to watch there own kids. Maids clean up walk dogs stop and talk.  As for car wash. There are some boy's around here.  Seem to have a monopoly on car wash, need a bottle of L.P. we fetch it. Help lifting and such. So I do not see maids doing that. One boy even has gone so far as to buy a push mower, and weed trimmer here. but don't do flowers and such yet in yards. That the maids do some yard work in smaller homes with smaller yards.

Hello madam,im the one u need...i really need job..i have eperience to take care kids,i can do wahing,ironing,cleaning and nanny...u can call me anytime 09356410559...my rate salary 8000 to 10000..hve a great day madam...i have all reuirements u need...

codebreak wrote:

Hello madam,im the one u need...i really need job..i have eperience to take care kids,i can do wahing,ironing,cleaning and nanny...u can call me anytime 09356410559...my rate salary 8000 to 10000..hve a great day madam...i have all reuirements u need...


You gonna move from Quezon City to Cebu?

hi ma'am I'm jean I'm looking for job ....I want to know if you stll looking ...?

James Mitchel wrote:

Hire a older  maid who has done such. Live in usually 6 day's on. Pay around 500 piso a month extra over what she would make.  If possible go to the better gated subdivisions.  And hand out a few flyers to the maid's there.  Word spreads fast. Ask for reference's. Police back ground. and you should be set. Many here.  In the Philippines ask and you will find.  You can look for months here on your own and never find.  Remember Philippinie's do not do all the American way.  They have there own way of doing much.   One thing you need know here is it is out of stock, not available here, and how to ask around for anything.  Soon you will be able to find anything here once you learn how to ask.


Found it best to hire a family member, pay them extra, and let them know that if they do not do a good job there are other family members eager to take their place.

guerrita81 wrote:

I want to find someone GOOD whom I can trust with my kids, my house, my belongings. How did you find good help?!


By luck! Whether the maid / yaya is from an agency,or a referral, you will likely go through several before you find a good one who will stay for a long time.

Here's our experience with help

When we first arrived here, my parents already had a maid "R" who was great. She did her job well and did not have to be prompted. We needed a yaya, and R referred to us her acquaintance "L" who belonged to the same church as her.  L was a good yaya and even taught my son letter sounds, shapes, etc. , but after a few months, she and R started fighting, even pulling each other's hair. One even claimed that the other threw a banana at her. LOL. Eventually, L left because she said she could not stand R.

My aunt's maid referred to us her daughter, "C". We paid the mom a referral fee. C was single, a high school graduate and was also a good yaya. But she was a texting addict.  We tolerated that, since it's really hard to find a replacement, and at that time, I was also pregnant with my second child. After some time, our maid R resigned as she was getting married. We were sad to see her go. In January 2010, she was replaced by "E" who was referred by her sister who was one of our former maids. We paid for her airfare from Mindanao to Manila. She had 5 kids back home.

E was not bad, but she wasn't good either. She would do what we told her to do, but she was needed lots of prompting despite several months of working with us and teaching her a routine. So there were times that I did some of the tasks myself because she was just slow. She would also take very very long bathroom breaks.

As I was going to give birth in June 2010, we hired a second yaya "N" in May, who was referred by our yaya C. N was okay, and she and C got along well. But she eventually got "infected" with C's texting and had a milder texting addiction. Meanwhile, we sometimes heard a ruckus from outside our house. A neighbor's driver and his girlfriend would have a lovers' quarrel out on the streets. We even called the barangay at one time to report the noise. Our maid went AWOL one day. We eventually found out that our maid was having an affair with the driver, and that it was she that the driver and the driver's gf were fighting over. (Could be why she takes long bathroom breaks? LOL)  In a way, we were relieved E left. She now has a daughter with the driver.  (Side note: her sister who was one of our former maids way back when also went AWOL one day. She eloped with our handy man. LOL.)

Both the yayas eventually left. There were many more help coming and going, such that I don't remember their names anymore. The worst experience with a yaya was with "J" when she had my daughter on piggy-back going down the stairs very fast. I tried running after them. My daughter lost her grip at the dining room and the back of her head hit the carpet. Then there were help who left just soon after their referrers got their referral fee and we spent money for a medical checkup and xrays. It's like a scam.

Some employment agencies are also like scammers. With the first agency we employed, we paid a flat fee of PhP3600. But when their first yaya referral did not work out in less than 3 weeks, they wanted to charge us PhP600 for a replacement. That was the first and last yaya I got from them. Not all agencies work like this. Read very well your contract an agency. Agency referrals don't last long. Around 6 months tops from our experience. Minimum salary for an agency referred help is PhP4000.

Then there are the budul-budul and dugo-dugo scams wherein robbers / scammers would trick house help into taking money, jewelry, valuables from your house and handing it to them at some place, saying (and also faking your voice to sound like you were in pain) that you were in an accident or in a certain situation and would need money to pay the hospital, pay a bribe, etc. Some help are actually genuinely deceived, but then there are some who are actually in it.

Right now, we are lucky to have a good maid "L" and yaya "A".whom we pay PhP3,500 each plus SSS, PagIbig and PhilHealth where we pay both the employee and employer's share. They get along well. The yaya is more quick witted and more hardworking than the maid, and it's good that some of that rubbed off to the maid. Hopefully, they will stay for a long time.

hi .... how many kids you have?

I know for a fact that some businesses and individuals exclusively use Jehovah's witnesses for there honesty and love , they rather cut there hand off than be dishonest . Check your local Jehovahs witnesses

Firstly, let me explain why I'm posting this. There is a lot of bad mis-information about this topic. The Philippines is by far one of the safest countries in the world.

Most come here and do everything they can to avoid the people here out of fear of the invisible boogie man. Relax and enjoy yourself. Life just got good.

Now for hiring a maid. Most of the women who work as domestic helpers are registered for overseas employment. The main requirement is the ability to speak English as a universally accepted communication. The salary here in the Philippines range from $75 US to $150. Expect to pay more in the city.

Do not use an agent or agency. Most keep a part of her salary and thus causing a very distant relationship between you and her. Interview and talk to the person you will be hiring. Create a relationship with her and get to know her family. After all she will have access to your most personal ...which is your whole life. Don't be shy about acknowledging that and let him or her know that trust is on the table. Also make it clear that what goes on in your home stays there. Gossiping is very common here. They have no HIPPA laws here so be aware of that. My doctor was telling my friends all about my skin allergies. He even went as far to tell them how he was going to treat me.

Now the best way to hire your maid is to go to the Jeep Terminals and place your flyers. Then await the calls. On the flyers specify that they must speak English and whether its a live in or live out. Don't allow text as methods of contact insist on calls only. That will assure you they can communicate with you to your satisfaction. Have pre interview questions ready so that you will only have personal interviews with the best suited. Make sure you give transportation fare to all you interview. Its good courtesy.

Be willing to pay high salary for someone who's what you are looking for. I say that because if you try and take advantage of these cheap wages you will not keep her for long because the Dubai's and Singapore markets are calling her name.

I suggest paying 15k for an awesome Maid and caregiver. That is $300 to $350 /mos. Chicken feed for most of us on here. So be open to generosity. The benefits far out way the cost. She will watch your back and look out for your best interests. I know from experience.

Normally your maid will never steal from you. I'm hearing others complain about maids or hired help here and I am left thinking there are two sides to every story. First we must understand that people are posting bare minimum salary as a wage. Not fare I say. I'm more interested in helping my helpers feed their families and send their children to school.  So when you exploit the impoverished you are adding to a problem verses helping.