My new maid who made excellent chappaties, choppedvegetables, did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen every morning, asked to borrow two thousand rupees to repair her roof for monsoons. I agreed and she said she would return the money by fifteenth of next month. No problem, I said. The next day she said she requires some more money, another one thousand, for some unexpected expenses, while repairing the roof. Now, in all I was paying her,
Rs 250 For making ten chappaties every morning
Rs 200 For doing morning dishes (she can’t come twice)
Rs 100 For watering the plants and hanging up the clothes from the washing machine, other odd jobs
Rs 200 For chopping, grating, peeling daily vegetables
Total Rs 750/-
How was she going to return three thousand one hundred rupees? Her husband has no regular job. She had just started working for me a month back. But monsoons were approaching and it was obvious that she really did need the money…and I just felt that she was not one of the oversmart maids we occassionally come across.
She took a few days off to help the hired labourers repair her roof, and came back beaming in early June. We had no rains this year but she has been asking me to come see her house atleast once. The money definitely was used for a very good cause. I thought, …why not let her keep it? But I did not want her to think she could borrow from me and I will let her keep it. So finally I asked her if she would like to start cooking our lunch for us. She was delighted. I showed her how simple our afternoon meals were – very little oil, not much frying, no spices…she understood. So now I have a delightful, greatful cook :) For cooking (once a day), the going rate here is Rupees 1000/- She can repay me in three months! And I am realising it’s nice to have someone cook for you sometimes…but sometimes I wonder if our maids aren’t underpaid….
I wonder how the maids are paid in other places. How much do you pay for jhadoo-katka/jhadu-poncha? How much for doing the dishes? And how much for live-in help? Are boys paid more than girls? Recently my maids said they want to be paid four hundred rupees per job. What do other bloggers think?? Do you get someone for ironing? (We pay 300/- for ironing around ten articles a day).
Edited to add:
Drivers are paid between Rs.3000/- to 6500/- depending on experience.
Car Cleaners Rs 200 to 500 depending on the size of the car.
Mali (gardener) I pay Rs. 100/- for Sunday visits to trim, turn the soil etc
Jhadu-Poncha Rs. 300/- 400/-
Bathrooms Rs. 50/- to 100/- per bathroom
Dusting Rs. 200/- 300/-
Live in maids Rs 3000/- and above.
