Domestic help are referred to as “Ayi”, which means “auntie” Now this was just very sad! The school asked some of the household women to come to the school where we, Bev not me, and the other female spouses interviewed them for positions as household helpers. About twice as many women showed up that were needed. They all wanted jobs, and sitting in rows of chairs smiling as part of the job hiring process, of course there were no applications, or skills screening process. Apparently, it is just show up, smile and hope to be chosen. We had previously worked out things like how three families would share one person. However, our QSI interpreter told us that we had to hire more girls. We ended up sharing one with a family here that has three children. We will have Bing Chow (That is her first name Americanized), three days a week four hours a day and they will have her the rest of the time. Every family negotiates with their Ayi how much to pay etc. Bev and Suzy negotiated the salary and working conditions in about five minutes. She makes the equivalent of $2.50 per hour so our cost is about $110 a month. Bing Chow is very nice, I thought she was about 18 but she is 27. She says she has worked for four different families before. She starts today. (The morning after we hired her) so we’ll see. Although hiring Chinese is not required, it does seem to be expected from the (Rich, American teachers).
Ok! Update on Bing Chow, after Bev had left the house and came over to Starbucks I discovered that I did not have the charger for my computer. Bev went back to get it and check on Bing Chow, good thing she was cleaning the floor using the can of RAID we had purchased due to an ant invasion, as the cleaner. We have since talked to her a couple of times and I think she will work out. We just need to help her with what she needs to do and how to do it. We left our business card with her to let her know where we worked, so she came to school and Tim was called to the office because she couldn’t finish the laundry and she wanted to keep her job. She is very anxious to please, and we will have to adjust her schedule. Really counting on her job for her family she says! Here is a picture of Bing Chow on the left and Julie the interpreter and an employee of QSI. Bing Chow is on the left in the photograph.
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2 comments:
I live in Shekou and don't have a full-time or part-time ayi. My building provides someone that comes in for one hour every weekday morning. I still, though, have to clean the bathrooms and kitchens with cleaning products at least once a week. The maids just rinse everything down in the bathroom with very hot water, for instance.
Anyway, of my American friends that have hired a Chinese ayi here, they learned that they have to give pretty explicit instructions on how to clean things with cleaning products if the ayi has no experience. "This is bathroom cleaner. You use it like this." "This is Windex. Use it like this." "This is a vacuum cleaner."
Hmmm, who said you would get domestic help. Everyone does and I knew you would also. I am sure you have found out that many people have their help actually live in the house with them.
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