Forum Topic

Housekeeper wanted

Daily Housekeeper required for immediate start for a family in Barnes, SW13Monday to Friday 1pm-6pm,£10p/hAll household cleaning, collecting children 7&10 from school at 4 pm each day and cooking them supper and some babysitting and dog walking will be required.Must have excellent checkable references and  good spoken EnglishLive out position onlyPlease call Alexandra on 07534 241484 or email alexandra@design2finish.co.uk

Alexandra Harvey ● 2784d15 Comments

Anyone who can afford to have personal cooks should at least pay the LLW especially when you consider the cost of living these days. So please, don't pat yourself on the back as i wouldn't be proud of that

Emarisa Battoia ● 2772d

Cooking is not equitable to housework and all the other physical tasks involved in housekeeping, plus the responsibility of childcare.

Sue Hammond ● 2772d

Well, I have been employing such ladies for almost 2 years now, as cooks rather than cleaners. £10 is the going rate right now in West Puutney

Gordon Pirie ● 2772d

How is saying that £10 per hour is too little rude Gordon? That is less than the LLW and i would think a parent would want to pay more than that to someone looking after their children wouldn't they? And the person is to 'live out' meaning that they have to pay rent and travel on £10 per hour, makes sense when you look at it like that. If you can ask for a housekeeper you can afford to pay a realistic wage.

Emarisa Battoia ● 2773d

Good point Adam.

Sue Hammond ● 2773d

based on the job description, I believe the housekeeper would be entitled to a workplace pension which may come as a surprise to Alexander

Adam Tripp ● 2773d

I don't see the responses as rude just pointing out some realities? Having the responsibility of looking after children, even if only for a short time, would seem to warrant more - as someone who ran their own business said to me years ago: overpay your good employees and fire the bad ones asap. Of course we don't know the personal and financial circumstances of the person posting this so one shouldn't be too judgemental. However, my maternal grandmother was a cleaner in the 1930s so basically I'm definitely with Sue on this one!

Michael Ixer ● 2773d

I bet they wouldn't.  Why would Polish ladies not know their worth? I think you must be living in the past Gordon.

Sue Hammond ● 2773d

I am astonished at the rudeness displayed by readers of Alexandra's notice. Plenty of Polish ladies will be quite happy to take on this role, even at the admittedly modest wage.

Gordon Pirie ● 2773d

The better you are at something the more people take liberties and talk down to you. Their the lazy ones, never shown how to do anything for themselves. Most people work, clean their house look after children etc.

Barbara Stevens ● 2777d

No I won't be calling because you are not paying anything near to a market rate.  (And BTW that statement is based on the rate for my excellent former cleaner, not for me personally - as the retired head of compliance for a plc).

Helen Passey ● 2778d

Me too Barbara. I note that Alexandra doesn't say anything about the 'housekeeper' doing all the washing and ironing for the family, together with all the other domestic tasks she expects to have done for the money. My late Mother was a cleaner for a wealthy family and I used to get so angry over the liberties they took with her. It was a case of 'oh could you just do this for me' or 'could you just help with the preparations for our dinner party tonight' or 'could you wash and iron the loose covers on the sofas' and a million other things. 😡 The fat entitled husband even asked Mum to clean the bloody bbq, and only she did it! I was so incensed over that I persuaded Mum give up the job and told Dad he had to give her extra housekeeping money to make up for the loss, which was a pittance anyway.

Sue Hammond ● 2778d

I felt worn out just reading it.

Barbara Stevens ● 2778d

Blimey Alexandra you want an awful lot done for your measly £10 ph!  Baby sitting and dog walking are extra duties too. Slave labour was abolished a long time ago. 🙄

Sue Hammond ● 2779d

I would say you wont get much response for £10/hour. Regular cleaners get £12.50 without the additional responsibility of childcare pick up. That’s London for ya.

Maxine Campbell ● 2780d