Gardener Pay

[LindseyKaufman]

Could some of you share what you pay your gardener?

I have had several over the years. Most were Haitians who were good workers but knew nothing about gardening. They needed constant direction. I need to go to work and cannot be home to give it to them.

Now I have a decent gardener who also cleans the pool once or twice a week. He works 3 mornings a week, supposedly from 8:30- noon.

When he started I asked him what pay he needed. He said 10,000, which is what I paid the others. Apparently, he meant not 10,000 a month, but 10,000 every two weeks!!!!

I tell him that is too much. He says that is what others pay him. I said they must be newly arrived ex-pats who don't know better. I told him that I would check what others are paying and get back to him.

So what do you pay a gardener?

 

[johne]

I'm old school and pay by the hour. This method has worked for me all my adult life. Each day I direct what is to be done the FOLLOWING day. What time he should start and how many hours he will work. I mark in a book (which I show him) his hours and get an agreement daily. He gets paid on Saturday after Saturday's work is done. Generally I don't have him work Sunday unless there are special situations.
I am able to do this 4 out of 6 weeks as I live here in the DR. (the other 12 days that I travel I rely on him "watering only" daily). I also have him start at 6am which in this heat is advisable and an hour that I can check on him without interference with other things I might want to do like, go to capital, play some golf etc.

I pay $2.00 US and hour. You must be perfectly clear at the beginning and monitor him so he stays on target with the deal. It doesn't always work with the first candidate but eventually you will find a responsible person.

 

[johne]

ETA: While I am traveling IF he doesn't water everything will die including a generous amount of vetables he is given each week. He is given a set amount for each day I am gone.

 

[AlterEgo]

10,000 for 3 half days a week is a good salary, especially in the campo. It’s wayyyyyy above minimum wage, sounds like he’s taking a shot to see if you’ll go for it.

 

[Kipling333]

I have a gardener and his duties are to keep the plants and lawn in good health and to keep the pool clean and to clean the glass windows and doors on the outside. I pay him exactly 10,000 every 15 days plus he has a lot lunch which my muchacha cooks and I pay for the food. Plus ,of course, the extra month in December and his medical insurance. He works 5 days a week and occasionally on saturday morning.. He is paid more than other gardeners that I know of. You are unlikely to find anyone that does not some good instructions for a week or two.

 

[bob saunders]

We pay our gardener 16,000 a month, plus extra if we ask him to do some plumbing or cleaning outside of his normal duties. Plus his son doesn't pay to go to the school. He works around 30 hours a week.

 

[AlterEgo]

I have a gardener and his duties are to keep the plants and lawn in good health and to keep the pool clean and to clean the glass windows and doors on the outside. I pay him exactly 10,000 every 15 days plus he has a lot lunch which my muchacha cooks and I pay for the food. Plus ,of course, the extra month in December and his medical insurance. He works 5 days a week and occasionally on saturday morning.. He is paid more than other gardeners that I know of. You are unlikely to find anyone that does not some good instructions for a week or two.

What are his hours? Sounds equivalent to Lindsey’s 3 half days.

 

[Kipling333]

His hours normally are from 8 am to 3 pm but at present he is working a little longer because of the drought but he is taking an extra hour at lunch time to eat and have a snooze.

 

[william webster]

I think (and pay) about 500-600/day..... my main man of 10+yrs gets 700

 

[Kricke87]

Could some of you share what you pay your gardener?

I have had several over the years. Most were Haitians who were good workers but knew nothing about gardening. They needed constant direction. I need to go to work and cannot be home to give it to them.

Now I have a decent gardener who also cleans the pool once or twice a week. He works 3 mornings a week, supposedly from 8:30- noon.

When he started I asked him what pay he needed. He said 10,000, which is what I paid the others. Apparently, he meant not 10,000 a month, but 10,000 every two weeks!!!!

I tell him that is too much. He says that is what others pay him. I said they must be newly arrived ex-pats who don't know better. I told him that I would check what others are paying and get back to him.

So what do you pay a gardener?

Just calculate it by the hour. If he works 3.5 hours per day for let's say 7 days during a 15 day period. That's around 25 hours. Do you think he is worth paying 400 pesos (around $7.5) per hour?
I live in an apartment but when I lived in a house about 4 years ago, about once a month I had a guy come over and just clean the garden and cut down branches and stuff, and I just paid him like 500 pesos for about 4-5 hours work and he was happy about that. So 20000 pesos a month seems a lot, I would highly doubt that he gets paid that amount anywhere else, for around 50 hours/month.

 

[Kipling333]

20,000 pesos a month seems a lot!!! That is only 5000 pesos every week . Well under US$100. With current prices , it is difficult to live on that amount with even a small family .

 

[Seamonkey]

My gardner only works once a week for about 6 hours. He rakes my leaves and does a basic cleaning of the yard. I don't want him touching my pool or cutting the grass. I provide him with drinking water and coffee. I pay him 1200 pesos each day and he is quite happy with that. That's double of minimum wage.

 

[AlterEgo]

20,000 pesos a month seems a lot!!! That is only 5000 pesos every week . Well under US$100. With current prices , it is difficult to live on that amount with even a small family .

Did you miss that her guy is only there three half days a week? And he has other jobs?

 

[drstock]

What the previous employees were paid, 10,000 per month, was generous for three half days a week.

 

[johne]

20,000 pesos a month seems a lot!!! That is only 5000 pesos every week . Well under US$100. With current prices , it is difficult to live on that amount with even a small family .

20,000 pesos a month seems a lot!!! That is only 5000 pesos every week . Well under US$100. With current prices , it is difficult to live on that amount with even a small family .

But is the basis of determining the price per day or per hour HIS cost of living? All of us want to pay a fair and equitable rate. Some of the members don't know what that rate is. In the case of OP she feels its too much. I feel, honestly, she doesn't know what she is getting for a fixed rate. How does she know? She goes to work in the morning and closes her eyes. Till this posting.

 

[CG]

20k for 3.5 mornings a week?, he's nut's, he's trying to milk ya! - Tell him you can't afford it. 10k for 3.5 mornings a week is already above the norm..

 

[Kipling333]

Did you miss that her guy is only there three half days a week? And he has other jobs?

I was replying to Kricke87 which was the post before mine..in his post he suggested that 20,000 per month was too much and I think it is fair . ..Of course, 10,000 per week is too much ,I pay exactly half that but for more hours.

 

[lifeisgreat]

4000 a month last 7rs takes care of pool and gardening..anything extra work wise gets paid separate

 

[LindseyKaufman]

Lots of great input here. Sadly there is not a standard rate here in the DR. I welcome as many responses as I can get to make a decision regarding how to proceed.

 

[bob saunders]

Lots of great input here. Sadly there is not a standard rate here in the DR. I welcome as many responses as I can get to make a decision regarding how to proceed.

Negotiating time. Maybe you can settle for 15,000.