English-speaking maids in demand

Leena Deba (name changed) from Assam, came to Delhi three years ago and was working as a domestic help. Recently, she had to leave her job at a Polish expatriate’s home as she was not getting any ‘free time’. In nine days she realised she couldn’t carry on with this job.

“The Polish lady stayed at home mostly because she had a small child of seven months or so. I worked till 9.30 pm on most days, except Sundays when I worked till 8 pm. Since I was a live-in maid, I expected my employer to give me some time off after lunch. But every day she gave me the ‘small chores’, like ironing clothes and cleaning bookshelves. I used to get very tired by the end of the day,” Deba tells Metrolife.

Though Deba has previously too worked as a domestic help, she had put her expectations and hope on this job. At the expat residence she was drawing a much higher salary (Rs 15,000 per month) and with added benefits of food and mobile allowance, which were separate. 

Deba has studied till Class 8 and speaks fluent English. Due to paucity of jobs she decided to take up work as a domestic help. “I could also do other things but this job was readily available. I have four children, they have to go to school so I took up this profession,” she says.

When Deba heard about this job and the ‘fantastic pay packet’, she felt it was a tremendous opportunity for her to give her family and children the life they deserved. Her agent Harish promised that her new job would give her immense satisfaction as it is the Indian Domestic Help (an organisation that recruits and provides domestic help to expats and Indians) which is hiring. He assured her that IDH provides much higher salaries and also takes care of the maids’ work timings, benefits, ensures a separate room for them and also has a helpline in case of emergencies. 
Homes of expats are grand and mansion-like, they work in high positions in corporate offices and speak in English- all of which lured Deba into taking up the offer. She knew she had an edge over many others in her fraternity for her ability to speak in English. She got the job.With expat population growing every day in India, and corporations like Domesteq Service Solutions Pvt Ltd, Formula Group, HireAHelp.com and Goodservice, there is a steady rise in demand for well-groomed English-speaking domestic helps and drivers.

Metrolife spoke to Raman Narula, managing director, Formula Group, who said, “This initiative is two to three years old and focuses on providing a better lifestyle for drivers in India with salaries ranging anything between Rs 25,000-40,000. This works well for both parties. Expats prefer well-groomed, hygienic and well behaved house helps and drivers who are easy to communicate with, while the latter enjoys an urban lifestyle and pays far better than the standard pay scale in India.”

“Our main criteria are language, hygiene and reliability. It is not only working well for the country's overall economy but has also helped in the employment, grooming and upliftment of categories such as household helps, drivers, nannies etc,” Narula adds.

Formula Group is a 360 mobility management firm which helps expats with trained multilingual drivers and a range of medium to high-end cars. The company, with a fleet of over 200 cars, takes full responsibility of drivers' grooming, behaviour and security verification.

Yashpal Dev (name changed) has studied till Class 12 and says that he could have got any small job but he loves driving and speaks ‘good enough’ English. “I am working with the same expat for the past three years and my salary is Rs 12,000 right now. But my car is insured and FG provides increment now and then and also provides me chauffeurs’ clothes,” says Dev.

Originally from Uttarakhand, Dev’s family of wife and two children live with him in Delhi. He says that till now “it has been fine as Formula Group follows corporate laws and he is expecting an increment soon.