Whether or not you currently employ an ayi (otherwise known as a maid), no doubt you've heard the countless horror stories floating around the expat community. "My ayi broke my favourite vase!" (friend's true story) or "My ayi just stopped showing up without telling me!" (friend's true story) or "My ayi used my apartment to earn extra money as a prostitute!" (a friend of a friend's story, but true nonetheless). Thankfully, for every problematic ayi, there are hundreds of good ones – those who act as housekeeper, chef, laundromat, babysitter and all around lifesaver. But there are a few things you must look out for when meeting a potential ayi. Keep these questions in mind as you meet and develop a relationship with your ayi in order to avoid having a horror story anecdote yourself.

1) Has she done this before?

There are plenty of young people out there looking to get a start in life, and working as an ayi is one such way to do so. So a simple lack of experience here is not the issue. There are some people who may not have experience cleaning other people's homes, but who have performed related work in their own homes or elsewhere. But it is vital to walk through your apartment at least once or twice with your ayi to make sure she knows exactly where everything is kept and what everything is used for. Everyone deserves a chance, but if she doesn't know the difference between detergent and bleach, then it's a pretty sure sign you may want to consider hiring someone else.

2) Do you trust her? I mean really trust her?

It's common practice to hand over your apartment key to your ayi after their first visit. While most of the time that works out just fine for both parties (you don't have to make sure you're home when she comes, and she doesn't have to wait around for you), it's actually better to wait until you establish a certain level of trust with each other before giving her unlimited access to your home. My husband and I discovered this when we went home for a few weeks over Christmas one year, only to come back and discover all of our faucets (and toilets) running full blast. Our ayi had "turned the water on so the pipes wouldn't freeze" – and then left them on for ten days straight. While I don't think the motivation behind it was malicious, our water bill that month came to almost 1,000 RMB – an expensive lesson to always trust your ayi before handing out your key.

3) How important is her level of education to you?

This question is only important once you've decided on the language of communication. Do you speak Mandarin, and are therefore happy with someone who doesn't speak any English? Do you only speak English and need someone who can do the same? A combination of both? It's also important once you've decided on your preferred method of communication. This may be a bit obvious, but you'd be amazed at how many people don't make the connection - if you can only speak English and will be frequently writing instructions to your ayi while you're out of the house, don't hire an ayi who can't speak or read English. And even if you can speak Mandarin, be aware that many ayi's can't read – even in Chinese. This means they can't read labels on cleaning supplies, care instructions on clothes, etc. So if you plan on leaving a lot of handwritten notes for your ayi, make sure their education level is at the appropriate level.

4) How often does she go through cleaning supplies?

This will act as a tip off on how well the ayi is actually cleaning your place. While some ayis prefer to buy their own cleaning supplies and just tack on the price to their weekly or monthly bill, some require you to buy the supplies and keep them replenished. If this is the case, it's a pretty good tip off that they're skimping on the cleaning fluids if you haven't had to buy any new products in a few months. Just keep an eye on the level of cleaner every other week or so and, if you find that nothing is really being used, you may want to have a talk with her to see what's going on.

5) What level of care do you require?

As I mentioned above, ayis can perform a variety of services – but not all ayis are equally good at everything. Think about what you want in an ayi before you start looking. Will your ayi be expected to just clean? Do your laundry and cook? Babysit your children? Obviously each of these requires a certain expertise, so make it clear to your ayi upfront what you're looking for. You're both sure to wind up angry if you expect more from her than you made clear and put her in the position of saying "no" or having to give up her free time because you forgot to tell her little Johnny would be home from school all week.

There are also various ayi agencies, such as leyuservice.com, whose job it is to hire out reliable employees if you want the option of going through a third party. Remember, having an ayi can be a great privilege, one that many people only experience in China because of the ridiculously cheap cost of labour. But in order to have the best ayi experience possible, the most important thing to do is keep your eyes and ears open, and communicate as much as possible.
 

Related links
A Dummy's Guide to Cell Phones and Services in China
The 10 Commandments of Bargain Hunting in China
The Local Option: Tips on Navigating the Wet Market

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