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What are your nanny/maids duties?

144

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 03 June 2012 - 23:49

What hours does your maid work and what are their duties?

Am expecting our third child in August (Twins are 25 months). We are probably moving to Dubai soon and would love to sponsor a maid/nanny.

I was wondering if having a full time maid would be enough to keep the house tidy and help with the twins (e.g. when I am breast feeding the baby). We are looking for a 3 bed Villa with a maids room.

Do they generally do washing/cooking?

I would like to work as a team, probably prefer to do the cooking myself but am not really sure what is the norm?

Thanks so much xx

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champagneblonde50828

252

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 27 June 2012 - 21:13

I definitely recommend a jobs list, with daily, weekly, fortnightly & monthly tasks as they will not seek out work. Be prepared to train her very specifically with the cleaning & allow for some settling in teething problems... It is difficult having someone in the house all the time but we have established that ours doesn't do upstairs work when we're up there or toddler is sleeping. I love having my maid & she is fab with my child, looks after the dogs, keeps the house ticking over... but it took quite a while to find her, I interviewed some real doozies!! & it's definitely not perfect but better the devil you know... Good Luck!

144

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 05 June 2012 - 01:03

Thanks girls, really useful advice!

144

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 05 June 2012 - 01:01

LMAO! [b'>I would ask your self the question '' Why do I need one [/b'>" and work out the list from there,... Think about what you do that you wouldnt mind passing onto somone else to make your life easier and free up your time to spend with the children. If you have never had a housemaid before and dont have any expereince then I would strongly suggest getting an agency one to do a few hours in the house to see what its like.. the agency maids that I have used just to tend to get on with it and you can see what she will do and how. I wouldnt jump into hiring a housemaid full time if you are completly inexpereinced as its expensive and the paper work not forgetting the time it takes to cancel the visa etc is a lot. It also takes some getting used to having somone in the house if you are having a full time live in .. .. i would get dressed / undressed with the door open, not lock the door when I go to the toilet... shower with the door wide open and the curtains drawn singing Katy Perry ! cant do that now but cant wait until she goes on holiday so I can :) Good luck 3 children under 3 :\:

1247

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 04 June 2012 - 20:46

What your maid does is what you need her to do. Try not to set anything in stone fron the start, and that includes working hours. Let her know roughly what hours you will need her, and how many days off etc, but as she is live in she will need to be flexible to your needs. For sure she should clean the house, mine does my fairly large 4bed villa more or less on her own, it would probably be cleaner if I did it, but its clean and overall she does a good job. I have her do upstairs every second day and downstairs every second day. Bathrooms daily, kitchen daily, sheets weekly and so on. A list of duties really helps, but with 3 small kids, try to not put to much on it as you will want your girl to be on hand to help you too. Then when she is not busy and you dont need her for other things you can send her to do all those 'extras' that are not on the list. My list is very basic, but covers the stuff that absolutely must be done that day. I think the best advice someone gave me when I got my first maid was 'shes your employee not your friend'. Its a real shame I didnt listen, lol. It can take some time to get used to having a full time live in, and as a first timer often we are inclined to treat our maids as guests. Better to start on the strict side and relax things as you go along if you feel its appropriate. Good luck! <em>edited by Purple on 05/06/2012</em>

spongemonkey980

4329

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 04 June 2012 - 19:58

[b'>I would ask your self the question '' Why do I need one [/b'>" and work out the list from there,... Think about what you do that you wouldnt mind passing onto somone else to make your life easier and free up your time to spend with the children. If you have never had a housemaid before and dont have any expereince then I would strongly suggest getting an agency one to do a few hours in the house to see what its like.. the agency maids that I have used just to tend to get on with it and you can see what she will do and how. I wouldnt jump into hiring a housemaid full time if you are completly inexpereinced as its expensive and the paper work not forgetting the time it takes to cancel the visa etc is a lot. It also takes some getting used to having somone in the house if you are having a full time live in .. .. i would get dressed / undressed with the door open, not lock the door when I go to the toilet... shower with the door wide open and the curtains drawn singing Katy Perry ! cant do that now but cant wait until she goes on holiday so I can :) Good luck 3 children under 3 :\:

90

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 04 June 2012 - 16:38

JPS1 - That sounds pretty much like what our maid does. She also does all the cleaning (4 BRs/villa) not just the bathrooms/kitchen, ironing, helping with bath time for kids. Apart from the cleaning and ironing the biggest help I've found is with the cleaning up after kids' meals. There is no way she is 'overworked'/runs out of time. She takes things pretty 'sedately'. However I take care of the kids unless I need a hand to run an errand etc. She has at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours of rest/break at lunchtime while kids are sleeping. She starts at about 7 am and finishes at about 6.30 or so. Occasionally we ask her to babysit in the evenings once the kids are in bed, but never anything late (sadly!), and sometimes for Saturday lunchtimes. Once you get into a routine I've found a useful thing to do is allocate what days you want her to do what, and that might include one day a week (or whatever) when she has more of a role with the kids to free up more time for you. At the end of the day you're hiring someone to make life easier for you, so just be clear what you want her to do - everyone's household & preference being different...Also I've found that when people are bored (not enough to do) then they get fed up/homesick etc, so it's better for whoever you hire to be busy (within reason of course...) than for you to be worried about too much for a 40 hr week. Good luck.

144

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 04 June 2012 - 16:16

I would ask your self the question '' Why do I need one " and work out the list from there,... Think about what you do that you wouldnt mind passing onto somone else to make your life easier and free up your time to spend with the children. If you have never had a housemaid before and dont have any expereince then I would strongly suggest getting an agency one to do a few hours in the house to see what its like.. the agency maids that I have used just to tend to get on with it and you can see what she will do and how. I wouldnt jump into hiring a housemaid full time if you are completly inexpereinced as its expensive and the paper work not forgetting the time it takes to cancel the visa etc is a lot. It also takes some getting used to having somone in the house if you are having a full time live in .. .. i would get dressed / undressed with the door open, not lock the door when I go to the toilet... shower with the door wide open and the curtains drawn singing Katy Perry ! cant do that now but cant wait until she goes on holiday so I can :) Good luck Very good points thank you very much. We have cleaners come once a week atm and I probably spend 2 hours a day doing household duties (Not including bathing the children/cooking). I think with 3 children I won't be too stressed about privacy but then again my experience with the twins being so early and such a difficult first year is such a haze and I think this time is going to be a lot different (Fingers crossed). I guess I would like someone to Clean up after I have fed the children (Dishes, wipe highchairs). Keep our house tidy. Bathrooms and kitchen clean twice weekly Linen washed/changed weekly Washing hung out Tidy up toys at end of day/before nap (If they are still napping) Watch the twins when I have a shower/ play with them when I am breastfeeding my baby Accompany me to playdates/outings/supermarket when I need a hand with the 3 children Is that too much for a 40 hour week? This is what I would like help with but would never want to expect too much from a maid/nanny. I am a believer that a relationship of mutual respect works to each others advantage. Thanks!!!!

194

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 04 June 2012 - 15:25

I would ask your self the question '' Why do I need one " and work out the list from there,... Think about what you do that you wouldnt mind passing onto somone else to make your life easier and free up your time to spend with the children. It also takes some getting used to having somone in the house if you are having a full time live in .. .. i would get dressed / undressed with the door open, not lock the door when I go to the toilet... shower with the door wide open and the curtains drawn singing Katy Perry ! cant do that now but cant wait until she goes on holiday so I can :) Good luck Soo true! It is an adjustment for everyone. Ours does mainly the cleaning the house, tidy up everywhere except my bedroom and my and dh's closets. Laundry & ironing. Prepares all the staff for cooking. While i do cooking or shower, she will sit with my son 4 yo as he doesnt like to b alone up in the toys room.

2192

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 04 June 2012 - 14:48

I would ask your self the question '' Why do I need one " and work out the list from there,... Think about what you do that you wouldnt mind passing onto somone else to make your life easier and free up your time to spend with the children. If you have never had a housemaid before and dont have any expereince then I would strongly suggest getting an agency one to do a few hours in the house to see what its like.. the agency maids that I have used just to tend to get on with it and you can see what she will do and how. I wouldnt jump into hiring a housemaid full time if you are completly inexpereinced as its expensive and the paper work not forgetting the time it takes to cancel the visa etc is a lot. It also takes some getting used to having somone in the house if you are having a full time live in .. .. i would get dressed / undressed with the door open, not lock the door when I go to the toilet... shower with the door wide open and the curtains drawn singing Katy Perry ! cant do that now but cant wait until she goes on holiday so I can :) Good luck

144

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 04 June 2012 - 09:53

I would say that as her sponsor/employer you decide which duties are important for you. Assuming you are not working, I would think that a full time maid can manage cleaning the house, as well as help out with the twins and do the occasional cooking. My maid also dies the washing and ironing. With respect to working hours, same thing, you decide. If you need her for long days, make sure she gets some off-time in between. Typically they 1 or 2 days off every week In the beginning all will take some extra time, but once you've settled into a routine I'm sure you"ll be oke. When interviewing make sure you make it clear what you expect of her. Thanks Oopsiedaisy!

2287

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 04 June 2012 - 07:05

I would say that as her sponsor/employer you decide which duties are important for you. Assuming you are not working, I would think that a full time maid can manage cleaning the house, as well as help out with the twins and do the occasional cooking. My maid also dies the washing and ironing. With respect to working hours, same thing, you decide. If you need her for long days, make sure she gets some off-time in between. Typically they 1 or 2 days off every week In the beginning all will take some extra time, but once you've settled into a routine I'm sure you"ll be oke. When interviewing make sure you make it clear what you expect of her.

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