Phone Allowance for your Maid

Bblue, you would have loved my sons wedding a few months ago. He had his traditional Islamic ceremony and celebration, but a few days later he also had another reception. It was lovely. We had a piper and all the Scottish contingent were in kilts of various styles. My son looked magnificent. He wore my family tartan. I hadn't realised till then just how much he loves his Scottish side because he really is very much from here. When my daughter in law came in she had a kilted escort and was led in by the piper......and and and and, you can tell im still all excited eh lolol - they had a tying the knot ceremony. One of the Scottish lot did it for them as a surprise for me and they then toasted each other with a Quaich full of Iron Brew. It was a lovely night and quite a sight, one of my sons in his kilt and the other in full national dress. Hotel guests were coming and asking for their pictures to be taken and my eldest son ended up saying to them oh just stay and have something to eat. Some did. Lolol. Can you imagine doing that at a Loch Ness wedding.....you'd have Nessie at the table and all the worlds paparazzi as your guests. :D You're retirement sounds as if it will be lovely.

I put 100dhs credit on her phone every pay day, if she wants more she asks me to charge and gives me the money for it. Special occasions I sometimes give her extra credit. Im with Desert Rose on the toiletries front, I buy what I buy, its all there on the shelf, do you need soap? Yes? Here you go. Done and dusted. A previous maid of mine wanted soap X, shampoo Y and deodorant C. I realised I was spending more time looking for her toiletries then my own! So now, no extras, use whats there or go to the shop (that goes for my husband too! lol).

Bblue, thank you :) Im laughing at saying I cook for my lot. The reality is there's only my boy with me at home now. The rest all have there own homes, however, they still seem to live here, and if they cant get here for their dinners because of their shifts - it gets sent to them. I wouldnt have it any other way even though I do chase them at times and say get back to your own bliddy houses. I love saying that to them - it makes me feel all Scottish and just like my granny. :D I'm told I even hoik my bosoms when I'm saying it but I dont know if thats true. I thought I was more of a hand on my hip kind of targer. edited by DesertRose1958 on 11/05/2013 The extended family - all best wishes to you :-). I adore Scotland (my two marriages both held there - Loch Lomond last year and previous, Incholm Island). In fact, DH and I are looking to buy a cottage in the Highlands ready to retire to (or when the girls have left for studies in UK). :-)

Bblue, thank you :) Im laughing at saying I cook for my lot. The reality is there's only my boy with me at home now. The rest all have there own homes, however, they still seem to live here, and if they cant get here for their dinners because of their shifts - it gets sent to them. I wouldnt have it any other way even though I do chase them at times and say get back to your own bliddy houses. I love saying that to them - it makes me feel all Scottish and just like my granny. :D I'm told I even hoik my bosoms when I'm saying it but I dont know if thats true. I thought I was more of a hand on my hip kind of targer. <em>edited by DesertRose1958 on 11/05/2013</em>

Bblue - usually 7 full time employees but its wasnt always like this, just this last two years, but now Im a bit too past doing all day everyday with my boy and I have a team of 4 carers who help provide the care on a shift system. He needs two to one care at all times with a third person always being 'there or there aboot', as we say in scotland, just in case he is having a bad day and things get too much for him. Its like having a multinational mini army in the house and I wouldnt be without any of them. I have a British girl, 2 young local men with relevent backgrounds, and asians. In fact I have one coming home off leave today and I'm really looking forward to seeing her. Another one, one of the maids, is going home very unexpectedly next month, and I will really really miss her. I look at them all at times and have to remind myself that till I had 4 children I didn't have any help at all. Then things happen and ........:) I still look after my boy everyday and thats when someone would be in with me on support role, and I do all the night time care hence having 3 domestic staff, it means I can nip back to bed for a wee while in the day if I'm tired out and they free my up to enjoy my children and grandchildren. I still do a lot in the house as well, mostly the kitchen because I love cooking and my lot like me to make the meals. I know 7 staff sound like a lot but the truth is we all put in the hours and theres none of us ladies who lunch :D Bless you - all admiration to you et al :-) x

Bblue - usually 7 full time employees but its wasnt always like this, just this last two years, but now Im a bit too past doing all day everyday with my boy and I have a team of 4 carers who help provide the care on a shift system. He needs two to one care at all times with a third person always being 'there or there aboot', as we say in scotland, just in case he is having a bad day and things get too much for him. Its like having a multinational mini army in the house and I wouldnt be without any of them. I have a British girl, 2 young local men with relevent backgrounds, and asians. In fact I have one coming home off leave today and I'm really looking forward to seeing her. Another one, one of the maids, is going home very unexpectedly next month, and I will really really miss her. I look at them all at times and have to remind myself that till I had 4 children I didn't have any help at all. Then things happen and ........:) I still look after my boy everyday and thats when someone would be in with me on support role, and I do all the night time care hence having 3 domestic staff, it means I can nip back to bed for a wee while in the day if I'm tired out and they free my up to enjoy my children and grandchildren. I still do a lot in the house as well, mostly the kitchen because I love cooking and my lot like me to make the meals. I know 7 staff sound like a lot but the truth is we all put in the hours and theres none of us ladies who lunch :D

I don't pay a phone allowance or buy phone credit and if the maid has to call me when I'm out she can use the house phone. My right hand man has a phone he uses for house business and its used often so he has an allowance on his salary for the calls, any amount over the allowance he pays himself because he also uses the phone for personal calls. International calls to us are paid for on top of the allowance. He would never be out of pocket and this system has worked for us for a very very long time. In fact I don't think there were mobile phones the way there is nowadays when he started working for us. :D I don't provide specific soaps and things either - people either buy their own or just take what they want from the cupboard. I coudn't tell you who does what or how often its done and the system is never abused. Good quality ordinary soap and shampoo and deo and the likes but not special tooth whitening paste and fancy shampoo and hair treatments etc. In fact when employing new people last month (not maids, live in staff, but the same would have applied to maids) I had two final candidates to chose from and couldn't decide between them until one asked about specific toiletries being bought for her every month with the monthly shop. She wanted the things bought for her because a previous employer in Bahrain did and in a house where people have really good packages that are above and beyond anyway because of circumstances at times - it was just plain greed and she didn't get the job. If she wants to use those certain items she can get them herself but I'm not and I doubt she would either when faced with the choice. I wouldn't even have done it for my children when they had started earning a salary. If they wanted magical toiletries - they knew where the shops were. I personally prefer to go down the 'good, everything all in salary' because anything else just seems to foster this notion of employees being 'poor wee waifs'. edited by DesertRose1958 on 11/05/2013 Goodness - how many do you employ?

My maid has to call me when she is out running errands, that is why I top up her phone. If she was home then she will use a landline to call me.

I don't pay a phone allowance or buy phone credit and if the maid has to call me when I'm out she can use the house phone. My right hand man has a phone he uses for house business and its used often so he has an allowance on his salary for the calls, any amount over the allowance he pays himself because he also uses the phone for personal calls. International calls to us are paid for on top of the allowance. He would never be out of pocket and this system has worked for us for a very very long time. In fact I don't think there were mobile phones the way there is nowadays when he started working for us. :D I don't provide specific soaps and things either - people either buy their own or just take what they want from the cupboard. I coudn't tell you who does what or how often its done and the system is never abused. Good quality ordinary soap and shampoo and deo and the likes but not special tooth whitening paste and fancy shampoo and hair treatments etc. In fact when employing new people last month (not maids, live in staff, but the same would have applied to maids) I had two final candidates to chose from and couldn't decide between them until one asked about specific toiletries being bought for her every month with the monthly shop. She wanted the things bought for her because a previous employer in Bahrain did and in a house where people have really good packages that are above and beyond anyway because of circumstances at times - it was just plain greed and she didn't get the job. If she wants to use those certain items she can get them herself but I'm not and I doubt she would either when faced with the choice. I wouldn't even have done it for my children when they had started earning a salary. If they wanted magical toiletries - they knew where the shops were. I personally prefer to go down the 'good, everything all in salary' because anything else just seems to foster this notion of employees being 'poor wee waifs'. <em>edited by DesertRose1958 on 11/05/2013</em>

I don't pay a phone allowance, however our housekeeper is free to use the landline as and when. In fact we have an extension in the maids room. Never been a problem in over seven years and have never noticed it being abused.

I got a cheap Nokia and give 100 credit every so often.It is really supplied for us to call her and vice versa . My nanny uses Skype to call home .

I usually top up my maids phone online through my banking and do between 50 - 100 Dh per month, depending on what she needs and how much she has used actually calling me, which sometimes I ask her to do, for various reasons. Sh always offers the money, but I think that on her salary it is ridiculous to let her pay. You could buy your maid a basic Dh60 phone + Sim card and then let her purchase a fancier phone at a later date if she so wishes. Most friends of mine buy their maids a Dh25/30 phone card per month, but it depends on her salary.

Hi, We recently hired a maid, and was wondering how to handle the phone allowance. Do we give a pay as you go phone plan each month? How much? Also, did you buy a new phone for the maid or did you let the maid use her own phone? Our maid has her own mobile and we give her AED50 per month and no more. If she runs out, then she uses from her salary. We also allow her to use our home phone once a month to call her children in Africa.