Working with a maid, what to expect, recommendations, and real life stories
By Ines Meneses
April, 26 2005
Getting a maid is a big deal. Getting a good maid is a bigger deal. And keeping a good maid is the biggest deal of all. Having a maid may be a nightmare or a dream. It becomes a nightmare when maid and employer are not able to communicate or if the maid is not honest (we’ll talk more about that later). It is a dream when there is a good match between maid and employer, the house is clean, clothes are clean and pressed, food is good and everyone is happy.
First of all, do not consider having a maid as a requirement, but rather an affordable comfort. Manual labor is cheap in Brazil, so most families middle class and higher have some sort of domestic help. Therefore, the way that houses are built, cleaning products and most things that you can think about related to housekeeping are not necessarily easy or practical such as in the US.
The habit of pressing clothes is an additional chore that we don’t have in the US. So include in your luggage clothes that do not need pressing, at least for the period you do not have a maid.
Recommendations on how to increase your chances of a successful relationship with a maid:
· Before hiring a maid, make sure that you learn enough Portuguese to communicate at least basic ideas. Brazil is a much more hierarchical society than the US, so most likely your maid will expect specific directions from you about what to do. Low income people rarely have access to good education, so chances of finding an English speaking maid are slim.
· Depending on how (un)comfortable you are with Portuguese, have a translator with you while you interview potential candidates and let the translator make calls on your behalf to check on the candidates’ references.
· After you select a maid, start with a “training period” in mind. Have a translator spend some time with you and the maid. Explain to the maid all your preferences, schedules, expectations, etc. Also take this opportunity to hear the maid about her preferences, schedules, and expectations. Make sure to exchange pet peeves as well. If there are certain requests that you are not able to express in Portuguese yet, agree on some type code or symbol so that your maid can understand you later when the translator is not around.
· Ask your translator to be available on the phone eventually, for those days when you and your maid do not understand each other on something critical.
· The ideal profile of a translator is a woman who has family and kids and manages a maid herself. She will be able to not only translate, but also advise on what to ask, what to say, details on how to handle the maid, etc.
· The maid and the family will spend many hours together almost every day. So take this opportunity to learn Portuguese from her and to teach her English.
· CRITICAL: Have someone advise you on all the law requirements on what and how to pay the maid. Have her sign a receipt for every single penny you pay. Keep all your maid related documentation current. Brazilian law is very protective of the employee and it is common for an unhappy ex-employee to sue the ex-employer.
Some people have had terrible experiences with maids, so it is important that you understand what could possibly go wrong, so that you take proper prevention measures.
No 1-hour interview in the world will give you the full picture of an employee. It is only with time that we get to know people.
There are 2 very common maid horror stories: the first one happens during employment and the second after employment termination.
There have been cases of maids who are dishonest and lie or steal.
One example of lie is that I found the maid’s hair on my clothes. I asked her if she was wearing my clothes. She swore that she never wore anything mine. I assured her that I would lend her anything if she asked me (an unusual gesture of generosity from the part of an employer) but she guaranteed to me that she did not need anything. One day that I was not at home, my grandmother saw her sneaking out the door with my pants on.
One example of stealing was that my Mom has the habit of counting how much money she has. After hiring a new maid, small sums of money started “disappearing” from her wallet.
So make sure you always know exactly how much money you have in each part of the house, and keep anything that is extremely valuable (e.g. jewelry) locked up.
My Mom did not have habit of keeping records on the maid’s payments. She paid everything the law required and she thought that was enough. An ex-maid took my Mom to court. The lawsuit was about my Mom not paying properly. Since my Mom did not have any proof of what she had paid, she lost the case.
With that experience, my Mom learned to keep records on the maid’s payments.
A few years later, another maid took her to court again. This time she had all the proof she needed so the judge declared her innocent.
My Mom has a cook who has been with her for 6 years, a driver who has been with her for 16 years, and a once-a-week heavy duty cleaner for 19 years. These people are part of the family. The maids won’t let me out of the house if I wear some unpressed clothes I picked up from the laundry. The cook cooks for me till this day, even though I live about 500 km/800 miles away (she ships the food).
We give them gifts on special occasions (birthdays, Christmas) and attend to major events in their lives (e.g. graduation party).
It is interesting to note that they eat at a separate table in the kitchen (in respect to the hierarchical culture we live in).
It may be terrific or terrible to have a maid. The bright side is that you have a lot of control over the odds. So if you like the idea of having a clean house, clean clothes, and good food without a lot of work… take the time to do your homework and be happy with your new maid!
© Copyright Ines Meneses 2005