Having spent many a time in El Valle, and having friends and family who maintain households there, I can say that the cost for a housekeeper or maid is far below that for a comparable position in the city.  From what I've heard and see, the cost for a housekeeper in El Valle de Anton ranges in the $300 - $350 per month range for a live in. 

 

Duties will vary.  Cooking is not always required nor expected.  But this is for full-time, five and a...

Having spent many a time in El Valle, and having friends and family who maintain households there, I can say that the cost for a housekeeper or maid is far below that for a comparable position in the city.  From what I've heard and see, the cost for a housekeeper in El Valle de Anton ranges in the $300 - $350 per month range for a live in. 

 

Duties will vary.  Cooking is not always required nor expected.  But this is for full-time, five and a half day a week, live in housekeepers.
 

The cost of a housekeeper or maid in El Valle is relatively low, but so is the quality of workers at times.  Those maids who have been in the business for awhile know the value of their work, and will cost you a bit more.  Those who are just starting out are going to need training from you on what it is you want exactly, and unfortunately if they are just starting out, they don't know the value of work.  They will also need a bit of time to learn the proper attitude to...

The cost of a housekeeper or maid in El Valle is relatively low, but so is the quality of workers at times.  Those maids who have been in the business for awhile know the value of their work, and will cost you a bit more.  Those who are just starting out are going to need training from you on what it is you want exactly, and unfortunately if they are just starting out, they don't know the value of work.  They will also need a bit of time to learn the proper attitude to have when working for someone in that capacity.

 

The best thing to do is to ask around with your neighbors, and find out if they know of any good maids looking for work.  It's always better to go with someone who you can have recommended to you and pay a bit more, than go with someone whom is going to require a lot of your attention, and at the end of the day show no appreciation for the opportunity of work.  Not to say that all maids start out that way; some start out wonderfully, but lose steam along the way.  I know this may sound a bit callous, but most of the maids come in thinking that all they have to do is clean, do laundry, and that's about it. They give no thought on how to be respectful, courteous, or how to go that extra step to make you the employer happy.  Those who have been in the business for awhile do.  They understand what it means to be valued.

 

I have found that most will respect you if you treat them as your employee, and not your friend.  Most expats become too lenient on maids because they feel guilty for having a maid, and end up having someone take advantage of them.  Don't ever feel guilty for for offering someone an opportunity to work.  

The wages across Panama do not vary that much. If you are getting a housekeeper, you can choose to pay on a daily basis, for which they typically charge anywhere from US $20 to $25 per day. If the housekeeper comes to your house to work once a week or once every two weeks, then they would work about 4 to 5 hours, depending on the size of your house.
 
You can also hire a housekeeper to work for you full time so that they work 8 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week. A full time...

The wages across Panama do not vary that much. If you are getting a housekeeper, you can choose to pay on a daily basis, for which they typically charge anywhere from US $20 to $25 per day. If the housekeeper comes to your house to work once a week or once every two weeks, then they would work about 4 to 5 hours, depending on the size of your house.
 
You can also hire a housekeeper to work for you full time so that they work 8 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week. A full time housekeeper would cost you around $400 a month, which is quite a bit less per day than hiring them on a daily basis, but you have to pay bonuses throughout the year. A decimo is a bonus that you have to pay quarterly if you have a full time employee, which is basically about $130 every 3 months.
 
Very few people have a full time housekeeper/caretaker in their home so the usual rate that people pay here is $20 to $25 a day for someone to come over, clean the house, and get the job done.  

 

(Freestanding tub with outdoor view at Dlaaya retreat, Las Lajas, Panama, pictured.)