How to Hire Household Help
As work at home moms, we often advise each other to leave certain things, like the dishes or laundry, and that`s great advice. We can´t always be on top of everything. If you`re anything like me, though, the “leaving it” goes from a day or two to a week or longer and pretty soon everyone is just running around in their undies because the dirty clothes are piled high in the laundry room! My husband is a bit of a neat freak and after 6 years together, he finally decided that he´d had enough of my not being a very concientious housewife and he told me that we were going to hire someone.
We´ve tried this before and it didn´t work . . . the girl we hired just never showed up for work the next day and I lost my nerve. Now, with two active kids messing the place up and constantly eating (thus dirtying dishes), I decided my husband was right and we should look at hiring someone. The first girl we interviewed was a sweetie, very young, very good with the children. But she didn´t show up either. Finally we found a woman, Sara, who not only showed up for work but came in early! I`ve learned a few things from the experience though, now that she has been here for a month.
1. Make sure your expectations and theirs are the same. The reason the first girl we interviewed this time around didn`t show up is because she wasn´t looking for part-time work. Though she accepted the job, she got a better, full time offer that afternoon and never came back. So you need to make sure that if you are hiring an individual that you are both on the same page (an agency or company of housekeepers would probably be fine with short hours).
2. Let them know exactly what is involved. We originally told Sara that her job would be to clean the house, cook lunch and occasionally look after the boys if Irving and I had to slip out. Well, she has taken the cleaning and cooking very seriously, but is prone to clean instead of keeping a closer eye on my little guy who tends to do things like splash in the toilet or get onto my computer while I`m away. We`ve remedied the situation by explaining that when she`s watching the boys, that is her only duty, but we could have saved some exasperation by letting her know that in the beginning.
3. Get organized! The first few days, we were scrambling to decide what Sara should make for lunch and it ended up being more work than just doing it myself. Now, I have a meal plan and when she arrives each morning, I just let her know what we`d like her to make that day and she can figure out when to start cooking and if she needs to hit the market for any supplies.
Now, most people will probably not have a daily housekeeper, I have to admit it´s quite the luxury. However, since I live in Guatemala, it`s also extremely cheap. We pay just over $100 a month for Sara to come in at 8:30, clean the place, make lunch, wash the clothes (still by hand) and she eats with us, then heads home around 2 pm, 6 days a week. We will likely be giving her raises in coming months, but still, it will never be over $200 to have her coming in, unless we move to full days, which I can`t see happening.
You will need to figure out what is in your budget and then work with that. Many wahms find that having someone come in on a weekly or bi-weekly basis is plenty. And the stress relief of not having to face those huge mountains of laundry is definitely worth it!
Can`t afford a full housekeeper? Try one of these cheaper stress relief options:
- Hire a high school student to mow the lawn on a regular basis
- Find a laundry service that will pick up, wash, dry and fold your clothes before returning them to you.
- Pay a teen to come in and help you organize your home, room by room. This can be a regular thing or a one up chance to get everything neat and tidy once and for all.
$100 a month? Wow, that is a great deal.
I’ve had people come into my home to clean, and I agree, it is important to be organized and communicate expectations.
Yes, there´s a definite advantage to living in a third world country!
Wow! I’m envious! It’s about $60 a week here for someone to come 1 afternoon for a few hours and run a vacuum, dust, and mop a floor or two. I agree that hiring a teen is a better bet, but you still have to pay them at least $10 an hour or more (at least around here). I’ve not pursued that, but maybe in the future!