Singapore Expats

Hi

My maid has been with us 2 years now and we are paying $450 per month. She tells me that her friends earn $600 per month ( as recommended by Phillipines Embassy - I looked it up and they do indeed recommend this salary)

I was just wondering what the market rate is per month for maids now - what do you pay your maid?

$750/month + 2 weeks vacation per year + all national holidays off + every Sunday off + 13th month at Christmas.

fairground wrote:Hi

My maid has been with us 2 years now and we are paying $450 per month. She tells me that her friends earn $600 per month ( as recommended by Phillipines Embassy - I looked it up and they do indeed recommend this salary)

I was just wondering what the market rate is per month for maids now - what do you pay your maid?

450$ is a bit on the stingy side, I would think, although many families are not as well off as expatriats...I would at least pay the recommended minimum of 600$, after all, everything in Singapore is going to the stars, except incomes, and many of these poor maids, have families to keep too!

Feel good, with yourself and give her a pay rise, but only if you can afford it, if you cannot afford it, maybe you should look at her work load and allow her more time off!

THanks for the feedback - I will pay her the $600 pm, - but just wanted to check if that is still below the average! I am a little shocked by how I was underpaying her - she came to us via a maid agency and 2 years ago they told me that the salary was $350, our maid was new to Singapore but even so....... Being new to Singapore then , we assumed was market rate (and this website still indicates that as a starting point on their domestic helpers info - perhaps they should update this pointing out the recommended salary set by Phillipines Govt. )
We give her public hols. Sundays , 13th month , bonuses etc, so I thought we were treating her well but now I am a little concerned that we are one of those 'bad' employers you here stories about !

fairground wrote:THanks for the feedback - I will pay her the $600 pm, - but just wanted to check if that is still below the average! I am a little shocked by how I was underpaying her - she came to us via a maid agency and 2 years ago they told me that the salary was $350, our maid was new to Singapore but even so....... Being new to Singapore then , we assumed was market rate (and this website still indicates that as a starting point on their domestic helpers info - perhaps they should update this pointing out the recommended salary set by Phillipines Govt. )
We give her public hols. Sundays , 13th month , bonuses etc, so I thought we were treating her well but now I am a little concerned that we are one of those 'bad' employers you here stories about !

I shouldn't worry too much about it, you are probably the kind of people to make up for your errors,

The Phillipines Govt, are only trying to guide people to respect their workers, of which I agree, should be done, it's still only a guide however! and it looks like you have been treating fairly good, in terms of hols and bonus, so don't lose any sleep over it, now that you are aware of things, you can reward her in many ways!

or if u like, check again to see how long u've been underpaying her, then backpay the difference... it'd be like a savings for her then.

fairground wrote:We give her public hols. Sundays , 13th month , bonuses etc, so I thought we were treating her well but now I am a little concerned that we are one of those 'bad' employers you here stories about !

Rest assured, you're still on the good side. There are maids in Singapore working 24/7/365 and earning less than S$200/month, with the first year or two or that deducted for the maid agency's expenses... and the really unlucky ones get beaten up, raped and/or shafted of their money to boot.

My wife had to go to the UK to take her mother back and I had to get a maid for 3 days to help me out as my boy is on School holidays.
I am paying her S$100 a day.
She started today at 6-15 am and will finish at 5pm.
Tomorrow she will work from 6-15am until 4pm.
Wednesday she will work 11 am till 4pm and she will then get her wages of S$300.
I think she is being paid her worth.
I cannot afford to pay one full time this amount, which I why I dont employ one full time.
She was quite annoyed when I said I had done the ironing last night

jockney wrote: She was quite annoyed when I said I had done the ironing last night

You hire a maid for just three days at $100 per day and you still did the ironing yourself.....

yes,
no doubt she will clean the floors etc, but a bit of ironing never frightened me and helped pass the time while watching Michael Palin on his travels yesterday.
I would not like to do it for a living though and it is probably not at the standard most women could reach

so that's S$300/week x 4 = S$1200/month (part-time)

Part-timers always bring home more cash, the going rate is about $15/hour. Since room & board is not covered, it doesn't go very far.

Ooohhhh! I see the maid disposable income discussion rearing it's head again. At least this time, hopefully, all you newbies can get into it. Last time it was me & WIMH against the "they are only maids brigade". It's been over a year since this one was broached.

Go for it!

I am only using a maid as my wife had to go to the UK.
I think approx 5/600 dollars a week for a full time maid live in or out would be a decent wage, but I dont mind paying more as it is only a 3 day hire and short term usually get more.
Handy to know my son is looked after and the maid is happy with her wages for the work she is doing.

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Ooohhhh! I see the maid disposable income discussion rearing it's head again. At least this time, hopefully, all you newbies can get into it. Last time it was me & WIMH against the "they are only maids brigade". It's been over a year since this one was broached.

Go for it!

The maid's disposable income is indeed a valid calculation in computing what one should pay for semi-skilled labor.

When one considers that there are many wage earners in Singapore who earn $2K to $3k per month and are responsible for their own housing, food, medical, transportation, and taxes, $450 doesn't look so bad. I doubt that a large percentage of low income earners in Singapore end up with $450 per month disposable income.

At least as important as the wage a maid earns are the quality of life issues that contribute to overall happiness even if she doesn't have enough to buy a Mercedes. Examples of maid mal-treatment.

a) Providing only a closet, often un-airconditioned and windowless, or worse, a place to sleep on the kitchen floor with no private space for herself.

b) Few or zero days off because you know, "she will get pregnant".

c) No amenities - radio, TV, Filipino channel, a computer or access to email.

d) Working her butt off from 5:30 in the morning (cleaning the dew from master's car) until 11 at night, polishing the silver.

e) Being treated like dirt, lower than the dog... example as I saw last night in a restaurant... family eating dinner, maid holding baby, no food in front of her.

f) Treating her as though she is a low life form - she's not human, she's the maid... don't talk to her, don't ask her how she is feeling. Instead, be demanding, order her around.

From what I've seen in Singapore, the wage question, which is government set to insure a minimum, is the least of Singapore maid problems.