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How much do I pay my Cleaning Lady?


kosika

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I have been in Ajijic for 9 months now and have hired a cleaning lady who works only 2 - 3 hours a week. At first I was told to pay her 50 pesos an hour. Then when the pesos fell so low I was told to up it to 60 and yesterday a cab driver told my neighbor it is 70 pesos per hour. I did search on this site but nothing that I found was current. I don't want to cheat her out of any pay if I owe it to her. What is a fair price to pay per hour?

 

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Many people pay between 40 and 50. You should not worry about the rate of exchange, any more than you would if you were in the U.S. or Canada. And there are those who believe that 40 is too much. However, we live lakeside, where financial expectations are embedded after all these years.

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I used to have a property manager who told our cleaning lady to ask for a raise (which by the way I give every year) because the dollar had gone up. I fired the manager , that is what happen the last time someone told me to follow the rate of exchange of the dollar.....

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It is not normal at all to pay hourly in Mexico. It's become bit so locally because expats are doing that.  In Mexico it's a a salary base. typically $200 - $250 pesos for a 4-6 hour day is normal for maids in the area if they are full time.  Usually a bit more if they are part time since a it's worth taking a bit less daily for a stable full time job. 

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Remember the important word KISS. Keep it simple, stupid. Sit down with the nice maid and ask her what she thinks is a fair amount for the work you are asking her to do.

Unless it's some crazy amount just agree to it. No more wondering or asking other opinions. You and she have a deal and she named the price.

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Kosika--I understand as a newbie you'd want some guidance on what to pay a gardener or a maid. But after you've heard a range of opinions, be guided by your own common sense, now that you're living here, and pay what you think is fair and also agreeable to the person working for you.

The exchange rate these days is a big topic of conversation now because it's so incredibly in favor of people whose income is in dollars. But in my 20 years of living here, the exchange rate didn't determine what you paid an employee. Pay what you think is proper for you. There are people who pay maids as little as they can get away with. Others, pay more fairly, starting at 40 p an hour. True, Mexicans don't usually use the hourly-rate system, but instead pay by the day or half-day for a certain amount of work to be done. It pretty much comes down to the same thing.

It's kind of you to worry about paying a proper amount. You decide, but don't be parsimonious about it. People who say you'll ruin the economy mean, pay as little as possible. It's a code phrase in my opinion for justifying a meager wage. Although I'll admit we gringos generally do tend to pay more than Mexicans. But not always. Ask some Mexicans with household help when you get to know them better.

Lexy

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I find you get what you pay for.

I've had the same housekeeper for years and pay her better than any number mentioned here.  She never misses a day, always does great work and is totally honest.

Inflation is beginning to hit here so keep that in mind.  

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I have had the same housekeeper for years. I pay 220p for approx five hours of work. My lady is friendly, does great work, and is totally honest. I gift her with various things for herself and her family frequently throughout the year.

I am not responsible for determining what this year's wages are going to be, based on inflation, for anyone.

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I have a maid who comes 3hrs per day several day per week. I pay her $50 pesos per hour and around Christmas time I let here work more hours per day over decorating my house with Christmas decorations to get extra spending money.

I'm told I am paying too much by some, others pay more.  She has been getting this for a year. I will look at the Mexican inflation rate and increase her Salary to $55 pesos per hour once inflation as gone up close to 10%

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 I pay my cleaning woman 200 pesos for three hours. She never misses a day, never asks to borrow money, is never late, doesn't have a cell phone much less talk on it, and works briskly  the whole time she is here. Since I know I already pay her at the high end of the scale even for here, I have no intention of giving her a raise. I think we both are happy with our arrangement. 

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8 hours ago, Seren said:

No one is upping the pay for teachers or policemen or - ? etc because of the exchange rate. You upset the economy if you start overpaying because you are suddenly richer with US dollars. 

Yes, and that is the problem (not upping the pay). Gas has just gone up, CFE rates, everything that depends on transport will, etc. It costs your employees just as much to fill up their cars as it costs you, but they are less able to afford it. My maid, who has been working for me for 4 years and does a fantastic job, told me in Dec.that she needs to have her hourly rate increased by 10 peso/hr. in 2017, which I thought was totally fair. Altho she doesn't have to drive to my house, as she lives just up the block, she has 3 kids to ferry around and 5 mouths to feed.

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She comes to work on time, works hard, does not steal, is honest, does not break my things...seriously is this not what  a maid is supposed to do?

I love this comes on time and comes when she should..do not most employees do that, I know I did.

Is honest and does not steal...wow so that makes a good employee...where are we folks.?

50 pesos is usually the going rate roughly now and the USD exchange rate has nothing to do with wages in Mexico. 

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7 hours ago, bezerk said:

She comes to work on time, works hard, does not steal, is honest, does not break my things...seriously is this not what  a maid is supposed to do?

I love this comes on time and comes when she should..do not most employees do that, I know I did.

Is honest and does not steal...wow so that makes a good employee...where are we folks.?

50 pesos is usually the going rate roughly now and the USD exchange rate has nothing to do with wages in Mexico. 

You obviously have not regularly read here the complaints posters have about their cleaning people. Do you honestly believe that every employee everywhere is prompt, hard working, honest, careful, and reliable? Yes, those are the traits of a good employee. No, not every person hired has them.

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20 hours ago, ericurmudgeon said:

What exactly do you mean by "upset the economy"? 

I mean that it becomes more desirable to be a maid or a gardener, working for those who come from the US who are receiving double the income they were 10 years ago and feel the need to double their employees' income accordingly, to not go on with their education to become professionals. Why would they when they can make so much, work for themselves, set their own hours ..... ?  I am paying my wonderful maid $50 pesos an hour and, because I love her so much, I give her  extra $$ for "occasions," always with the understanding that the $$ is a gift, not her salary. What is everyone going to do when the exchange rate goes back to 9 or 10?  We are in Mexico and the currency should be that of this country - I have never lived in a foreign country where the prime currency was USD and not the currency of the country.

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I agree with Seren in that we need to keep in mind the exchange rate will change again.

i do not agree that bright, ambitious young people will choose to clean houses for the rest of their lives rather than get an education and become professionals or start businesses -- even if they well paid for it. 

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I pay 50p/hour and consider it a "high normal".   Based on my housekeeper`s rent in Chapala (I don`t know what her other expenses are), this rate seems to be a living wage.  She seems perfectly happy with it  I give her things I no longer need which she ether uses herself  or distributes to the clan.  I give her the aguinaldo.  This all, with the work she does, feels like a balanced trade.

 

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