‘To Live In or Not To Live In’ that is the Question

When I first came to Malaysia from Australia the thought of having a stranger living in my house with my family seemed absurd. My husband was not particularly fond of the idea either because he did not like the thought of not being able to walk naked around the house whenever he wanted to. However, hiring a part-time maid can be very expensive especially when they spend a whole day working and then last minute babysitting due to an unexpected work dinner which I must attend (my darling husband was certain he told me last week), it all adds up. I also found myself looking forward to those days when I did not have to worry about cleaning up and I could go grocery shopping without the children. After my husband considered cutting back my part-time maid to two days a week, I did a few mental calculations and decided that  a live-in would be more economical and practical with little children. Rather than paying 15rm an hour I was paying 1400rm a month which included babysitting whenever needed. In the mornings if I had a rough night with my 9 month old I knew I could leave him with my maid for a few hours while I tried to catch up on my lost sleep. I did not have to clean up after meals especially the evening meals. It was now possible to make last minute decisions to go out to dinner without children. If the children woke up at 6am my maid would give them breakfast and start getting them ready for school. The list goes on about the positives to having an extra pair hands around the house when you have little children.

However, there are cons. The con to having a full-time live in is lack of privacy. Having a stranger in the house all day and all night is very hard if you are not used to it. The number of people in the family becomes plus one which means that five mouths to feed becomes 6. This means the household bill increases which includes her monthly salary. Valuables must also be kept hidden and if things go missing it is usually the maid who we blame first whether she is innocent or guilty (not that we would accuse her of taking things). In addition there is also the hassle of training a maid to do the cleaning and cooking the way we like it. Plus it is really important that they bond with the children and when the maid leaves it is really upsetting for the children. However, after a week they forget who the maid was and seem happy to have a new maid in the house.

Oh darn, my husband cannot cook naked anymore - cons with live-in

Full-time live out maids are generally more expensive and not easy to find. They are usually older, experienced maids who have married a local. They generally have public holidays off (Malaysia has many public holidays) and will carry their own permit. Notice is usually needed if babysitting at nighttime is required. Their usual day starts at 8am and finishes at 6pm or 7pm.  Some maids will charge extra if they are needed at nighttime or will change their start times for example start at 11am and finish at 11pm. Otherwise part-time maids are live out and they charge by the hour.

It really depends on your family what will suit your needs better, live out or live in.