Ayis In HangzhouOne of the benefits of expat life is being able to afford home help! In the UK I could barely afford a cleaner to come and clean the bathrooms once every two weeks. But in China, I have an ayi who helps me around the home for 9 hours a week!
Ayi is the Chinese term for aunty. Most families will have an ayi. Many of these will be full time and will take care of the children as well as doing all of the housework and day to day chores. Sometimes an ayi will live in the property with you.
Tip: Ayis will sometimes do things the ‘Chinese way’, make sure you give her clear instructions on what you would like her to do!
When you are living as an expat in Hangzhou, it is easy to get an ayi. There are agencies who supply ayis or you can hire one yourself directly. I know some expats who have hired an ayi for childcare purposes, so that the parents can work full time.The cost of a full time ayi to look after your child is approximately £650 per month.Other people choose to hire an ayi on a part time basis to help with basic household duties. This costs around £5 per hour.
The concept of an ayi is that she is more than a cleaner. She becomes a part of your family, an ‘aunty’.
My ayi is great. Having her around allows me to spend time with the baby and working on this website, which is a much better use of my time than mopping the floor or taking out the bins! Here is a list of the things that she helps me with when she comes:
- Washes clothes
- Hangs out clothes to dry
- Irons clothes
- Changes bedsheets
- Tidies away children toys
- Washes dishes
- Hoovers
- Sweeps and mops floors
- Polishes surfaces
- Cleans the kitchen
- Cleans the bathroom
- Cleans the windows
She also does things like cleaning the soles of my slippers and offers to cook me rice!There are many benefits to being an expat in Hangzhou, and having an ayi is definitely one of them!
https://tourismteacher.com/expat-in-hangzhou/
