What do think is a fair wage

[kima]

Hope you all don't mind hearing about my job again!
The woman I work for and I are discussing my possible wage for next year.
I won't go back if i don't get a raise.
I am wondering what those of you with housekeepers pay an hour. My job entails cleaning, cooking, driving DDs to and from school and activities, grocery shopping, taking the dog to the vet etc. I work fours a day, three days a week.

I'd love to hear what you pay or what you think would be a fair wage. I guess I'll have to convert to Canadian money!!!
Minimum wage here is 8.50.Thanks-I always appreciate the points of view I get here!

[jmarie]

Mine told me. If one comes, she charges $10.00 an hour. If both come, they charge $12.00 an hour, split between them. And of course, I tip them an hour apiece.

That is just for cleaning.

[Grace]

Hmmmm....that's a tough one. I know my friend who did the exact same job around here got $500 a week (cash) for 8-9 hours a day/5 days a week - so basically $100 a day. But that was a very upscale neighborhood, and the people were BIG slobs (thus the cleaning and laundry were really tough jobs).

I do know that in my opinion, it's worth far more than minimum wage pays. I pay my cleaning lady $60 to just clean my house when she comes (every two weeks, and it usually takes her about 4 hours, so that works out to about $15/hour). She doesn't have to do anything else that you have to do (cooking/shopping, etc).

I guess this is that age old question about the monetary value of a housewife??? PRICELESS if you ask me! Particularly when someone like you who puts love into everything is doing it all....

I don't know what to tell you Maureen, except to say that if it were me, I'd pay you a LOT!

[Molli526]

$8.50 is not enough for what you do. You should get $10/ hr minimum, but since you are doing more than cleaning, I would say $12.50 -$15.

[kima]

Hey Grace-I am all yours!!!!
Right now I get 13.00 /hour and am asking for 14.00.
I feel this is a fair request-four hourss a day is great but in many ways it is like working a full day. I could get a job that was two days a week at 10.00/hour and make almost the same amount of money. The big advantage of working for her is the flexibility she offers. if I get a sub teaching job I can take it.
I vowed though that I would stick to my request (this past year when I was cleaning oout her huge freezer!!!)

[Canice]

Good heavens, I can't imagine her balking at $14/hour for all THAT! That's a heck of a lot of work.
DBF pays $50 to the woman who comes each week to clean his house; it's an easy job (truly) and she gets it done in 4 hours. She recently told me that she actually charges $60 for a 4-hour cleaning but told DBF it was $50. I told her (don't tell on me) that she should just TELL him her rate is $60!!
BTW, Maureen, does she pay you mileage for all that tooling around??

(coming back to say that I didn't mean to suggest cleaning houses is easy! I know it's not. What I meant was that he's just one person there, who does all his own laundry, is naturally tidy, and has a fantastic girlfriend who cleans up the kitchen thoroughly every night after she prepares a wonderful meal for him, inspired by her dear friends on this BB. )

[Beth]

I don't use a cleaning person -- the last one I had broke or stole things and damaged the house, and the one our tenants had was the apparent cause of some of the damage at that house. I can't afford that, so I don't know what I would have to pay. I do know that the handy man we are using for some repairs gets $30 and hour and $20 hour seems to be a common rate for assistants to contractors and service people. The only reason I would see that your work might be valued at a lower rate is that you are used on a regular basis. I think $15 and hour would be reasonable for the many services you are providing -- maybe additional for mileage if you are driving much.

[kima]

I do get paid mileage.
This family has alot of hired help. The guy who mows the lawn (and it takes about 2 hours) gets about 26.00/hour. Yes he has to pay for gas but still...

It will be interesting to hear what she says back-she offered me a .50 raise. When I said 1.00 she said she'd think about it.
I guess she will have to think how much she values coming home to a clean house, the compost bim emptied, the recycling taken care of, dinner ready to serve.....as the CC ad says..priceless!!!

And no offense to all my dear lawyer friends here but if you compare wages....

[Canice]

Two HOURS?! And with a *power* mower? OMG -just how big IS her estate?

[mbrogier]

Ok, a personal chef would get a lot more than $14 an hour, just for that! I know they buy all the groceries, but they either add that into their fee, or they get it all wholesale. I think a personal chef runs about $300 a week, but that's for 3-4 complete meals that they cook, put in the fridge or freezer and kitchen clean-up.

Just curious...do they have extra insurance for you to be driving the kids...or do you???

[kima]

I really appreciate all your replies.
They live in a normal house with a normal size front and back yard. Grass grows quickly here and whenever the guy does theirs i is like mowing a jungle.

No extra insurance-here in BC passengers are covered. The DD I pick up is 16.

I'll keep you posted as to what her response is. I am not going to haggle over .50/ hour (works out to less than 50..00 more a month. I am worth it!!!

[honeygirl1971]

Kima, you are totally worth it. Here in Chicago my BF pays a cleaning guy $60 per time, but my BF is the biggest neat freak EVER (no joke, he's seriously pathological about it), and I seriously think that his housecleaner has very little to do! He takes out the trash, if there is trash, does laundry, if there is laundry, runs over the surfaces of things and that's about it! No cooking, no heavy duty cleaning. If he came to my apt, he'd have A LOT more work to do, and I'm a pretty neat person! Actually, my BF and I have half-seriously joked about me cleaning his place and him paying me instead of paying the cleaning guy, but I don't think it's a good idea to set that precedent (he already thinks of me as the cook--for free), so I've never done it, but I have considered it, given the good wage! That woman is SO LUCKY to have you, you should definitely stick to your guns!

[kima]

Why thank you honeygirl!!
The first time I went to work at this house I almost had an anxiety attack! I literally didn't know where to begin! Every day the kitchen is a total mess. They eat in a hurry in the morning-very healthy stuff actually. The blender, the juicer, wafflemaker, pots are all a mess. Dishes, banana peels, newspapers, etc. are everywhere. It looks like they flew in, cooked ,ate and ran out the door. Every day. Oh and of course their are pan etc. from dinner the night before.
When they come home the counters are spotless, everything is put away and dinner is made.

I should take a picture of the place (if I go back) but that would be a severe breech of privacy!!

I have the clean up down to a science now!

[Beth]

Originally posted by kima
I do get paid mileage.
This family has alot of hired help. The guy who mows the lawn (and it takes about 2 hours) gets about 26.00/hour. Yes he has to pay for gas but still...

And no offense to all my dear lawyer friends here but if you compare wages....

Maybe she would like to eat the grass???

Do I remember that one or both of them are lawyers? Maybe your only mistake was not asking for a lot more so they would have more to negotiate.

[Wendy w]

Maureen, your posts about them have mentioned how high maintenance they are, please do not sell yourself short. Do not underestimate your value, especially since they pay the lawn mowing guy that much.

[badunnin]

We pay our cleaning lady (sometimes ladies) $60 to clean our 2000 sqft home. If it takes 4 hours, it's $15/hour, which is over $20 CDN. Fight for it Maureen!

[Canice]

This feels like another one of those cases where you just wish you could say, "Listen, I ran this past my friends on the BB and they all agree that...."

[kima]

Originally posted by Canice
This feels like another one of those cases where you just wish you could say, "Listen, I ran this past my friends on the BB and they all agree that...."

I'd die if she ever saw this BB!!!!!!
Thanks guys I am going to stay strong!
I did mention that I asked friends and they all paid between 15-18/hour. Her reply-well you don't just do cleaning-some of the stuff is easier than that. I haven't replied but feel like saying-in every job there are easier parts than others. I am sure in law alot of it is prety routine and "easy" and some is demading and challenging. My sister is a lawyer and she charges for her time!
Again no offense to the lawyers here!

[Canice]

Originally posted by kima
...I did mention that I asked friends and they all paid between 15-18/hour. Her reply-well you don't just do cleaning-some of the stuff is easier than that.

Well, planning a menu, shopping for it, preparing the meal for four people and cleaning up from both the cooking and the dining is more work than running a vacuum, washing a toilet, or making the beds. She should know better than to make an argument like that. You're being completely reasonable, and anyone who's ever hired anyone to do anything understands why there's that old cliché Good Help is Hard to Find.
I can't believe she's being so petty.

[tbb113]

Maureen:

I think your salary request is very reasonable (even low in my opinion). The only problem I could see if you stick to your guns is that you might not have the job at all. In today's economy, you need to determine how reasonable your employer is (and from previous posts...it doesn't seem that she is that reasonable) and if you can bargain with her.

Tyra

[Beth]

Seems like your lady has it backwards. Grunt labor tends to be at lower wages and higher wages go to work that may be less demanding physically but that requires more skill. Maybe you should do mac n cheese from the box, hamburger helper and stuf from a can for a week and tell her that's what she paid for -- the easier stuff. Besides, if it's so easy, why doesn't she do it? I think you are low, even with what you asked.

[Peggy C.]

Maureen do people advertise for your type of services in the classified section of the newspaper? I'd take a look at what others are willing to pay or what others charge and provided it supports your request, I'd show it to her.