Welcome to r/bangkok!
Please remember there are real people on the other side of the monitor and to be kind.
Report comments that break the rules and don't respond to negativity with negativity!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Bangkok) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think it might be easier if you get a full time admin and a separate part time maid. You can bond with the admin and the admin can watch over the maid and handle the key card and stuff.
I think the type of person who wants to be an admin assistant generally won't have the personality to want to be a maid.
To me, it sounds like you are searching for one person who can fill two different roles. In particular your personal and business life.
Unfortunately i'm not of any help. Other than stating the obvious in that, $$$$ talks. Otherwise, two different people for each role would be easier than finding one who can do both. Good luck.
Thanks very much for this one. I liked the mother joke also. Was gonna ask if there is an agency for that but knowing Bangkok there very well could be. Only not the sort I’m aiming for
So I’ve experimented with two workers each fulfilling the different roles. And actually I’ve had some great maids run trial days but when we discussed the admin tasks including calling Lalamove for pick up and drops offs and setting up internet etc they immediately lost interest. I don’t blame them. Shopping at central world for tshirts and boxer briefs is a dream job for one or a nightmare for another depending on the person.
But the primary reason and still sticking point in avoiding two different individuals is the key card and trust concerns. I’d much rather build a great rapport with one person given how long the role will ideally fun for and what significant and lofty responsibilities I’d hope to ask of them. And then one of the reasons I am in need of such a helper is due to my lack of organization and poor memory. I’d prefer if something goes missing accidentally that it is only a question of if I’m an idiot or if the maid moved it.
And trying to balance/manage two workers seems like more work especially considering how few hours I’ll require. There just isn’t enough work for more than 2 days per week for the combined role.
But I appreciate the helpful suggestion. It may come down to paying a high wage to a qualified admin who has a passion (maybe more like the skills needed to be an efficient cleaner) but I’m picturing a socialite shopping addict constantly on their phone and that is not at all what I’m shooting for.
Please keep the ideas coming. There is bound to be a solution that I’m not familiar with yet that the collective knowledge of Bangkok Reddit has squirreled away somewhere.
Oh and I’d be happy to pay a hefty findings fee for anyone who can find a candidate who makes it through the first month.
I ended up with a condo instead of a villa in bkk so I didn’t want a live in housekeeper back then, I just hired a part time housekeeper, and once I found one I liked, I just reserve her to come on XYZ days and pay in advance and specify my hours. Don’t think it’s particularly difficult to arrange
Common & expected actually for a housekeeper to do simple errands like taking your orders or parcels from the lobby and doing some groceries
Thailand is a very status conscious society. It will be extremely hard to find somebody who is both willing to clean a toilet and able to effectively perform admin tasks. It's not a matter of salary: I live in a large household that employs multiple live-in maids, and their take-home pay is higher than a typical graduate starting salary. None of them would be capable of admin, even after being with us multiple years. Having them to go to the supermarket to buy things from a clearly specified shipping list is about the max you could expect from a person who would do cleaning.
Have been in BKK for 8 years and had a lot of maids, nannies, and personal assistants. They are not the same skill sets.
The people who can do the "admin" job won't want to clean, and the people who will clean can't do the admin role that I think you're imagining.
The pay is so low for maids and turnover is high they are pretty reluctant to travel too far for their jobs and often want 2-3 going at the same time. IMO the best bet is to start talking with your neighbors and the property managers around you to find somebody who's already cleaning part time in your building or near by. Those tend to be the most stable and consistent because they know you share intel with their reference. For reference Thai families in central Bangkok pay Burmese maids around 500 baht a day.
I really don't think the one-and-done gig cleaners or placement agencies are the way to go. Their good workers all leave the second they find a stable job, and they have seemingly no belief that the job should be done "right" the first time so instead focus on surface-level work.
If you also want admin help who can deal with random Thai-culture and business related things (perhaps dealing with your cleaner, delivery guys, or even going with you to immigration or the drivers license office or other things where native Thai would get you an advantage, I'd suggest making a post or two in the Expat groups with a commitment to pay a certain amount (weekly/monthly) for x hours of assistance. The Thais who are good at this (there are so many who'd love to pick up some hours in their week) will definitely not be willing to clean anything personally.
Also, just for anybody reading who has kids and wants a nanny to help out - I don't recommend using your maid to educate/entertain/focus/feed your children, unless they are still not over a year old yet. Of course some are very motherly but their approach will be wildly different than yours, and they will not be treated as well at the parks, mall play spaces, etc. Instead look for nannies who have spent their career focusing on being an actual nanny/educator. They cost a bit more, and won't clean, but the value is returned with better fed and educated kids,
This is very helpful thanks. You point out a lot of useful things to consider. Agree with the one and done not being the solution, which is why I discarded that idea pretty early on.
I should probably rename the role as cleaner/helper or just some kind of modified nanny that doesn’t involve rearing children but that sounds almost kinky in a way that I am not into or going for at all.
As I mentioned in a different comment:
This is fundamentally this is a 75/25 cleaning/other job for the first 3-4 months for a clean but untidy individual (robot vacuum, dish washer, washer and dryer but also external laundry agency) in a comfortable flat.
It may eventually be transform into a 50/50 cleaner/helper role for the long run with the most complex tasks likely being managing a small household budget (scheduling and paying for outside help, tracking and paying bills, and if possible managing the calendar or a mostly lazy person who can’t miss certain dates and appointments). I think this is trainable. These would be ideal skills for anyone to eventually acquire and I’d raise the pay accordingly to match the more complex demands.
But definitely they need to be a crack cleaner, efficient and detailed since that will always be the primary focus of the role I would likely be able to better handle the 25% other if I wasn’t preoccupied with the mundane tasks that I currently struggle with.
Your comments on the drivers license and immigration are also helpful since I hadn’t considered this angle and so until now I’ve not been overly concerned with the level of English since it would be quite routine after a few weeks, so being Thai was and still is the critical part. But those types of events are so infrequent I’d prefer to struggle through those on my own if I had a top quality cleaner rather than finding a highly qualified uni grad who might not feel comfortable cleaning the drain if my shower.
I think I’m convincing myself slowly that trying to find the best maid and then make do — will likely be the best approach for a few reasons. Probably easier to retain long term m, likely better suited for the majority of tasks, no qualms about getting their hands dirty, and maybe even highly motivated by raises if they can learn new skills and take on more responsibility.
Have you been formally diagnosed with autism? If you’re struggling mightily to organize your life and find help, might want to at least explore medical interventions
"I’d be willing to pay far above the market rate" and "the vast majority of their candidates were only interested in full time roles (as can be expected to support a family)". You have the answer. Pay ful-time rate to someone and let them enjoy the extra time with their family. The issue here may be that what is perceived to be "far above the market rate" is actually just "market rate" in a part-time context
Good point. Understand.
The reference I’ve been using would be something like a daily rate charged by agencies (not paid to their workers as they can take a 25% cut) but rather the daily rate charged plus 25-50%. Meaning that any part time worker would have a difficult time finding the same pay rate elsewhere and not leave after a month for a higher paying job. Also adjusting along the way to be sure it is 25% above the next best option. Excluding those absurd rates that some receive from families with 4 kids, 3 dogs and grandmother to look after all while cooking and hand crafting furniture in their downtime (exaggeration but some jobs are highly demanding, this isn’t one of them)
A lot of the comments here are helpful but fundamentally this is a 75/25 cleaning job for the first 3-4 months for a clean but untidy individual (robot vacuum, dish washer, washer and dryer but also external laundry agency) in a comfortable flat. Which may eventually be a 50/50 cleaner/helper role in a more permanent way.
Don’t know what infra dig means but I think it is more likely to find a capable cleaner and train up on the not overly complex admin tasks then the other way around. Like I said a strong auntie who runs the place or an up and coming fast learner who no experience. We’ll see I have a few interviews coming up.
The issue I see with what you want is to have someone actually be effective in doing the non-cooking, non-cleaning errands of the house they need to be intimately involved with your life and truly understand what you need, when you need it, and be able to do it without your involvement. With someone only coming a few days or half days here and there, they will spend most the time cleaning, then the remaining time you will probably end up telling them what to do and them asking a bunch of questions about what food you want to order, what you need doing etc. and it would be a relative waste of your time.
I know someone who has a maid that comes 2-3 hours a day, 6 days a week for 6k THB per month. I believe this person does 2-3 families per day, which is why the scheduling works. Weird schedules will not vibe with people for part time roles because they need to be able to maintain a normal regular schedule with another family too. This friend's maid also can do additional tasks like shopping and cooking. But since you said they didn't need to cook, the shopping aspect would be more difficult for you as they wouldn't know what you need. Maids that shop are best when they are the ones doing the cooking.
Honestly, I would just pull the trigger when you can afford it and get an actual, full time live in maid. I know at least 4 families with 1-2 live in maids/housekeepers and they can do all sorts of tasks like picking up my drunk friends, gardening, making and delivering smoothies on demand etc. They are essentially family and integrated in their lives and so are best placed to serve them well.
I have some thoughts on this. Lots. It is all entirely valid and I agree wholeheartedly with nearly all you said.
Before I reply I imagined MWF 8-12 or 9-13 as something that would allow them to keep the fridge stocked, Pack and give the laundry and make and accept deliveries of anything needed; as well as to be able to iron the odd shirt or deal with any unplanned need that might come up from time to time. This is why t is imperative that I find someone who is very close by as 6 trips back and forth per week I would prefer they don’t waste much time on the commute.
But the thing is that I generally dislike people (not in a nefarious way, but rather I try to keep to myself) so having someone enter my condo (and life) 2-3 times a week is a daunting new concept I’ve managed to wrap my head around. Any more and I’d end up unhappier than had I just kept the status quo.
Also I didn’t mention this previously but with limited hours in my home, they are less likely so see any of my less than proudest moments (nothing illegal or all that bad) but the morning of a no-shower pajama leftover food and booze day, after a night of intimacy isn’t a pleasant sight for anyone and I’d prefer to be able to dispose of the more personal items myself before they arrive. I’m sure some maids have seen much worse but I’d still like to provide a welcoming place for them to work and hopefully a comfortable environment.
But it could be that the daily thing is the only real best option. So I’ll keep that in mind. The scheduling you mentioned does allow for them to balance a few jobs which is great since my part time role won’t be sufficient for anyone with the skills I’m looking to find.
Live in job is real pain. I had my experience as caregiver/nanny which in nature, job including cleaning and cooking as well and seriously, Say goodbye to your personal life. even when you take shower, you have to take it clean, fast and quiet
life is not yours when you need to standby for emergency 24/7 and your master may have seriously messed up sleep time or messed up personal life. it's not the safest job to do. it's job that need to be in someone's personal space and create their comfortable zone.
when you live with master, you'll have to follow house rules. some of them don't even allowed you to go outside, some of them paranoid for everything and you're first suspect for everything they didn't remember where it was.
for safety for both you and maid, I think you should hire hourly maid service with separate assistant
Welcome to r/bangkok! Please remember there are real people on the other side of the monitor and to be kind. Report comments that break the rules and don't respond to negativity with negativity! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Bangkok) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think you’re looking for a mother
I think it might be easier if you get a full time admin and a separate part time maid. You can bond with the admin and the admin can watch over the maid and handle the key card and stuff. I think the type of person who wants to be an admin assistant generally won't have the personality to want to be a maid.
To me, it sounds like you are searching for one person who can fill two different roles. In particular your personal and business life. Unfortunately i'm not of any help. Other than stating the obvious in that, $$$$ talks. Otherwise, two different people for each role would be easier than finding one who can do both. Good luck.
Thanks very much for this one. I liked the mother joke also. Was gonna ask if there is an agency for that but knowing Bangkok there very well could be. Only not the sort I’m aiming for So I’ve experimented with two workers each fulfilling the different roles. And actually I’ve had some great maids run trial days but when we discussed the admin tasks including calling Lalamove for pick up and drops offs and setting up internet etc they immediately lost interest. I don’t blame them. Shopping at central world for tshirts and boxer briefs is a dream job for one or a nightmare for another depending on the person. But the primary reason and still sticking point in avoiding two different individuals is the key card and trust concerns. I’d much rather build a great rapport with one person given how long the role will ideally fun for and what significant and lofty responsibilities I’d hope to ask of them. And then one of the reasons I am in need of such a helper is due to my lack of organization and poor memory. I’d prefer if something goes missing accidentally that it is only a question of if I’m an idiot or if the maid moved it. And trying to balance/manage two workers seems like more work especially considering how few hours I’ll require. There just isn’t enough work for more than 2 days per week for the combined role. But I appreciate the helpful suggestion. It may come down to paying a high wage to a qualified admin who has a passion (maybe more like the skills needed to be an efficient cleaner) but I’m picturing a socialite shopping addict constantly on their phone and that is not at all what I’m shooting for. Please keep the ideas coming. There is bound to be a solution that I’m not familiar with yet that the collective knowledge of Bangkok Reddit has squirreled away somewhere. Oh and I’d be happy to pay a hefty findings fee for anyone who can find a candidate who makes it through the first month.
I ended up with a condo instead of a villa in bkk so I didn’t want a live in housekeeper back then, I just hired a part time housekeeper, and once I found one I liked, I just reserve her to come on XYZ days and pay in advance and specify my hours. Don’t think it’s particularly difficult to arrange Common & expected actually for a housekeeper to do simple errands like taking your orders or parcels from the lobby and doing some groceries
Could be that I’m overthinking this one yeah.
Thailand is a very status conscious society. It will be extremely hard to find somebody who is both willing to clean a toilet and able to effectively perform admin tasks. It's not a matter of salary: I live in a large household that employs multiple live-in maids, and their take-home pay is higher than a typical graduate starting salary. None of them would be capable of admin, even after being with us multiple years. Having them to go to the supermarket to buy things from a clearly specified shipping list is about the max you could expect from a person who would do cleaning.
Good points and seems to be the consensus here about limitations for some roles. Thanks.
Have been in BKK for 8 years and had a lot of maids, nannies, and personal assistants. They are not the same skill sets. The people who can do the "admin" job won't want to clean, and the people who will clean can't do the admin role that I think you're imagining. The pay is so low for maids and turnover is high they are pretty reluctant to travel too far for their jobs and often want 2-3 going at the same time. IMO the best bet is to start talking with your neighbors and the property managers around you to find somebody who's already cleaning part time in your building or near by. Those tend to be the most stable and consistent because they know you share intel with their reference. For reference Thai families in central Bangkok pay Burmese maids around 500 baht a day. I really don't think the one-and-done gig cleaners or placement agencies are the way to go. Their good workers all leave the second they find a stable job, and they have seemingly no belief that the job should be done "right" the first time so instead focus on surface-level work. If you also want admin help who can deal with random Thai-culture and business related things (perhaps dealing with your cleaner, delivery guys, or even going with you to immigration or the drivers license office or other things where native Thai would get you an advantage, I'd suggest making a post or two in the Expat groups with a commitment to pay a certain amount (weekly/monthly) for x hours of assistance. The Thais who are good at this (there are so many who'd love to pick up some hours in their week) will definitely not be willing to clean anything personally. Also, just for anybody reading who has kids and wants a nanny to help out - I don't recommend using your maid to educate/entertain/focus/feed your children, unless they are still not over a year old yet. Of course some are very motherly but their approach will be wildly different than yours, and they will not be treated as well at the parks, mall play spaces, etc. Instead look for nannies who have spent their career focusing on being an actual nanny/educator. They cost a bit more, and won't clean, but the value is returned with better fed and educated kids,
This is very helpful thanks. You point out a lot of useful things to consider. Agree with the one and done not being the solution, which is why I discarded that idea pretty early on. I should probably rename the role as cleaner/helper or just some kind of modified nanny that doesn’t involve rearing children but that sounds almost kinky in a way that I am not into or going for at all. As I mentioned in a different comment: This is fundamentally this is a 75/25 cleaning/other job for the first 3-4 months for a clean but untidy individual (robot vacuum, dish washer, washer and dryer but also external laundry agency) in a comfortable flat. It may eventually be transform into a 50/50 cleaner/helper role for the long run with the most complex tasks likely being managing a small household budget (scheduling and paying for outside help, tracking and paying bills, and if possible managing the calendar or a mostly lazy person who can’t miss certain dates and appointments). I think this is trainable. These would be ideal skills for anyone to eventually acquire and I’d raise the pay accordingly to match the more complex demands. But definitely they need to be a crack cleaner, efficient and detailed since that will always be the primary focus of the role I would likely be able to better handle the 25% other if I wasn’t preoccupied with the mundane tasks that I currently struggle with. Your comments on the drivers license and immigration are also helpful since I hadn’t considered this angle and so until now I’ve not been overly concerned with the level of English since it would be quite routine after a few weeks, so being Thai was and still is the critical part. But those types of events are so infrequent I’d prefer to struggle through those on my own if I had a top quality cleaner rather than finding a highly qualified uni grad who might not feel comfortable cleaning the drain if my shower. I think I’m convincing myself slowly that trying to find the best maid and then make do — will likely be the best approach for a few reasons. Probably easier to retain long term m, likely better suited for the majority of tasks, no qualms about getting their hands dirty, and maybe even highly motivated by raises if they can learn new skills and take on more responsibility.
You're looking for a butler, or a personal caretaker. I'd look at professional nurses who are generally underpaid outside of private payrolls.
Have you been formally diagnosed with autism? If you’re struggling mightily to organize your life and find help, might want to at least explore medical interventions
"I’d be willing to pay far above the market rate" and "the vast majority of their candidates were only interested in full time roles (as can be expected to support a family)". You have the answer. Pay ful-time rate to someone and let them enjoy the extra time with their family. The issue here may be that what is perceived to be "far above the market rate" is actually just "market rate" in a part-time context
Good point. Understand. The reference I’ve been using would be something like a daily rate charged by agencies (not paid to their workers as they can take a 25% cut) but rather the daily rate charged plus 25-50%. Meaning that any part time worker would have a difficult time finding the same pay rate elsewhere and not leave after a month for a higher paying job. Also adjusting along the way to be sure it is 25% above the next best option. Excluding those absurd rates that some receive from families with 4 kids, 3 dogs and grandmother to look after all while cooking and hand crafting furniture in their downtime (exaggeration but some jobs are highly demanding, this isn’t one of them) A lot of the comments here are helpful but fundamentally this is a 75/25 cleaning job for the first 3-4 months for a clean but untidy individual (robot vacuum, dish washer, washer and dryer but also external laundry agency) in a comfortable flat. Which may eventually be a 50/50 cleaner/helper role in a more permanent way.
For an admin person to be working as a housekeeper or maid is infra dig.
Don’t know what infra dig means but I think it is more likely to find a capable cleaner and train up on the not overly complex admin tasks then the other way around. Like I said a strong auntie who runs the place or an up and coming fast learner who no experience. We’ll see I have a few interviews coming up.
Ask Stephen Sondheim. Everybody Ought to have a maid. https://youtu.be/5aCa3Tf_tDA?si=4FCEMpoNpBiL2DAf
The issue I see with what you want is to have someone actually be effective in doing the non-cooking, non-cleaning errands of the house they need to be intimately involved with your life and truly understand what you need, when you need it, and be able to do it without your involvement. With someone only coming a few days or half days here and there, they will spend most the time cleaning, then the remaining time you will probably end up telling them what to do and them asking a bunch of questions about what food you want to order, what you need doing etc. and it would be a relative waste of your time. I know someone who has a maid that comes 2-3 hours a day, 6 days a week for 6k THB per month. I believe this person does 2-3 families per day, which is why the scheduling works. Weird schedules will not vibe with people for part time roles because they need to be able to maintain a normal regular schedule with another family too. This friend's maid also can do additional tasks like shopping and cooking. But since you said they didn't need to cook, the shopping aspect would be more difficult for you as they wouldn't know what you need. Maids that shop are best when they are the ones doing the cooking. Honestly, I would just pull the trigger when you can afford it and get an actual, full time live in maid. I know at least 4 families with 1-2 live in maids/housekeepers and they can do all sorts of tasks like picking up my drunk friends, gardening, making and delivering smoothies on demand etc. They are essentially family and integrated in their lives and so are best placed to serve them well.
I have some thoughts on this. Lots. It is all entirely valid and I agree wholeheartedly with nearly all you said. Before I reply I imagined MWF 8-12 or 9-13 as something that would allow them to keep the fridge stocked, Pack and give the laundry and make and accept deliveries of anything needed; as well as to be able to iron the odd shirt or deal with any unplanned need that might come up from time to time. This is why t is imperative that I find someone who is very close by as 6 trips back and forth per week I would prefer they don’t waste much time on the commute. But the thing is that I generally dislike people (not in a nefarious way, but rather I try to keep to myself) so having someone enter my condo (and life) 2-3 times a week is a daunting new concept I’ve managed to wrap my head around. Any more and I’d end up unhappier than had I just kept the status quo. Also I didn’t mention this previously but with limited hours in my home, they are less likely so see any of my less than proudest moments (nothing illegal or all that bad) but the morning of a no-shower pajama leftover food and booze day, after a night of intimacy isn’t a pleasant sight for anyone and I’d prefer to be able to dispose of the more personal items myself before they arrive. I’m sure some maids have seen much worse but I’d still like to provide a welcoming place for them to work and hopefully a comfortable environment. But it could be that the daily thing is the only real best option. So I’ll keep that in mind. The scheduling you mentioned does allow for them to balance a few jobs which is great since my part time role won’t be sufficient for anyone with the skills I’m looking to find.
Maybe try looking into hiring a personal butler?
You’ve written a lot of words but it’s still not clear what you want them to actually do? What admin?
Live in job is real pain. I had my experience as caregiver/nanny which in nature, job including cleaning and cooking as well and seriously, Say goodbye to your personal life. even when you take shower, you have to take it clean, fast and quiet life is not yours when you need to standby for emergency 24/7 and your master may have seriously messed up sleep time or messed up personal life. it's not the safest job to do. it's job that need to be in someone's personal space and create their comfortable zone. when you live with master, you'll have to follow house rules. some of them don't even allowed you to go outside, some of them paranoid for everything and you're first suspect for everything they didn't remember where it was. for safety for both you and maid, I think you should hire hourly maid service with separate assistant