Busy with housework at the end of the year

Many students choose to do housework because the working hours are flexible and the pay is much higher than other common jobs - Photo: LE HUY

To meet the increased demand, many housekeepers are also working overtime, racing against time to complete their work on time in many different places.

Working hard all year round, but the money saved from this job helps me prepare for a warmer Tet for my family, take advantage of the time to gather with my children and grandchildren, rest for a few days during Tet so that I can return to work next year and do better.

Ms. NGUYEN THI MUM (Go Vap district)

The closer to Tet, the more demand increases

Ms. Ngoc Giang (38 years old), owner of a two-story house on Phan Xich Long Street (Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City), booked a cleaning service early. With a busy year-end schedule at the company, she comes home every day in the dark, leaving her with no time to take care of the house and her children as they are about to go on Tet holiday.

She said the reason for hiring a cleaning service early was to avoid high service prices near Tet. About a month before Tet, the cost of cleaning the house and garden if hired as a package is about 500,000 - 1 million VND, while cleaning and cooking normally cost from 70,000 - 100,000 VND/hour, but closer to Tet the price will increase by 20 - 30%.

“The demand for house cleaning at the end of the year is high, but the number of people looking for work is also high, so it is not too difficult to find someone to do it. Just post a job search on groups and dozens of people will message you right away. The problem is that both parties negotiate the price carefully before deciding whether to cooperate or not,” said Ms. Giang.

Meanwhile, although she is over 60 years old, Ms. Nguyen Thi Mum (in Go Vap district) still chooses to work as a housekeeper. For her, this is a job that helps her to be financially independent, not depending on her family or children. On average, she earns 8-10 million VND per month, and the month before Tet often increases due to the need for more people.

Having worked there for decades, Mrs. Mum said that the closer to Tet, the higher the demand for work, so the price of labor also increases. "Many homeowners automatically increase the salary because the amount of work that needs to be cleaned at the end of the year is greater. Sometimes, the homeowner also gives a Tet bonus, or pays an extra 13th month salary like in the company," Mrs. Mum laughed.

Ms. Ngoc Le (54 years old, Hue City) said that she has been a housekeeper in Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City for many years. In addition to honesty, according to her, doing this job requires carefulness and responsibility, especially doing what the boss assigns, not being foolish enough to be curious about other people's private matters, especially the house must always be clean and tidy.

Currently, Ms. Le works as a house cleaner and babysitter for her employer's family, earning more than 10 million VND per month. Because she takes care of the baby, her employer allows her to stay at home. So every year, she only comes home to celebrate New Year's Eve, stays home for the first day of Tet with her family, and then returns to work right after.

Students also help with housework.

Phuong Thao (23 years old, student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi) said she also took advantage of the opportunity to do hourly housework after finishing her semester exams. Thao said that the income from this job is quite high, 60,000 VND/hour is much better than other manual labor jobs.

“What I like most is the flexible working hours. The boss is also sympathetic to my studies, so he arranges my free time to work. There is less pressure and it is easier to ask for time off if I have unexpected work,” Thao said. So she can balance her studies and work.

Working about two and a half hours a day on average and only working 4-5 days a week does not affect daily life much.

Since her second year of university, Thao has been doing this part-time job for a few young families because they often prefer to hire students to help with housework by the hour. They need someone to come in the evening to clean the house and cook, but not to stay.

“Near Tet, many people have to work overtime, so regular customers keep calling me to come over and rearrange their house, prepare food, and prepare meals for their families, so I'm quite busy,” Thao laughed.

Luckily, Thao has met many easy-going landlords who will gently give you feedback if you haven’t done well, pay you on time, and sometimes give you gifts. Even when she accidentally meets a landlord who is too picky, Thao says she doesn’t feel too much pressure.

Because it involves manual labor, this job, according to Thao, requires people to be in good health, so those with weak constitutions will find it difficult to do.

Thao said that thanks to this job, she has been able to observe families and learn more about how they organize their homes, clean, and cook. “I think these skills will definitely be very useful for taking care of my family in the future,” Thao shared.

Learn culture, learn English

During her many years in the profession, Ms. Nguyen Thi Mum said she had many beautiful memories, but the most memorable was working for a foreign family in 2023. When she took on the job of babysitting for them, the whole family loved and respected her very much.

Despite the language barrier, the baby's father always treated the maid well and tried to find ways to talk to her regularly. What she appreciated most was the opportunity to learn more about the culture of the host country. Even happier, Mum also learned some basic English to communicate thanks to the host's instructions.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chon-ron-giup-viec-nha-cuoi-nam-20250123104855753.htm