Premhouse.com JAKARTA | For many newcomers to Jakarta, the thought of hiring
household staff seems quite foreign - a luxury reserved for the fortunate
few. In Jakarta, however, having household staff is a part of everyday
life for Indonesians and foreigners alike. Your staff will not only be
an enormous help to you around your home, but will also serve as your
first window into Indonesian culture, a sort of liaison between two worlds.
At the same time, you will be providing much needed jobs and financial
support to your staff.
The first thing to consider when hiring staff would be your own personal
household needs. Do you have a large house? A small apartment? Do you
have children? A large garden or pool? Listed below are the different
types of domestic helpers, or pembantu, who will be available
for hire:
| Cook Maid Houseboy Babysitter Laundress Gardener Driver Guard |
Juru masak or koki Pembantu wanita Pembantu laki Pengasuh anak / Babysister / Suster Tukang cuci Tukang kebun Sopir or supir Penjaga or jaga |
Definitions:
Driver - the person who drives the family car
- employed by the family or the company. Responsible for cleaning and
arranging maintenance for the car. Read more about Hiring a Driver in Indonesia
Cook/Housekeeper - person who has the primary
responsibility for preparing meals for the family, caring for the kitchen,
shopping. As the senior person in the household staff, is often seen as
the housekeeper. May also do other household chores. Many also entrust this person with “petty cash” for the household.
Helper - person/s who have responsibility for
cleaning the house, washing and ironing the clothes, assisting the cook,
help with child care as needed. For homes that do not have full-time cooks,
the helper also is responsible for cooking.
Babysitter/Nanny - person whose sole job is
the care of children. Most of the time, they do not assist in household chores, except where
it is related to the care of the child. Read also Babysitters, Nannies and Childminders
Night Jaga - Job is to watch the front/outside
areas of your home in the evening
Day Jaga/Gardener - job is to watch the front/outside
areas of your home in the day time - may also do yard work or care for
the pool. Ensures security at the gate, intercepting inquiries and guests.
Satpam - uniformed trained guard - working
either evening or day shift. Responsible only for security and no household
chores.
Live-in - the staff person has a furnished
room and sleeps and eats in your home
Live-out - the staff person's residence is
outside your home and they travel to and from your home each day.
For a single person or a couple in a small apartment a part-time live-out
maid, plus a driver, will probably be adequate, but for a family in a
large house with a garden a team of 4 to 5 people is recommended to keep
the household running smoothly. The division of duties is very flexible
and some of the jobs mentioned above can be combined, such as maid/laundress
or houseboy/gardener.
In order to maintain harmonious relationships amongst the staff it can
be a good idea to choose people from the same ethnic group, or to allow
the most senior staff member, usually the cook, to give recommendations
or advice on selecting the others.
When you have decided on what sort of helpers you need, the next question
is where to find them. In Jakarta there are various ways to locate and
set up interviews with potential staff for your home. Perhaps the very
best way is through word-of-mouth from friends and colleagues as you will
have personal references to go by. Another excellent source is community
bulletin boards, where expatriates who are leaving the country often post
notices in order to place their staff. Often you will have the chance
to speak with the former employer. These bulletin boards are found in
many supermarkets, clubs and organizations frequented by the expatriate
community. However, to ensure authenticity of information, it is recommended
to choose staff from boards that are not accessible to the general public
and are located inside the buildings of the clubs and organizations.
Source: Hiring Household Staff
