More maid questions
I put an ad in the Gulf Times for a full-time live-in female housemaid with solid English skills.
So far 1/3 of the bazillion callers have been male, some looking for themselves and some looking for their "sister".
Another 1/3 barely speak English or have some other automatic disqualifier (no experience with kids, afraid of dogs).
Of the remaining 1/3 it seems that most of them want come see my house first and/or want to know the salary right off the bat. It's very possible that I'm suffering from a "culture block" on this one since asking the salary outright or wanting to see "where I would be working" (e.g. show me my office space) would be an automatic eliminator for any position in the U.S.
Am I being too anal by telling people that the salary will be fair and competitive, and discussed once I decide I'd like to hire them? (A "yes" answer is OK.)
I'm just really put off by people asking the salary and asking to come see my house before they even say "my name is __, I'm from ___, and I'm interested in applying for your housemaid position."
Advice?
Thanks,
Expat Sueño
the fact that, like who.am.i said they aren't even bothering to ask about the job -- it's only the money and, for reasons I don't understand, where I live. I don't get the feeling that it's because they don't want to travel across town for the interview; they keep asking to see my house, which I find very strange and disconcerting.
More often than not the prospective maids are not providing any introduction at all. They call me and say "You are looking for housemaid. How much you pay?" or "Where do you live? Can I come see your house?"
tallg -- no, I would never *take* a job (nor have someone start working) without first negotiating the salary - duh.
However, I would never ask the pay or to see the office/house as my opening line, either. I would introduce myself and ask about the job - how many kids do you have, do you want me to cook, what will the hours be, etc. . .*then* request an interview. In their situation, I probably would ask about the pay before I trekked over to a prospective employer's home, but not until I knew I was actually interested in the job.
I was hoping to find someone great via the paper since expats are always leaving and frequently don't care enough to place their maid, but it hasn't turned out that way. I will probably contact an agency on Sunday.
A bit of humor. . .I found a maid who sounded incredible - really liked her. I was PMing with someone on QL that evening because s/he had given me some advice on how to find a maid via the Gulf Times. Wouldn't you know that it was the maid that worked for their family trying to jump ship - yikes!!! I nearly died when I found out - of all the expats and maids in Doha I happened to find the maid of an expat that I "know" via QL. Good grief.
Expat Sueño
P.S. I won't be interviewing the maid who wants to jump ship.
Maybe you should consider that they are afraid and anxious about the "Where" and "How Much" more than the job itself, since it is very well known that labors and maids are not paid enough to survive in Doha and of course are not treated well... Consider also that a two-way trip to visit your place will cost them the wage of 1 to 2 working days (i.e. their average monthly salary or earning is 800QR; divide it into 30-31 days & u will realize that a Karwa service fees, waiting for public bus hence loosing a day of work, is really a fortune for them)...
Expat sueno, why not bring one in through an agency?
yeah tallg, but she has a different case..
the applicant's didn't even bother to
introduce themselves! :D my golly!
would you like to hire someone so rude?
cheers,
paul
On a Serious Note I may be able to help you. contact me if the need arises.
Ban Spoon Feeding not Me
I dont pay salary... I will give you dosa and sambar? deal? LOL
Formatted Soul - Plenty of Masala Dosai here in Mumbai. Thank you very much :)
Ban Spoon Feeding not Me
whats your question now?
I would never take a job without first negotiating the salary and seeing my potential workplace. Would you?
I would like to apply for the job. My references are Mr. DaRuDe and Ms. Formatted Soul.
PM me if you are interested :)
Ban Spoon Feeding not Me
I once had a maid
she was like a mermaid
she never found her mate
and in last she got late.
RIP.
Lol thats what happens when you give an ad in newspaper.
Better go to some man power agency and check with them yourself they will provide you with each maid profile education skills etc and then you choose
"The best way to predict the future is to create it".