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Kinds of Household Help Hired in India

Posted On: April 25, 2012

By: Pallavi Rao
Edited by: Jennifer Kumar & Chris Sufi 

Note: Quoted rates in this article are from 2012.

In the previous post, I shared some general tips on hiring household help in Mumbai, India. Today, I would like to introduce you to all the different kinds of help that you can hire to for household jobs in Mumbai, India. 


Extra (Household) Help
In Mumbai, the cost is calculated based on the kind of work as well as the area (neighborhood). Some areas are more expensive than the others. Maids can be hired for a full day (morning until evening) or for chutta work. A full day’s pay is a minimum of Rs 5,500 onwards.


Chutta work is about Rs. 550/700 per job. In such cases, dusting and jharoo pocha are considered as two jobs. When chores like cleaning the bathroom, making the bed, washing the dishes, washing the clothes, and drying the clothes are added, it can become expensive though the price can be negotiated.
Budget your time: A couple of hours. (2-3 hours)


Cook
A cook’s payment will depend on their capabilities. They charge according to how many cuisines they have to cook. The number of recipes that they can cook is equally proportionate to their charge. Their salary starts from Rs. 1,500/2,000 for very basic cooking, and can go up to Rs. 3,000/4,000 or more depending on how many times they would cook in a house.
Budget your time: About one hour or more.


Driver
Their salaries are above Rs. 8,000 depending on the brand of car he drives. The bigger the car, the higher their charge.
Tips: Generally, a whole month’s salary is given as a bonus for Diwali. Some drivers who been with you for a while also expect 15 days or more paid leave.
There are three kinds of drivers: Home Duty, Office Duty, and Daily Wagers.
Home Duty – They stay with you at home and take you for shopping, errands, taking kids to school, picking them up, etc.
Office Duty – Takes you to office. Stays at your office and is ready for you if you need to travel around during the day for work-related commitments.
Daily Wage– Paid based per hour or time frame (half day / whole day, etc).
Budget your time: Varies based on commute.


Dhobhi (Washerperson)
The charges are between Rs. 2 to Rs. 5 per garment.
Budget your time: They come daily or thrice a week as per your requirement.


Car cleaner
Car cleaners come six days a week. They charge Rs 250-500 per month depending on what they are cleaning.
Generally car cleaners have other jobs, and do this to make extra money. A driver can also be a car cleaner if negotiated properly.
Budget your time: Car cleaners can come up to six days a week. They prefer to come early in the morning. Twenty minutes is the time required to clean the car.


You can use these tips as guidelines to help you in arranging for particular kinds of household help. Take note that drivers and car cleaners may not be readily available in all parts of India. They seem to be more in demand in bigger cities among particular groups of people.


Do you have any other tips or guidelines that will be helpful to others in regards to household help in India? Get in touch with us to let us know!


Glossary:
chutta work – Freelance work, or work paid by each category of job (For instance these jobs would be paid for separately: making beds, sweeping, dusting, washing dishes, etc.)
jharoo pocha – Sweeping and swabbing (mopping)




**Take note that prices quoted in this article will vary based on cost of living in a particular city, neighborhood, and area or section of town.




Pallavi Rao, lives in Mumbai and enjoys helping people understand the culture and lifestyle of Mumbai and India. She can be reached at: pallavidrao at yahoo.co.uk.
Chris Sufi is a freelance editor who lives in Bangalore, India. Her personal interest in language and communication inspires her to contribute through proofreading and editing.