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EWmums

EWfood

ewmoda

Key inclusions for live IN maid contract? Also what food arrangement do you have with your helper?

35

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 July 2013 - 10:57

About to hire our first live in maid. What are some key points I should make sure I include in her employment contract?

Also, how do others with live in helpers do their food/meal arrangements? Does your helper have their own cupboard and you stock it with basic necessities? Keen for this to be very clear as did not spell out with previous helper (live out) and she helped herself to everything which I'm not keen to save happen his time around.

Any suggestions welcome. Thanks.

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4062

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 10 July 2013 - 16:49

I think no matter what you do and expect, like Anon said, all maids are different, so just be clear from the start what YOU want and expect, because if there is something eating away at you your relationship wont be good. Find something that works for you and your family. edited by Purple on 09/07/2013 You are absolutely right Purple. Our maid is very responsible and more than capable of taking care of herself. To be honest, I'm looking after the every need of my four young children and husband who works long hours, I couldn't have a grown woman in my home who I also had to shop and/or cook for and remind to look after herself.

Whereintheworld76500

145

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 09 July 2013 - 14:57

In addition to the official contract I made a duties , provisions amd expectations document for our maid. Someone told me to do this years back when I first employed help . I of course didn't but wished I had. Basically its an "Alex's shoes " type daily , weekly , monthly task spreadsheet. What we provide ( appliances , phone & credit , food , bathroom things )and house rules : honesty , personnel visitors , the childrens welfare, discipline, television and food ( hate nannies filling kids with junk ) babysitting etc. I shop pretty much daily so just ask what she needs and she usually eats what we cook together or cooks rice and things in her room ( she has kettle ,microwave , hotplate and ricecooker ) . With four children , we tend to do a kids meal which she eats and then a variation for DH and myself. I don't buy lots of sweets ,crisps and fizzy drinks for anyone .

1247

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 09 July 2013 - 12:18

I tried this with a previous maid Daza, obviously your maid is a responsible wise lady, mine was not and ended up with severe iron deficiency and various other issues (obviously I had to foot the bill for the medical stuff and the medication). I also had a maid who I took shopping and asked her to pick things for herself, and she chose more meat for herself for the week then we eat as a family, she chose expensive brands (that Id never even look twice at) and I was NOT happy. I think no matter what you do and expect, like Anon said, all maids are different, so just be clear from the start what YOU want and expect, because if there is something eating away at you your relationship wont be good. Find something that works for you and your family. Im pretty sure the contract states food and board but may be wrong, either way, you are responsible for their health so no matter what you choose to do, make sure she is eating! My maid, like Anons, is very very modest, and if she ran out of everything she would probably not tell me until the last breadcrumb was gone. Likewise if she had her own money to go shopping with, she would buy only bread. It suits me to buy her food and know that she is eating well. <em>edited by Purple on 09/07/2013</em>

5452

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 09 July 2013 - 09:40

I let my maid eat whatever she wants. I have no restrictions and she can take whatever she wants from our kitchen or her own kitchen. However, my maid is extremely modest about food and will not take what she wants and I find that annoying because I can't keep on constantly reminding her to take food. It really depends on the personality of the maid. One of my previous maids had no qualms about eating and ate lots of food, even opening stuff before I got a chance to eat it myself. Comparing the two, I'd rather have a maid just take what she wants when she wants it. My maid also frequently goes grocery shopping with and without me and I tell her to choose food for herself. That is almost always noodles, potato chips, and glucose biscuits. Lol

4062

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 09 July 2013 - 08:32

I do an all inclusive salary and our maid buys all her own food. She has a cupboard in the kitchen and a small fridge, microwave and rice cooker in her room. She uses the cooker in our kitchen. She eats really well, lots of fish, vegetables and rice. However, I don't really see it as any of my business what she chooses to eat, I pay her a good salary and if she choose to eat basic food to save money then that would be up to her, I ate a lot of noodles when I was a student.

1247

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 08 July 2013 - 23:59

the employment contract is given to you at immigration, you cant change it. If you wish, make her a list of 'house rules' or simply just tell her. You cant limit her food offcourse, she would need to either eat what you eat and have free run of fridge / pantry, or you need to give her her own cupboard and fridge and stock it well. Do you want her eating only basic necessities? Because its highly doubtful she will use her own money to buy food, chances are she will send most of the money home. Even if you pay her extra for food, she will probably just buy cheap noodles and send the rest of the money home. My girl has her own food in her quarters, along with some basics for simple food preparation, kettle, tea, coffee, chopping boards, fridge etc. She eats the same dinner that we eat (unless its something she doesn't like), but she prepares her own breakfasts and lunches. I buy the food, at first I would ask what she wanted / needed, but she was never very forthcoming in telling me, so I just check and see whats running low, after a year and a half I now know what she likes and doesn't like and am able to top up her shopping accordingly.

CrashingWaves80223

680

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 08 July 2013 - 22:07

We have an extremely over stocked kitchen and 3 fridges and 4 freezers, and plenty of meals are on the go at any given time, I really cannot tell you what she eats, but she pretty much eats what she wants. It is a rule in our house, nothing worse than limiting someones food (except mine).

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