What to do?

Well, we’ve had our ayi for four days, and already there is a problem. The house looks great, she’s ironed all the laundry we’ve left out for her. Today it appears she stopped by to drop of cleaning supplies and made the kids’ beds while she was here (oops, I forgot to check them this morning). So what is the problem? We think we are paying her too much.

We should have asked around more, but we were feeling desperate and the rate seemed reasonable to us. Now it appears we are paying well over market rates for China. For example, the other American family in our complex is paying 1500 RMB for their ayi to work eight hours a day, five days a week. And she cooks, too. Another teacher, who is married to a Chinese woman and tends to know about the area, says the going rate is 10 RMB an hour (about $1.50). By my calculations we are paying about 20.

So, we have what amounts to a moral dilemma, of sorts. We don’t want to be perceived as chumps, and we certainly aren’t rich. On the other hand, during our meeting with the ayi here last week, we received a take-out delivery of fish and chips, for which I paid 250 RMB, or one week of what we pay her (and too much for fish and chips, I might add). Kind of puts things in perspective. I’m also feeling that three days a week is probably more than we need; she does such a great job, it’s easy to maintain. So I’m considering saying we just need two days, and offering about half of what we are currently paying, which would still be over the going rate. If that doesn’t work, well, at least my house is clean.