DH - What should I be asking at interview

[Stirling]

Hi

What sort of questions are the most appropriate
for interviewing a DH. Having never had 'staff'
before I am at a bit of a loss. Any suggestions
would be most appreciated.

Pay - $4400 a month - every Sunday off and
most Saturday nights ! All public holidays
and 2 weeks vacation to go home every year.

How does that sound to those experienced
people.

Thanks

[rani]

Stirling,

Sounds good. Helpers normally get Statutory Holidays off and not Public. Here's the list of Stat Holidays

Labour Department - Frequently Asked Questions

Ha a read through this article on Geobaby

Hiring a Helper :: Hong Kong Pregnancy and Baby Resources on GeoBaby.Com

[aussiegal]

We started out the generous novice western employer but getting two bad helpers in a row has since changed our approach to pay. With our current helper we said that she would only get $3600 for the first three months and we would revise from there. By the end of the first month it was clear she was a great fit for our family so we raised it straight away to $4000. By the end of the third month we revised it up again to $4500. She is very happy. She eats everything we eat. We buy her toiletries, nibblies she likes etc. We have provided tv and dvd and lots of extra things like spending money on holidays and we are paying for her sister to come from the Phillipines to help her get a job.

The moral is, we did a lot of this for our previous helpers but without them proving themselves first. Very quickly they demanded more and more but worked less and less. I guess they thought we were soft touches. Our current helper is such a kind person who genuinely cares for our boys. She's not the type that you give her one thing and she asks for more so it's a pleasure to give her bonuses and treats.

I would say, never offer something you might want to take back. Don't give her all public holidays off up front, you might need her one day and they know how to make you feel bad if you ask for help on those days. You can always give her the holiday at the last minute if you want to.

Don't give all Saturday evening's off. The beauty about having help is being able to do things on weekends without worrying about babysitters, especially when it's last minute. Again, you can always give her the evening off by telling her on sat morning.

And whatever you do, at the interview don't be overly friendly like i was the first few times round! You are their potential boss. I was too friendly to our second bad hire so the night before she started she rang to confirm that she was to start at 9.30 every morning! Yeah, that was after she got us to agree to have her live out.... Some are very smooth operators. Don't be fooled by the smile!

[Stirling]

Thanks for both replies -very helpful.

I have now printed off the list of questions for interview from Geobaby and also drawn up a
a schedule for daily,weekly and bi-weekly tasks.

Good tips Aussiegal. I have now stuck to Stat holidays and will give public when able I have
also staggered pay as per your example. I also thank you for your tip on not being too friendly.
Think I would have been a bit 'matey' so will now defo conduct interview with a more business like approach.

[LaGrue]

I agree with Aussiegal, if you are too soft up front you will be taken advantage of and there is no promise that a higher wage and better work hours makes a poor worker more productive....what you are trying to do is to attract the talent out there...which I'm sure you will.

I know for a fact that the DM like to work for westerners because they tend to be more generous and reward talent appropriately. Many times I have come across family friends who fire their DH after 4 years to get out of the long service leave even if the worker has been fabulous.....personally I think it's crazy...and rehire someone new at the minimum wage....or else broker a deal to rehire the same person but not pay the long service pay. All this from people living in large >2000 ft apartments who are wealthy middle class Hong Kongers. I try hard not to be judgemental about it all, but its hard.

I have hired like AussieGal, minimum wage up front and after 3 months if the performance is above the par than a significant wage hike, and of course it is not only about the wage but how they are treated that makes a difference. Good luck and let us know how you fare.

[Vinrej]

Though I'm not from HK this is a good read knowing how my countrymen are treated overseas. Filipinas are generally caring and sweet but of course there's always a rotten fruit in the basket.