Domestic Help in India
Long gone are the days of employing a huge retinue of servants to maintain one's station and quality of life in India. In the old days, high ranking British officials might have had domestic staff numbering in the hundreds and the retinue of Indian nobility sometimes reached the thousands. It conjures up fantasies of regal luxury and having every whim catered to, but in reality, it often proved an organizational nightmare. Today, the number of staff is reduced, but the practice of hiring domestic help is still strong in India. Moreover, it is not limited to the upper economic classes. Probably the majority of Indian homes employ some kind of hired help for cleaning, washing, or cooking.
East meets West
In the West, the concept of servants has largely disappeared, if only because of economics. Very few can afford to hire domestic help. Even the occasional services of a baby sitter strain many peoples finances. However, labour saving devices in the home and a large selection of convenience foods in the stores have reduced the domestic workload in the West considerably. A similar change is coming to India, but only gradually. There are labour saving appliances and convenience foods for those that can afford them. Wage demands of the lower economic groups that provide the domestic labour are increasing, and, as better paying options emerge, the miniscule salaries of domestics are rising. The next decade will probably see significant change on the domestic front.
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Pros and cons
There are pros and cons to hiring domestic help that you should consider before you decide if, or what kind, of help you will hire. You do have a choice here, though choosing to not hire help may raise a few eyebrows since it is so connected to social standing, and everyone else does it. You can get by quite handily without servants, if you choose to. Some people enjoy the convenience and freedom of having help around the house, but others cannot bear the loss of privacy and the difficulty of employer/employee relationships.
The advantages include more free time and an easier life style. A large, airy home will require a lot of cleaning. Many "simple" tasks, like grocery shopping, are laborious and time consuming in India. Families with young children may appreciate having a nanny. A driver will add safety and convenience to getting around town. Also, there is the satisfaction of providing an income to the families of the people you employ.
The disadvantages include a loss of privacy and the need to monitor what servants are doing. The age-old lament that "good help is hard to find" is common among the middle class. It is also difficult, some times, to avoid being drawn into the personal problems of people you hire. People you hire may not do things the way you want them done. If you are very meticulous, or if you enjoy doing the work yourself, you may not want the hassle.
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Salaries and conditions of work
Salaries are dependent on many factors - where you live, what previous experience people have, and what functions are required. Domestic's salaries are pathetically low.We have been working for there problems .
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