Housework is not everybody's cup of tea, although my mother always used to tell me how satisfying it is. There have been rare moments when I have been able to agree with her, but generally housework is unrelenting and tedious. No sooner have you done all the washing up after a meal than it is time to take it all out and mess it up again. It is the same with the laundry, the ironing, the vacuuming, the dusting, the polishing, the endless every day meals, etc. This is where the saying that ‘A woman's work is never done' comes from, and the reason that my mother could say how satisfying housework is, was because from the age of about 27 and throughout her married life, she had house staff. She only ever did housework, laundry, or cooking, when it suited her. And that is how I like it to be as well. My time is too valuable to me to be tied up with the tedium of housework. I have been given an education which enables me to do other more mentally stimulating jobs. It is therefore appropriate to not only employ a housemaid for my benefit, but also for her benefit, for the chances are that she has not had a similar education. One aspect of living in Saudi Arabia that we have always enjoyed is the availability of affordable housemaids. It is, in fact, something that adds to the high quality of expatriate life. Not only does having a housemaid relieve one of the household chores, it also gives women a chance to pursue a career as well as enjoying after work leisure and sporting activities. Once a housemaid has demonstrated that she is responsible with children in a household, it also means that your children always have a babysitter with whom they are familiar. There are hundreds of thousands of young women who need work as housemaids and Saudi Arabia is often their country of choice in which to find work. They arrive in Saudi Arabia with little knowledge of the country, or its language, or its culture, and usually speak no English either. They have probably had little training. This can sometimes lead to employers calling their housemaids ‘stupid', when in fact it is simply because they have not understood the instructions. Communication is often a problem. This can be a frustrating time for both employer and housemaid, but resorting to violence (as some Saudis are reported to do) or shouting is not the answer. She needs time to learn the basics of your language. If a housemaid is to do a good job in a household, and if she is to settle in well, it is up to the employer to take time to train her in the ways of their household. Our experience over 25 years of employing (at different times) two Eritrean and one Ethiopian maid has been wonderful. One of them remained with us for 17 years before leaving to get married. There were ups and downs; sometimes huge rows and misunderstandings; personal dramas that the maids went through; but also some great laughs and warm companionship. We have found the main elements are to give the maid time to settle in, to take time to train her and learn our ways, and to ensure that she has time off at the weekends to see her friends and family. When my husband once discussed the issue of time off with a Saudi colleague, the man said: ‘Why do they need time off?' Ask yourself: ‘How would I like to work long hours, seven days a week, with no time off?' Nonetheless, we did have brief spells with a Filipino maid, and another Eritrean maid that just didn't work out. We were not compatible. And that could be a problem if a family has paid for a two year contract for a maid from Asia. It is also very important to give her a fair wage and to give additional tips for overtime, and especially to praise and thank her for work well done. Everyone likes to be appreciated. In short, treat your housemaid the way you would like to be treated. The chances are that you will get loyal service for many years to come.
