Part-Time Helper Vs Full Time Maid – Hiring a maid is highly useful if you have a busy schedule and don’t have time to clean your house. There are two types of housekeeping services you will have to choose from. A part-time helper does basic cleaning chores a couple of times a week. A full-time maid is in charge of a larger spectrum of tasks and she usually lives with you.
But how to know which maid suits you best? Read this article to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of each of them.
Table of Contents
Part time maid
Advantages
1. Productive
Generally speaking, part-time helpers are more productive than full-time ones. This is because they have reduced the list of tasks, which they may dedicate completely to, without saving energy.
2. Hassle-free hiring process
Hiring a part-time maid comes with no significant challenges. You don’t have to run through insurance, medical examination, and license application as you would with a full-time housekeeper.
3. Privacy
A part-time helper never stays overnight in your house. You don’t have to prepare an extra room for them and, what’s most important, you preserve your privacy. With a live-in maid, you have to accept that a stranger is living with you under the same roof. This may be extremely inconvenient for some homeowners.
Disadvantages
1. Familiarity
One disadvantage of working with part-time maids is having them changing every week. Even if you use the services of one company, they may send you each time a new cleaner. This means that you will have to instruct new helpers over and over.
A maid that’s familiar with your house and your specific requirements is much more convenient in this sense. You can try to ask the company to send the same helper. Although it’s not always possible, especially during the festive season, you may still get lucky.
2. Skill
While cleaning companies struggle to make their maids equally trained and skilled, it’s still hard to achieve. Since part-time maids change each time, you may end up with a less experienced helper one day. If you want to avoid such situations, you can hire a freelance part-time maid. In this way, you are sure that there will always come the same cleaner.
3. Narrower job scope
Part-time maids concentrate on basic cleaning tasks, like vacuuming, mopping, and dusting. If you need a full-spectrum housekeeping service, you are better off addressing a full-time helper. Also, the part-time maid doesn’t care for kids and elderly people as full-time does. After all, narrow job scope isn’t a disadvantage if you need the maid just to vacuum, wipe, and mop.
Full time maid
Advantages
1. Reliability
Considering the fact that the full-time helper never changes, it’s easier to build trust with them. It’s an amazing feeling knowing that you can rely on someone to take care of your house while you are gone.
However, before you start trusting the maid, you have got to know her closer. Of course, you get the warranty from the company, but it’s still better to test the housekeeper yourself. If you aren’t sure of the maid’s reliability in the first days of hiring her, you can install a CCTV.
2. Consistency
A permanent maid means a permanent skill. Unlike part-time helpers whose skills may vary, a full-time helper remains always the same. That’s why to take your time to choose an experienced maid in the beginning. This will guarantee the highest cleaning standards every day.
3. Wide job spectrum
A full-time assistant does a lot more work than a part-time one. For example, besides cleaning, they do laundry, iron, change bed linens, disinfect surfaces and remove tile grout. Moreover, you can entrust a live-in maid with caring for kids and elderly people. However, keep in mind that a maid is a strange person. You have to test her a while until you can finally start trusting her intentions.
Disadvantages
1. Additional expenses
A live-in maid is pretty much like a new family member. You have to provide her with a separate room, which has to be well equipped for a decent living. Doing household chores and taking care of children all day may be exhausting for the maid.
That’s why you have to provide her with a comfortable room where she can properly rest and recover physically and mentally. Food expenses and transportation costs also fall under your responsibility as an employer.
2. Theft risks
Letting a strange person living in your house always comes with risks. While it’s not a common event, theft can potentially happen any time you are not home. An even more favorable time for stealing your belongings is during the night when all family members sleep. To minimize the risk of such acts, you are best off installing a video surveillance system in your house.
This will be especially useful at the beginning of the hiring period when you don’t know the helper closely. Aside from thefts, the cameras will help you detect other maid’s misbehaviors, like kid’s abuse.
3. Cultural differences
Most of the full-time housekeepers in Singapore are from other countries from Asia. They do not always prove good English skills. This can be an obstacle in communicating and understanding each other in domestic situations. Even worse, the maids may not be familiar with Singapore culture. This can lead them to behave in a way that makes other family members uncomfortable and angry.
Part-Time Helper Vs Full Time Maid – Conclusion
As the above comparison shows, both part-time helper and full-time maid have their pros and cons. It all depends on your needs and resources which housekeeper suits you best. If you want a fast and refreshing cleaning, you should choose a part-time maid. If you need the maid to run other household chores besides cleaning, a full-time maid is your go-to option.
However, keep in mind that hiring a live-in helper comes with additional expenses and risks. You should secure your house with a CCTV system to keep the maid under permanent scrutiny and prevent her misbehavior.
