We recently relocated to Biel Benken in Basel Land and are in need of household assistance. Coming from outside Switzerland, we are accustomed to having help at home for tasks like ironing, cleaning, and organization. Ideally, we would require 2-3 hours of assistance every two days, totaling around 5 to 7 hours per week. Both my partner and I have demanding work schedules, and managing everything, including childcare and housework, is becoming overwhelming for me. Adjusting to life in Switzerland and finding affordable household help has been challenging. Many potential candidates we have come across charge around 40 CHF per hour, which exceeds our budget. However, we are willing to pay 20-25 CHF per hour and provide excellent working conditions with proper employment contracts. We are a friendly and accommodating family seeking assistance and hoping to find a suitable arrangement for all parties involved

I doubt that you will find someone legally for that amount you want to pay. You also need to consider the employer´s contributions.

https://www.newlyswissed.com/portfol...n-switzerland/

If you have a demanding job you may consider paying a household help well as well? Or at least according to Swiss standards?

Having also lived in a country where household help was the norm I can understand this transition is hard - perhaps also consider some small changes like cleaning less often, wearing clothes multiple times, cooking super simple meals (or have a look at TooGoodtoGo

Also perhaps consider to cluster the hrs like 2 times a week for 4 hrs. Cleaning personnel does not like to parcellize the work as it means less productive hrs.

Are you flexible on days/hrs or need a specific time?

Wages for cleaning ladies have been discussed at length on the forum and you will not manage to employe anyone if you are looking at your expense being what you quoted - would either increase your hourly budget or decrease the hours.

And lastly if I may... If you both work and have demanding jobs why is it on you to manage the household? Surely your spouse/partner should be doing their fair share so that you both get the same amount of rest/free time, it's not only on one person to make it work at all costs!

Lot's of people manage this and as for suggesting Chf 20/25.--hour, this is just ridiculous, if you want to be a hot shot, get ready to pay for everything else......

Just so I'm clear, to give you and easier life you want a cleaner and/or someone to farm out your kids to someone and pay CHF 20, when the "candidates" want 40. Not wishing to be uncharitable but you really need to rethink that pay offer, unless of course you are talking CHF 25 nett and you have paid the taxes and social charges etc, if it's gross, then I'm guessing that would be pretty insulting.

My dog walker charges 45/hr... our cleaning company 50/hr.



I would suggest you look at a company, rather than hiring directly, as otherwise you will be responsible to pay all the employer contributions as well...


If you don't, there have been stories of people complaining to the authorities after xx months/years and getting all the backpay.

The shock that comes when one realizes that slavery has been abolished in Europe for a while now


CHF 20-25 is at best immoral and I won't use further qualifications as the mods will sanction me.

If I remember well, 25-30 CHF/hour is what the young get paid to serve tables in bars and coffee shops during summer. If I had to choose between bringing drinks to a restaurant terrace, and housework and dealing with other people's children......delivering beers to customers is easier.

That's what the person gets paid. The employer still has to pay contributions on top of that, sick leave/holidays/etc...

Of course, just wanted to provide a bit of context by comparing to other part time jobs.

It's a bit more even up in the remote mountains - my total lack of experience student son got 28 chf an hour plus extra for late night locking up on his own and of course it was all legal so the cost to the business with all his contributions was a lot more per hour. This was in a mountain gasthof in remote Canton Uri! He lived in and was charged for his lodgings - 10 chf a day. In the city it was much better paid but the day off hikes were not nearly as fun!

Our 15-year old was offered 10 per hour to work at a local well-known bakery. We told him to walk away.

I was paid 20-25 per hour nigh on 20 years ago in Lausanne for relatively menial work (housecleaning, laundry + plus occasional easy childminding(i.e. kids were in school/creche most of the time, so no diaper changing or full-time childcare obligations)). The rates have gone up significantly since then, I think anyone decent is going to expect to pocket at least 35.- CHF/hour. I think the OP needs to adjust their expectations.

Hi ANKMumBaselLand and welcome to the forum.
As you will have noticed daily life in Switzerland is an astonishing bargain and the residents (especially “expats”) are terribly friendly.
For once I have to agree with most other posters: you will have to blow your “budget” for a femme de ménage or get sweaty yourself…

OP, how about the radical, I say RADICAL idea of your hubby helping you out with cleaning, cooking, shopping etc ?
Split house chores on weekends? Hire a "maman de jour" to pick up your kids from creche on the days you cannot do that? There are still some possibilities which can do with a tight budget but you have to look around and figure things out for yourself, with your husband... If you're used to stuff you think you cannot manage without, that's a whole different story.

You and your partner should be able to find 5 to 7 hours a week to get these things done yourself. If you cannot afford to hire help and pay a decent wage, then your options are limited.

There are plenty of households with 2 incomes and children and no outside help.

I have friends living in South-East Asia, this place seems a paradise in this aspect compared to CH where 'helpers' are not the norm.

In our case, a full time nanny service (just taking care of the kid) costs us c.50k per year. And this is only for our child, the nanny does not iron/clean/wash, etc. If you want that, you have to get an additional person and/or pay extra.

I am saying this, just to put things in perspective and to point out that CHF 20-25 is extremely difficult to find legally. And even if you do, the quality you will get is most probably gonna be crap.

The OP is a Swiss/French national, just saying….

Yes but if you lived in a country with live in help when you had children, the adaptation is tough. I know many westerners that had children whilst in Asia and would never move back for that reason.

I can fully understand the difficulty in transition.

The transition of not having help, yes, but the lowballing is ridiculous.