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Mucamas, Cocineras, Niñeras y Limpiadoras

Posted on April 2, 2007
Filed Under Expat Tips, Culture, Vocabulary | 5 Comments

If you are planning to live in Uruguay, sooner or later you’ll yield to the temptation of hiring household help (empleadas domésticas). This is totally understandable, after all it is much more affordable than in Europe or North America. However this is not a thing to get into lightly and there are many factors to consider.

According to this article, 8.4% of homes in Uruguay have domésticas and they are paid 37 pesos per hour, on average. Some of those domésticas, are mucamas (maids), cocineras (cooks), niñeras (nannies) or limpiadoras (cleaning person). The limpiadora is a contractor hired to come to your home a few times a week and charges by the hour (usually less than 60 pesos/hour, often far less). The mucamas, niñeras and cocineras are normally full time employees and usually costs less than 200 dollars per month (the minimum is 3150 pesos). Employers are supposed to contribute to the empleada’s social security, but shamelessly more than 50% of employers do not. Live-in mucamas and/or niñeras are not uncommon. In Punta del Este, many apartment buildings have a servicio de mucama as part of the building services.

This subject is very familiar to me because I grew up with live-in domestic help in Brazil: a cook and a generalist. As you might expect, the house was always tidy, which was a good thing because in Brazil people tend to pop in unannounced. Another good thing was I never had to make my bed or pick up my toys. But in spite of those obvious benefits, there were drawbacks. The presence of employees at all hours did affect how we behaved in our own home. I can recall my mother having to deal with many issues, including: communications, privacy, boundaries and trust.

Communication
Even if you are both from the same country and speak the same language the communication will be imperfect, at best. Domésticas usually come from a lower socio-economic background and may not be accustomed to your needs and wishes. Demands that may seem perfectly reasonable to you may sound capricious and frivolous to them. Always remember that they are in no position to argue about what is fair and what is legal. After all, they need the job and you have the power to dismiss them. Therefore, they may not be forthcoming with what could be bothering them. You will need to read subtle cues in order to perceive what is going on. If you do not master Spanish, the situation will of course be much worse.

A household worker is an employee and like any employee needs to be managed. She needs supplies, clear instructions and reasonable expectations. Some people are good managers, the vast majority are not. Clear rules need to be set as to when she is off and when she is working. The temptation of becoming a little tyrant can be too great for many people.

Boundaries
It is important to remember that the line between employee and member of the household is often difficult to establish. So it is usually up to you, the employer, to set the limits. Employers with no previous experience can easily stray into extremes.

Keep in mind that after a short while, a live-in maid becomes part of the family, whether you plan it that way or not. Even if you are not happy with her services, you may have guilt pangs about dismissing her knowing that her parents depend on her income or that she has nowhere to go, etc. This is especially true for people with small kids, after they get attached to the maid.

Trust
Trust is another common problem and one that needs to be managed from the beginning. Unfortunately, whenever you hire a new person who will be working in your home, it is natural to have a certain amount anxiety about trust. So make sure you check all references carefully. It also makes sense to avoid temptation and misunderstanding by always locking valuables away. Another idea, to be on the safe side, is having two locks and giving away the key to only one. This way you can use the other lock when you retire for the day. As a precaution, always change all locks immediately after dismissing a person. Finally, keep in mind that accusing a doméstica of stealing is a very serious matter that can destroy her career.

Other Issues: Health and Welfare
Like everyone else, a live-in employee needs entertainment when not working. As such there are a number of things that need to be decided. For example: will you provide her with her own TV or is she going to watch it in your living room? What rules will you set about what she can and cannot eat from your refrigerator? Will you be upset if she eats the dessert you were saving for tomorrow? Will you be upset if she invites some of her friends to your house? Are you going to be upset if she uses the phone? etc, etc. According to this article, due to lack of entertainment options, many maids from the interior meet every Sunday after 10AM at the Food Court of the Tres Cruces bus terminal and spend the whole day there.

Like everybody else, occasionally maids do get sick. Since most live-in maids come from the interior and do not have a safety network nearby. She may depend on you for health care and many other things. Are you ready to take care of your maid when she needs you?

Vocabulary:

Agencias colocación – Placement agencies
Aporte jubilatorio – SS contribution
Cocinera - Cook
Empleada con cama – Employment with bed (meaning the person is expected to live at the house)
Empleada con retiro – (The person is expected to work 8-10 hours and then go home)
Empleada doméstica - Home worker
Empresas de limpieza – Cleaning companies
Limpiadora – Cleaning lady
Mucama - Maid
Niñera – Nanny
Para toda tarea – For all tasks (common in ads)
Patron – Employer, boss (man)
Patrona – Employer, boss (woman)
Salario - Monthly pay
Servicio doméstico – Household work
Sindicato – Union (in Uruguay household employees can seek the assistance of the SUNCA union for labor issues with their employers)
Sueldo – Monthly pay
Tarea – Task
Trabajadoras del hogar – Home workers
Trabajadora doméstica - Home worker
Tutear – To speak using the informal tu (many employers expect to be addressed by the more formal usted)

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