Live-in Maid/Housekeeper desperately needed in Santiago....

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citimq2

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Jun 20, 2010
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Live-in Maid/Housekeeper desperately needed in Santiago....

I'm a US Citizen living with my Dominican wife and son in Santiago and we just lost our Live-in housekeeper to a drunken stupor and she abandoned us.

My wife is 6 months pregnant and not very mobile and I travel back and forth to the states.

We need an honest, hard working young (18-30) woman to live in and manage the household while I'm away with very little supervision. This person needs to be very independent with no drama outside of work, meaning no children or boyfriends calling all day and night.

You will be well compensated,

Living conditions are top notch, with private entrance, queen sized bed, closets and full bathroom, with privacy.

Food and boarding are included with a monthly salary of $5500 RD paid on the 15th and 30th of each month. This is a 6 day a week job requiring overnight stay through the week (no day workers), Sunday off, but must be onsite by 7:30am Monday. When the baby is born this will be a 7 days but additional compensation will offered.

The house is in a very quiet, low crime area of Santiago 2 blocks off 27 De Febrero with easy access to the T car. This is a large 4000 sq ft house with pool and park like setting. This is paradise in the Caribbean.

We need help......
 
Hillbilly

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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Are you kidding? That is a great deal, but I would suggest that there be no age limit, since you will probably get a better class of person if they are older.

You might want to talk to SKing on this site. She has some good luck...you never know.

HB
 
AlterEgo

AlterEgo

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JDJones said:
No kidding.. I pay my haitiana 5500 a month, for half a day, three times a week.

Everyone around me pays more.....
Click to expand...

JD, I think you're in SD, and I have to tell you that Dominicans in the capital do not pay that to their help. Both of my sisters-in-law have live in ladies, one day off a week, and pay $7000RD monthly. One has a house [one son in college], the other a large condo in El Million [3 kids in college], probably similar sq.ft. and similar duties.

AE
 
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william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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Just as a point of reference....

up on the north coast...in a smaller type pueblo, we pay 400 pesos a day.

I would have thought the bigger cities would pay more.

Wrong? Right?

WW
 
waytogo

waytogo

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Apr 3, 2009
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william webster said:
Just as a point of reference....

up on the north coast...in a smaller type pueblo, we pay 400 pesos a day.

I would have thought the bigger cities would pay more.

Wrong? Right?

WW
Click to expand...

With this said, the OP is looking for a minimum of 25-26 days AND nights per month.....25 x 400 = 10,000 DP per month, he wants to pay 5500.
Now subtract the going rate, whatever that is for room and board, so what's left. I guess while she's living there she won't have time to spend her earnings so maybe she can save a little every month.
Maybe J.D and I pay to much for our help.........I don't think so.
 
waytogo

waytogo

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Plus, with a baby in the very near future, he will have to find someone that is highly recommended from someone that he trusts.
With the kind of living conditions the OP is talking about, for the new baby's sake, find the right person for the right price. If he paid even 2500 more per month, that's what 68.00 a month more, 17 Dollars a week for a TOTAL of 218. per month for being on call 24/6......Is that really a lot?
 
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donP

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Dec 14, 2008
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citimq2 said:
young (18-30) woman __ no children or boyfriends ___ private entrance, queen sized bed __with privacy.
Click to expand...

That's asking for trouble. :eek:gre:

Get a very young girl from the campo (besides her you may need a cook... :bunny: ) or a mature woman in a stable relationship.

donP
 
AlterEgo

AlterEgo

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JDJones said:
That's my point, I think what I pay is a bargain.

I had to look far and wide to find someone to work for that price, and you'll note - she's Haitian. What she gets doesn't cover more than her transportation.

Our girl used to get $7500 for 5 days, working a half day each day. Full days, plus nights, would get considerably more.

I'd say that $7500 would be bottom dollar for that many hours with meals and sleep over included.

Of course, he could always head over to the Haitian border, and start from scratch with one of the girls that can be found for next to nothing in the markets, but you have to teach them how to do EVERYTHING!!!!
Click to expand...

First of all, a live in maid has no living expenses at all, no rent, no food bills, no toiletry expenses, etc., everything they need is provided by the household. Right down to the toothpaste and aspirins. They live in a nice home and eat good food. If they get sick, their medicine is provided. They don't actually WORK 24/6, they are not 'on-call' during the night [unless they have the responsibility of a baby, but when my nieces & nephews were babies they all slept in their parents' room]. They often sit and watch novelas, they have a lot of 'breaks'. It's not the same as hiring someone to come and clean your house nonstop for 4 hours a few days a week.

We've discussed before that we [non-Dominicans] often pay household help too much, and then the women think everyone should pay them that.

As far as bringing a girl from the campo, my mother-in-law has done that umpteen times. In return, she provides the girl with a home in SD, food, clothing and pays for her education. She trains the girl as a maid so she can get a job working for a family in the capital. No cash changes hands. The parents are usually happy that the girl is being educated in the capital, eating well and living well - and they have one less mouth to feed. [I personally thank God that I wasn't born into that life]. As much as it bothers me, I have to say the girls are treated like one of the family, come to the beach or outings, etc.

AE
 
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william webster

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Alterego.... you are right. Some may find it hard to accept, but the life of a domestic is not bad, depending on the circumstances.

Interesting, that when the slaves were released in America, 100 + years ago, many refused to leave the family.
It was their family too.

See MtAnnie's post on another thread.... those domestics had offspring from the household..... this is not always as it was perceived... slavery was not always cruelty and punishment ( a la Uncle Tom)..... symbiotic might be a more clear outlook.
It was truly a mixed bag that might not be tolerated in todays society.

Anyway, training and educating a young girl from the campo is a wonderful idea.... good for both parties.
A domestic is an occupation - same as a bricklayer, carpenter, etc. A future with an income.
Treat it as an apprenticeship if you cannot see it any other way.

We're not talking Woody Allen here..... ugh !

I'm sure flak will follow..... but...

WW
 
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SteveS

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Apr 15, 2008
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JDJones said:
That's my point, I think what I pay is a bargain.

I had to look far and wide to find someone to work for that price, and you'll note - she's Haitian. What she gets doesn't cover more than her transportation.

Our girl used to get $7500 for 5 days, working a half day each day. Full days, plus nights, would get considerably more.

I'd say that $7500 would be bottom dollar for that many hours with meals and sleep over included.

Of course, he could always head over to the Haitian border, and start from scratch with one of the girls that can be found for next to nothing in the markets, but you have to teach them how to do EVERYTHING!!!!
Click to expand...

I live round the corner from JD and we pay considerably less.

We have a live in muchacha paid $5000 a month plus board. (and only recently moved up to this cos she does some babysitting now), another girl who comes 2 full days a week to wash and iron gets $2000 a month, and the ni?era $6500 (including her daily passaje) who does 12hrs a day 5 days a week.

All toll we pay $13,500 for 2 1/2 staff.

Wow, we are tight in comparison.........



On a side note, we paid our muchacha through schoool last year and is now a qualified teacher, however if she left her starting salary would be $10k and no room and board so she stays for the easier life.....

I still struggle with the concept of having "helpers" around the house who are paid so badly too, especially given that every one of them is much older than I am too...


Also like AE said, they are treated well and have been for many years by us and my wife's family beforehand. And strangely to me, they all seem very content with their lives exactly as they are. They have no complaints and neither do I (except for the tendency to burn most of the food, apparently "that's how they like it" though)
 
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Acira

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At least you guy's are lucky to find somebody that wants to work in your household.
I still have to find the one who wants to come maybe two half day's in a week knowing the dogs are running around here ;)
 
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citimq2

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okay everyone,,,,, I get the point of the complaints. There is no set price of any housekeeper/nanny in this country. We are going off what the actual people themselves were asking. I'll give them 15,000RD if I could get a hardworking individual that will actually work.

we'll at least the women we have working for us have been very lazy. I'm looking for a highly reputable individual to work for us. The problem is you can't trust anyone in this country.

If anyone can refer me to someone, I don't care the age,,,, I'll pony up $8000RD to start, if they work out well I will bump her up to $10,000RD by the end of the month. Now if there is a duo team, I'll go $5500 each.
 
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Chip

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I live in Santiago and am certain you can find someone at that price. Certainly one can pay more as well.

You might ask your wife if she has any young cousins/nieces in the campo that might be interested in doing the work and if so you could pay for their school as well. This is done a lot here.
 
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citimq2

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well.....

The last 2 individuals here were family friends, what a joke....

I don't know why but in this country of such poverty, why the young ones act as if they are owed something in life. Family values here are different than the USA, where the family sticks together like the early years in the USA. The youth are similar in both country's. They don't want to work..... Most sit all day in the campo doing nothing... I have asked many times, wouldn't you like to work and make some money, most say naa, my boyfriend will take care of me, or my family is taking care of me....

You work hard and give an honest days work and you get compensated, that is life.

I'm 41 now but working since i'm 14, I have had to earn money to by anything I wanted, no loans, no borrowing, I saved until I could afford it. The demand for material things in my mind drove me to work so I could afford them.

The women we have had here work for an hour sleep for 3, work another hour go and watch TV, they don't want to do the work outlined for them and do it their way....

We had a family friend daughter 13, dirt poor, she helped out over a weekend and she worked her butt off. She actually did more work than the live-in here. Did exactly what my wife asked her to do. We gave her $1500 peso's for the weekend, she was dumbfounded and nearly fell over in disbelief, she has never had that much money in her hands.

I don't condone childhood labor but I would have liked her to stay but family wont allow her to stay here. Very tentative, polite and does the job right the first time.
 
waytogo

waytogo

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citimq2 said:
We gave her $1500 peso's for the weekend, she was dumbfounded and nearly fell over in disbelief, she has never had that much money in her hands.
family wont allow her to stay here. Very tentative, polite and does the job right the first time.
Click to expand...

Of course, you most likely took away there full time housekeeper...
They need her so they can sit all day and watch her work for free...
 
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citimq2

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Well yes and no,,,, Her grandmother is ill and she needs to help around house, as to free yes, but she is 13, kinda young to be out working. I know I wouldn't allow my daughter out like that...
 
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Chip

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citimq2 said:
I don't know why but in this country of such poverty, why the young ones act as if they are owed something in life. Family values here are different than the USA, where the family sticks together like the early years in the USA. The youth are similar in both country's. They don't want to work..... Most sit all day in the campo doing nothing... I have asked many times, wouldn't you like to work and make some money, most say naa, my boyfriend will take care of me, or my family is taking care of me....
Click to expand...

Odd but I've had the exact opposite experience.
 
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