How to: Find an Ayi in Beijing

How to: Find an Ayi in Beijing
By Mark Turner , eChinacities.com

Domestic help is something that most foreigners in Beijing are unaccustomed to; paying someone to clean up after them or have them do their laundry is an alien concept for some. Many, after a period of living in the capital come to realize that having this kind of help can greatly aid the smooth running of their household and take the stress of dealing with the mundane, so that their minds can be turned to more pressing matters, such as working or spending more time with loved ones.

Whether you have a villa in Shunyi that requires some heavy duty maintenance or you have a 45 square meter studio apartment next to Chaoyang Park, its likely that an ayi can help you in saving time in some way

What Kind of Ayi Do You Need?

Before asking the question of what kind of means you will employ in finding your perspective ayi it is worth having a think about what her duties will entail exactly. For many – in particular young single people- simple housework such as: dusting, bathroom/kitchen cleaning, mopping, sweeping, and laundry are sufficient. For these kinds of situations it is generally not worth scouring the corners of the city looking for an ayi, as many will suffice.

Others will have a much longer list of requirements for their ayi, these could include child care, cooking, shopping and more in depth domestic tasks. In these situations it is worth considering more thorough methods for finding an ayi. Families with specific and intensive needs may consider a live-in ayi valuable.  Of course, there is always the middle ground; for example, someone might require an ayi for light domestic work and also for minor administrative tasks requiring an increased level of trust, for example paying utility bills.  

How to Find Who You Need

  • Word of Mouth/Recommendations

Generally the most fool proof way of finding an ayi is by word of mouth through recommendations from a friend or perhaps a friend of a friend. This is a great means for finding an ayi with a solid track record. In many complexes  in Beijing residents form very closely nit communities and it doesn’t hurt to ask friendly neighbours to put their ‘feelers’ out and make inquiries about finding quality ayis. This can be a great means for seeking domestic help that is very local, should short notice call out be one of your requirements.

Another advantage of this method is that there is no ‘middleman’ so to speak of: by finding an ayi on your own steam and employing her independently you can negotiate a price and know that the whole of the fee goes to the lady in question. This method is preferable for kind hearted folks that wish for their ayi to benefit monetarily from the arrangement as much as possible. 

2)  Agencies

There are a number of companies that cater to the needs of ex-pat families: in particular ex-pat families requiring more involved ayi services than a simple once over with a mop once a week. Often families- especially new comers to Beijing- require an ayi that is able to speak rudimentary English, so as to make proceedings a little smoother. A number of companies supply such a service with ayis that they themselves have provided with English language training. This is a god send for many, as in the pool of ayis accessible by the means that many Chinese people use, English speakers are as rare as hen’s teeth.

Century Sunshine Domestic Services
Website:  http://www.365service.com.cn

Beijing Ex-pat Housemaid Service
Website: http://www.expatslife.com

Beijing Ayi Housekeeping Service
Website: http://www.bjayi.com

3)  Internet

Suitable for those with moderately better Chinese language skills and for those not requiring such heavy or responsibility laden house keeping, the internet is a great resource for finding an ayi. Indeed the classified section of these hallowed eChinacities internet pages are not a bad place to begin looking for domestic help. Chinese search engines such as Baidu.com are also suitable. The best way to look is just by entering the name of the district in which you live and the words ‘guan jia’ for house keeping. Should your reading skills not be up to the task it might be worth asking a Chinese friend to help in your quest.   Numerous search results should crop up, many of them including contact details for ayi agencies in your area. Of course these will not come with a guarantee and finding the right ayi for your needs may take a little time

Ayi Hiring Tips

  • It’s highly unlikely that your new ayi will be aware of all your needs straight away. Rather than giving an ayi free reign and then getting upset when she doesn’t do things just so, try to communicate with her as much as possible
  • Agencies provide flexible house keeping services and are great for finding help for performance of lighter tasks. Don’t be afraid employ a little trial and error, by requesting a new ayi from a company.
  • When searching for a live in ayi or one involved in child care, prepare yourself well for holding interviews. Outlining all of your potential requirements is a must as you don’t want to end up hiring an ayi that refuses to perform a given task. 
  • Standards of hygiene vary widely between all people. Sometimes ayis consider something looking clean as, for all intents and purposes, being clean. Also, for others there is a rule that if you can not see it; then it doesn’t require cleaning. If you take a shine to your ayi but she seems to have different standards of cleanliness, try to be patient in explaining how you wish for things to be done. This effort is often infinitely better than looking for someone all over again. 
  • The Ayi Survival Guide is an indispensable resource for all manner of other questions you might have and is readily available to purchase online. 

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Keywords: How to find Ayi Beijing ayi hiring tips Beijing finding ayi Beijing Ayi tips Beijing

1 Comments

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myang15

Our Ayi Ms. Xiao Su worked for us ad a diplomatic family living in Beijing for 5 years. She is an excellent worker, doing cleaning, cooking, laundry and child care (our two children). She is diligent, enthusiastic, and great fun to have around, and was always willing to go the extra mile. She is completely trustworthy and reliable. she is seeking further employment in the Beijing area, either live-in or live-out. We have no hesitation in recommending her extremely highly. Please do feel free to get in touch with either of us (we are now based in South Africa) if you would like to discuss further. Her contact phone no. 13520066284 John and Ning Warburton

Sep 07, 2017 21:48 Report Abuse